The Olive River is a

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 w ...

in the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupació ...

of Far North Queensland, Australia. The headwaters of the river rise in the Richardson Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, on the Cape York Peninsula. The river initially flows south-easterly and then veers north east and continues across the mostly uninhabited coastal plain and then white sand dunes eventually discharging into Temple Bay and the Coral Sea, north of . The river descends over its course. The river has a catchment area of of which an area of is composed of estuarine wetlands. The

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have right ...

of the area are the Wuthahti and Kuuku Ya’u peoples, who maintain strong spiritual connections with their country. In 2009 the Federal Court granted

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...

rights over of land and waters north of the town of Lockhart River and north to the mouth of the Olive River, inclusive of part of the

Wuthara Island National Park Wuthara Island is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It is located 1,962 km northwest of Brisbane in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Queensland, about 40 km North East of Kutini-Payamu National Park and Lockhart River in the ...

, the

Mitirinchi Island National Park Mitirinchi Island (meaning "Soul Island" in Kuuku Ya'u, a sacred site) is a national park in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Queensland, Australia, 1,947 km (1,210 mi) northwest of Brisbane. It is situated about 30 km (19 ...

and the

Piper Islands National Park The Piper Islands National Park is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia. It lies 1977 km northwest of Brisbane. It comprises four small islands lying on the inner northern Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of the Ca ...

. The area was visited by as part of a hydrographic survey conducted by the Admiralty in 1893 it is thought to either have been named after a mayor of

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repai ...

or the characteristic tea-coloured water in the river. The riparian vegetation are home to many species only found on Cape York Peninsula including the threatened

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male o ...

plant, ''

Cycas silvestris ''Cycas silvestris'' is a species of cycad. It is native to Queensland, where it is confined to the Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilder ...

''.

References

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

See also

References