HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Mary River (
Kabi Kabi The Gubbi Gubbi people also known as Kabi Kabi are an Aboriginal Australian people native to south-eastern Queensland. They are now classified as one of several Murri language groups in Queensland. Naming As is often the case, ethnonyms dis ...
: ''Moocooboola'') is a major
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
system located in the
South East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
and
Wide Bay–Burnett Wide Bay–Burnett is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, located between north of the state capital, Brisbane. The area's population growth has exceeded the state average over the past 20 years, and it is forecast to grow to more ...
regions of
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
, Australia.


Etymology

The river was traditionally named ''Moocooboola'' by the
indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
Kabi people The Gubbi Gubbi people also known as Kabi Kabi are an Aboriginal Australian people native to south-eastern Queensland. They are now classified as one of several Murri language groups in Queensland. Naming As is often the case, ethnonyms dist ...
. The river was named ''Wide Bay River'' on 10 May 1842 by early European explorers,
Andrew Petrie Andrew Petrie (1798 - 20 February 1872) was a pioneer, architect and builder in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Early life Andrew Petrie was born in Fife, Scotland. He trained as a builder in Edinburgh. He married Mary Cuthbertson in 1821. ...
and
Henry Stuart Russell Henry Stuart Russell (16 March 1818 – 5 March 1889) was an English-born explorer, politician, historian and pastoralist, best known for establishing the Cecil Plains Station around the Condamine River area of Australia. Early life Russell wa ...
. The official name was changed on 8 September 1847 (prior to Queensland becoming a separate colony) by
Charles Augustus FitzRoy Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, (10 June 179616 February 1858) was a British military officer, politician and member of the aristocracy, who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century. Family and peerage Charles was b ...
, then Governor of New South Wales, to ''Mary River'' — after his wife Lady Mary Lennox (15 August 1790 to 7 December 1847).


History

The Mary River was used for rafting timber during the early years of European land settlement, and the discovery of gold at
Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...
in 1867 brought an inflow of miners and pastoralists. Alluvial flats along the Mary River and some of its tributaries were used for cropping, and there was small-time dairying in the 1880s.


Course and features

The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough. From its source, the Mary River flows north through the towns of
Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...
,
Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...
,
Tiaro Tiaro is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Tiaro had a population of 758 people. Geography The town is on the Mary River. It is situated on the Bruce Highway south of Mar ...
and Maryborough before emptying into the
Great Sandy Strait The Great Sandy Strait is a strait in the Australian state of Queensland of length which separates mainland Queensland from Fraser Island. It is also a locality in the Fraser Coast Region local government area. In the , Great Sandy Strait had ...
, a passage of water between the mainland and
Fraser Island Fraser Island ( Butchulla: ) is a World Heritage-listed island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The island is approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is within the Fras ...
, near the town of River Heads, south of the town of
Hervey Bay Hervey Bay () is a city on the coast of the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately or 3½ hours' highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located on the Hervey Bay (Queensland), bay of ...
. The Mary River flows into the
Great Sandy Strait The Great Sandy Strait is a strait in the Australian state of Queensland of length which separates mainland Queensland from Fraser Island. It is also a locality in the Fraser Coast Region local government area. In the , Great Sandy Strait had ...
, near
wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s of international significance recognised by the International agreement of the
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
and the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Fraser Island Fraser Island ( Butchulla: ) is a World Heritage-listed island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The island is approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is within the Fras ...
World Heritage Area A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. Notable river crossings include the
Dickabram Bridge Dickabram Bridge is a heritage-listed road-and-rail bridge over the Mary River between Miva and Theebine, both in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was the major bridge on the Kingaroy railway line. It was designed by Henry Ch ...
, the Granville Bridge at Maryborough, and the
Lamington Bridge Lamington Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge over the Mary River from Gympie Road, Tinana to Ferry Street, Maryborough, both in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Alfred Barton Brady and built from to 1 ...
. From source to mouth, the Mary River is joined by nineteen
tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
, including the Tinana Creek, Munna Creek, Obi Obi Creek, Yabba Creek, Wide Bay Creek, Six Mile Creek, Deep Creek, and the Susan River. The river descends over its course. The river's
catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
is and is bounded by the
Conondale Conondale is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Conondale had a population of 858 people. Geography The town is in the Sunshine Coast hinterland area. The town is located on the banks of the u ...
, Jimna and Burnett Ranges. While there are only two impoundments on the Mary River itself (the Gympie weir, and the barrage at Mungar, south of Tinana) there are a number of dams within the Mary River catchment on tributaries, Borumba Dam on Yabba Creek west of Imbil, Baroon Pocket Dam on Obi Obi Creek west of Montville, Six Mile Creek Dam on Six Mile Creek east of Cooroy, Cedar Pocket Dam on Deep Creek at Cedar Pocket, and two weirs (Talegalla and Teddington) and a barrage on Tinana Creek. It is also a historical Australian river that contains gold as was first discovered in Gympie by James Nash.


2011 floods

The Mary River experienced major flooding during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. In some places the river rose . In Maryborough the river peaked at while at Gympie the peak was . The
Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Na ...
was closed to the north and south of Gympie and more than 50 homes and businesses were inundated. The high turbidity levels interfered with the natural breeding cycle for some of the river species.


Flora and fauna

The endangered Mary River turtle (''Elusor macrurus'') lives in the river. Other marine life native to the river include the
Queensland lungfish The Australian lungfish (''Neoceratodus forsteri''), also known as the Queensland lungfish, Burnett salmon and barramunda, is the only surviving member of the family Neoceratodontidae. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world. ...
(''Neoceratodus forsteri'') and the endangered
Mary River cod The Mary River cod (''Maccullochella mariensis'') is a species of temperate perch native to the coastal Mary River system of southern Queensland, Australia. Mary River cod are one of Australia's most endangered freshwater fishes and are notab ...
(''Maccullochella mariensis''). Significant vulnerable and endangered species that live in the river also include endangered
giant barred frog The giant barred frog (''Mixophyes iteratus'') is a species of barred frog found in Australia. It occurs from south-eastern Queensland to just south of the Newcastle region in New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wale ...
, Cascade tree frog and Coxen's fig parrot and the vulnerable
tusked frog The tusked frog (''Adelotus brevis'') is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to eastern Australia from Eungella National Park, Queensland south to Ourimbah, New South Wales. It is the only species in the genus ''Adelotus'' - ''adelotus'' me ...
, honey blue-eye fish, the
Richmond birdwing ''Ornithoptera richmondia'', the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being '' Ornithoptera meridionalis''. Distribution Historicall ...
butterfly and the Illidge's ant blue butterfly.
Saltwater crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been listed ...
s are occasionally seen in the lower reaches of the river, with one notable crocodile being known to live in the river since April 2012. Although the official range for saltwater crocodiles stops near
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...
, it is widely regarded that the Mary River is the most southerly range limit for crocodiles.


Traveston Crossing Dam

In light of the region's longest drought in one hundred years, the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
announced on 27 April 2006 its intention to dam part of the Mary River at Traveston Crossing, south of
Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...
. The project was cancelled in November 2009, after being refused approval by Federal Environment Minister
Peter Garrett Peter Robert Garrett (born 16 April 1953) is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician. In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his signa ...
. The action had been planned to create a reservoir "almost as big as the Wivenhoe Dam" by 2011. The Traveston Dam was projected to inundate an area of fertile farmland, endangered regional ecosystems and small towns more than 1.3 times the area of Sydney Harbour. There was considerable local opposition to the proposal, with all Mary Valley and Sunshine Coast Shire Councils opposed to the dam proposal on a variety of grounds including: the dislocation of the local community from the inundated area; adverse effects on downstream communities; and environmental impacts such as the removal of one of the few remaining habitats for the vulnerable Queensland Lungfish. More than 20,000 residents formally petitioned the Queensland State Parliament to halt the dam. There were further concerns that the geomechanics of the proposed site were not suitable for damming due to potentially significant leakage (due to the predominantly sandy substrate) and evaporation problems. There was strong opposition to the dam from the wider and international community, based on environmental concerns related to the endangered
Mary River cod The Mary River cod (''Maccullochella mariensis'') is a species of temperate perch native to the coastal Mary River system of southern Queensland, Australia. Mary River cod are one of Australia's most endangered freshwater fishes and are notab ...
, Mary River turtle,
giant barred frog The giant barred frog (''Mixophyes iteratus'') is a species of barred frog found in Australia. It occurs from south-eastern Queensland to just south of the Newcastle region in New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wale ...
, Cascade tree frog, Coxen's fig parrot, the vulnerable
Queensland lungfish The Australian lungfish (''Neoceratodus forsteri''), also known as the Queensland lungfish, Burnett salmon and barramunda, is the only surviving member of the family Neoceratodontidae. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world. ...
,
tusked frog The tusked frog (''Adelotus brevis'') is a species of ground-dwelling frog native to eastern Australia from Eungella National Park, Queensland south to Ourimbah, New South Wales. It is the only species in the genus ''Adelotus'' - ''adelotus'' me ...
, honey blue-eye fish, the
Richmond birdwing ''Ornithoptera richmondia'', the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being '' Ornithoptera meridionalis''. Distribution Historicall ...
butterfly and the Illidge's ant blue butterfly. There were also fears for the
dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...
, a globally vulnerable species. It was alleged that reduced fresh water flowing to the Great Sandy Strait would have affected the growth of seagrass, the dugong's primary food source. The Mary River Turtle and the Queensland Lungfish attracted particular attention regarding their conservation. The Mary River Turtle, whose only known home is the Mary River, is a cloacal ventilator ('bum breather' – it uses oxygen from water taken in through its tail), and is listed in the top 25 most endangered turtle species in the world. The Lungfish also has great significance to evolutionary biologists. It requires the rapids in order to breed, and much of its breeding habitat had already been interrupted by other dams in Queensland. Professor Jean Joss of Macquarie University stated, in a submission to the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Inquiry 2007: "The Mary River dam would almost certainly push the lungfish to 'Critically Endangered,' and in the long term will lead to its extinction in the wild." The Mary River Cod, which only lives naturally in the Mary River system, is already Critically Endangered. It is completely protected, and it is illegal to fish them.


Port of Maryborough

The
Port of Maryborough The Port of Maryborough, Queensland, was opened in 1847 and in 1859 it was declared a port of entry, meaning that overseas and intercolonial vessels could arrive and depart direct, although there appears to have been considerable uncertainty ...
was opened in 1847 and in 1859 it was declared a port of entry. In 1856, after the river became unnavigable to larger vessels a new township and port were established. From the 1850s to the end of the century the port was one of Australia's busiest
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
ports. Some authorities called the port "Wide Bay" well into the 1860s.


See also

*
List of rivers of Queensland This is a list of rivers of Australia. Rivers are ordered alphabetically, by state. The same river may be found in more than one state as many rivers cross state borders. Longest rivers nationally Longest river by state or territory Althoug ...


References


External links


Aerial video of the Mary River Valley and Kenilworth

Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee

Help Save the Australian Lungfish

{{Authority control Floods in Queensland Wide Bay–Burnett Geography of Sunshine Coast, Queensland