Burnett River
Encyclopedia
The Burnett River is a river in central Queensland
, Australia
that empties into the Pacific Ocean
near the city of Bundaberg
. The Burnett River region is largely given over to growing sugar cane.
The Burnett River, together with the nearby Mary River
, is home to the Queensland lungfish
, one of the most ancient of the extant vertebrate species.
Construction of the Paradise Dam
on the Burnett River, 80 kilometres upstream from Bundaberg, was completed in November 2005. The dam has a capacity of 300,000 megalitres. The dam
is named after the old gold
mining township of Paradise
, which is now submerged under the waters of the reservoir. All of the structures and artefacts found at the site have been transferred to the nearby town of Biggenden
. The design of the dam complies with strict environmental guidelines and includes a 'fishway' that allows fish
such as the Queensland lungfish to travel upstream as well as downstream from the dam wall.
The river rises close to Mount Gaeta, east of Monto
, flowing in a general southerly direction past Eidsvold
and Mundubbera
. Downstream of Mundubbera, the river swings east, going through the townships of Gayndah
and Wallaville before entering the city of Bundaberg. The river flows into the ocean at Burnett Heads
, roughly 20 km from Bundaberg.
The river is named after James Charles Burnett, the explorer who discovered it in 1847.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
that empties into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
near the city of Bundaberg
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
. The Burnett River region is largely given over to growing sugar cane.
The Burnett River, together with the nearby Mary River
Mary River (Queensland)
The Mary River is a river system in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough...
, is home to the Queensland lungfish
Queensland Lungfish
The Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri is the sole surviving member of the family Ceratodontidae and order Ceratodontiformes. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world...
, one of the most ancient of the extant vertebrate species.
Construction of the Paradise Dam
Biggenden, Queensland
Biggenden is a town situated on the Isis Highway in southern Queensland, Australia, 339 km north-west of the state capital Brisbane, and 84 km west of Maryborough. At the 2006 census, Biggenden had a population of 644....
on the Burnett River, 80 kilometres upstream from Bundaberg, was completed in November 2005. The dam has a capacity of 300,000 megalitres. The dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
is named after the old gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mining township of Paradise
Paradise, Queensland
Paradise was a ghost town on the Burnett River, in Queensland, Australia. The town was established as a gold mining centre and was abandoned once the gold ran out. The main reef on the goldfield extended for two miles along Finneys Creek...
, which is now submerged under the waters of the reservoir. All of the structures and artefacts found at the site have been transferred to the nearby town of Biggenden
Biggenden, Queensland
Biggenden is a town situated on the Isis Highway in southern Queensland, Australia, 339 km north-west of the state capital Brisbane, and 84 km west of Maryborough. At the 2006 census, Biggenden had a population of 644....
. The design of the dam complies with strict environmental guidelines and includes a 'fishway' that allows fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
such as the Queensland lungfish to travel upstream as well as downstream from the dam wall.
The river rises close to Mount Gaeta, east of Monto
Monto, Queensland
Monto is a town in Queensland, Australia, located on the Burnett Highway north-west of Brisbane and south of Rockhampton. The town was the administrative centre of Monto Shire. At the 2006 census, Monto had a population of 1,159.-History:...
, flowing in a general southerly direction past Eidsvold
Eidsvold, Queensland
Eidsvold is a small town in the North Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Burnett Highway approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is the self-proclaimed Beef Capital of the Burnett and is a hub for the regional cattle industry...
and Mundubbera
Mundubbera, Queensland
Mundubbera is a town in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the Burnett Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane and west of the regional centre, Bundaberg. Mundubbera is built on the bank on the Burnett River...
. Downstream of Mundubbera, the river swings east, going through the townships of Gayndah
Gayndah, Queensland
Gayndah is a town located on the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia. It is north of the state capital, Brisbane, and west of the regional city of Maryborough. The Burnett Highway passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Gayndah had a population of 1,745.-History:Exploration of the...
and Wallaville before entering the city of Bundaberg. The river flows into the ocean at Burnett Heads
Burnett Heads, Queensland
Burnett Heads is a town at the mouth of the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia, located 16 km north of the regional city of Bundaberg. At the 2006 census, Burnett Heads had a population of 2,419....
, roughly 20 km from Bundaberg.
The river is named after James Charles Burnett, the explorer who discovered it in 1847.
Tributaries
Major tributaries of the Burnett River include:- Three Moon Creek: Rises near Kroombit Tops National ParkKroombit Tops National ParkKroombit Tops is a national park in Central Queensland, Australia. Located between Monto and Calliope in The Boyne Valley, it is 399 km northwest of Brisbane. Cania Gorge National Park is located approximately 25 km to the south....
north of Monto. Flows south through Monto and MulgildieMulgildie, QueenslandMulgildie is a town in Queensland, Australia. The town is located from the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Mulgildie had a population of 114.-External links:*...
before emptying into the Burnett River south-east of Abercorn. Part of the creek is dammed near Cania Gorge to form Lake Cania. - Nogo River: Rises in the hills north-west of Monto. Flows south-east to join the Burnett near CeratodusCeratodus, QueenslandCeratodus is a settlement in Queensland, Australia on the Burnett River about from Eidsvold, Queensland.-History:The name Ceratodus was given to the settlement about 1922 and derives from that of the Queensland lungfish, neoceratodus forsteri. A railway station opened here 26 April 1924...
. Part of the Nogo River is dammed west of Abercorn to form Wuruma Lake, a popular fishing spot. - Auburn River: Rises in the hills about 20 km west of CracowCracow, QueenslandCracow is a gold mining town in Queensland, Australia, in the Banana Shire Local Government Area. The town is located on the Theodore - Eidsvold road, 485 kilometres north west of the state capital, Brisbane. The town was named for a pastoral run, named in 1851 by pastoralist, John Ross,...
. Flows south before swinging to the north-east at its confluence with Johnson Creek. Passes through Auburn River National ParkAuburn River National ParkAuburn River is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 277 km northwest of Brisbane. The park is located on the Auburn River, a tributary of the Burnett River, south-west of Mundubbera....
, a little-known and untouched piece of pristine bushThe Bush"The bush" is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in certain countries.-Australia:The term is iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" describes a wooded area, intermediate between a shrubland and a forest, generally of dry and nitrogen-poor soil, mostly...
including Auburn Waterfall. Flows into the Burnett River west of Mundubbera. - Boyne River: Rises in the Bunya Mountains National ParkBunya Mountains National ParkBunya Mountains is a national park in Queensland, Australia. The park includes much of the mountain range called the Bunya Mountains. The mountains are covered by the most westerly forests in southern Queensland and the largest area of bunya pines remaining in the world...
south-west of KingaroyKingaroy, QueenslandKingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately or about 2½ hours drive north-west of the state capital Brisbane. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways...
. Flows in a general northerly direction, emptying into the Burnett River near Mundubbera, only 5 km from the Burnett River-Auburn River confluence. Part of the Boyne RiverBoyne River (Queensland)Boyne River is a river in Queensland, Australia. It flows between the twin towns of Boyne Island and Tannum Sands. The river was named by John Oxley as it reminded him of the River Boyne in Ireland. A bridge was built to cross the river joining the two towns in 1980...
is dammed near ProstonProston, QueenslandProston is a small town in the south east of the Australian state of Queensland. The town is located 280 kilometres north west of the state capital, Brisbane and 50 km northwest of the South Burnett regions commercial centre, Kingaroy...
to form Lake BoondoomaBoondooma DamBoondooma Dam is a dam on the Boyne River in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. In 1983, the dam was constructed across the Boyne River below its confluence with the Stuart River....
, which supplies water for the Tarong Power Station near Kingaroy. (Another Boyne River, not part of the Burnett system, is located near GladstoneGladstone, Queensland- Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...
). - Barambah Creek: Rises in the hills between Kingaroy and the Sunshine CoastSunshine Coast, QueenslandThe Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
, north of Jimna. Flows in a general northerly direction before meeting the Burnett River north-east of Gayndah. Part of Barambah Creek is dammed south of MurgonMurgon, QueenslandMurgon is a town in Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Bunya Highway 270 kilometres north-west of the state capital, Brisbane.Murgon is in the region of Queensland known as the South Burnett, the southern part of the Burnett River catchment...
to form Lake Barambah, also known as Bjelke-Petersen DamBjelke-Petersen DamConstruction of Bjelke-Petersen Dam near Cherbourg in Queensland, commenced in 1984 and finished in 1988. It created the lake that was named Lake Barambah after the original property in the region. The dam supplies water to the South Burnett region, mostly for irrigation purposes.The dam wall is ...
, named after former Premier Joh Bjelke-PetersenJoh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
.
2010–2011 Queensland floods
The Burnett River catchment is one of the areas that has been part of the 2010–2011 Queensland floods2010–2011 Queensland floods
A series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...