Johnstone River
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The Johnstone River, comprising the North Johnstone River and the South Johnstone River, is a river system located in Far North and
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
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. The headwaters of the river system rise in the
Atherton Tablelands The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tinar ...
. The north branch of the river system rises below Merivale, flows over the
Malanda Falls The Malanda Falls is a cascade waterfall on the North Johnstone River, located in the Tablelands Region in the Far North of Queensland, Australia. Location and features The falls are situated on the Atherton Tableland, near the town of Mala ...
and through the town of and then flows generally south by east, around Francis Range and over the
Jones Falls The Jones Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 stream in Maryland. It is impounded to create Lake Roland before running through the city of Baltim ...
, before flowing east, covering a distance of . The south branch of the river system rises below Mount Father Clancy, southwest of Mungalli, and generally flows east over Binda Falls, through the settlement of , before flowing north, covering a distance of . The two rivers reach their
confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
to form the Johnstone River east of the town of , and just west of the
river mouth A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carrying ...
. The main river then flows east, north of the Moresby Range National Park, and empties into the
Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...
. Together, the combined rivers flow over from source to mouth and descend approximately , with a
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 ...
of .
Crocodiles Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant memb ...
swim & live in all areas in the Johnstone River and swimming is not recommended in any part of the river.


Course and features

The North and South Johnstone Rivers rise in the tablelands of the north tropical coast and flow through steep narrow gorges to their junction on the coastal plain at Innisfail. The head waters of the catchments are located in high rainfall areas and the rivers are capable of producing severe flooding, especially in the Innisfail area. The North and South Johnstone Rivers have a combined catchment area of about at Innisfail; with the North Johnstone being the larger of the two with a catchment of about . Major
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 drainage b ...
of the river system include the North Beatrice River and the Ithaca River that both flow into the North Johnstone River. This branch is the longest and its catchment is drawn from the
Malanda Falls Conservation Park Malanda Falls Conservation Park is located on the Malanda–Atherton Road, 1 km from Malanda, Queensland, on the Atherton Tableland, Australia. The Park protects a small tropical rainforest remnant. The Malanda Falls, on the North Johnstone Ri ...
, and the following national parks:
Ella Bay Ella Bay is a bay located in the Cassowary Coast Region in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is in close proximity to the town of Innisfail. Innisfail is situated south of Cairns and north of Townsville. The bay is bounded by Cooper's point ...
, Eubenangee Swamp, Herberton Range, Japoon, Malaan, Palmerston Rocks, Topaz Road,
Tully Falls The Tully Falls, a horsetail chute waterfall on the Tully River, is located in the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Wet Tropics in the Far North region of Queensland, Australia. It formed the eastern boundary of the Dyirbal. Location and features ...
, Tully Gorge and
Wooroonooran Wooroonooran is a locality split among the Cairns Region, the Cassowary Coast Region and the Tablelands Region in Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooroonooran had no population. Geography The locality is entirely within the Wooroonooran Nati ...
. Malanda Falls is located in the upper reaches of the North Johnstone River. Downey Creek is the only major tributary on the South Johnstone River. There are no
dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
s or
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s in the catchment area. However water is taken from the river for town water supply,
dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or ...
and
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
production. The river is subject to periodic flooding (On the 8th of March 2018 the Johnstone burst its banks cutting off Innisfail from Cairns) popular for white-water rafting, and other tourist activities.


History

The junction of the two river branches is considered to be a sacred area to the
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
Mamu people. The area was first identified by
colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
ans in 1872 by Captain John Morseby during the search for survivors of the shipwreck ''Maria'', when he named the river the ''Gladys'' . Later, in 1873, Dalrymple renamed the river after Sub-Inspector Robert Johnstone while he was on an expedition searching for an alternative port for the Palmer River goldfields. Robert Johnstone was along on both trips as the sub-inspector in charge of the Native Mounted Police at Cardwell. In 1881 the first sugar cane plantation and mill were established at Innisfail after G. E. Dalrymple reported suitable land on the Johnstone River.


Crossings

The Jubilee Bridge was built across the river at Innisfail in 1923, replacing a ferry service. The old Jubilee Bridge was closed on 21 May 2010 after a review found the bridge to be unsafe. A new bridge was opened on 2 September 2011 with a ceremony attended by the then
Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...
,
Anna Bligh Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is a lobbyist and former Australian politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Labor Party. She was the first woman to hold either position. In 2 ...
, Queensland MP
Curtis Pitt Curtis Warren Pitt (born 1 February 1977) is an Australian politician who has been a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland since 2009, representing the district of Mulgrave. On 14 February 2015, he was sworn in as Treas ...
and local Mayor Bill Shannon. The opening of the railway bridge across the North Johnstone river at Daradgee in December 1924 provided the final link in the North Coast railway line from
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
to
Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
. The North Johnstone River also has two crossings on the Bruce Hwy and Shaw Rd.


See also

* *
Mosquito Fleet (Johnstone River, Queensland) Sugar Lighters in the Johnstone River, Queensland In the early days of settlement at Geraldton Innisfail">Innisfail,_Queensland.html" ;"title="ow Innisfail, Queensland">Innisfail the Johnstone River had a sand bar at the mouth and several shall ...
*'' Syzygium erythrocalyx'', known as the Johnstone River satinash


References


External links

* * * {{Rivers of Queensland North Queensland Rivers of Far North Queensland Bodies of water of the Coral Sea