The Susan 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 ...
located in the
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 ...
region 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
, establishe ...
, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises 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 bay of the same name open to ...
and west of the Maryborough Hervey Bay Road between the towns of Susan River and Walliebum. The river flows generally in an east by south direction, joined by the Bunya Creek, before reaching its
confluence and emptying into the
Mary River at
River Heads in 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 ...
.
Along the banks of the Susan River is one of the largest remaining
Blue Gum forests within the Mary River
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 ...
, together with
melaleuca forests. At the
river mouth, mangrove forests dominate the intertidal areas.
The Susan River Bridge carries the road that links
Maryborough and Hervey Bay and was built in 1977. The bridged carries more than 10,000 vehicles each day. It remained unnamed until 2009.
In 2007, an unusual
angler fish
The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes (). They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence c ...
was found by a local fisherman. The fish was the first of its kind to have its genetic data recorded in an international fish catalog called the
Fish Barcode of Life (FISH-BOL) using
DNA barcoding
DNA barcoding is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes. The premise of DNA barcoding is that by comparison with a reference library of such DNA sections (also called " sequences"), an indi ...
.
Large
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 list ...
s are occasionally seen the river and surrounding area, as well as
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 ...
s,
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
s and
sea turtle
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
s.
See also
*
References
{{Rivers of Queensland
Rivers of Queensland
Wide Bay–Burnett
Fraser Coast Region