Jardine River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jardine |
|
|---|---|
Jardine River
|
|
 Location of Jardine River mouth in Queensland
|
|
| Country | Australia |
| State | Queensland |
| Region | Far North Queensland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Great Dividing Range 100 m (330 ft) |
| River mouth | Gulf of Carpentaria, Coral Sea Endeavour Strait 0 m (0 ft) 10°57′0″S 142°13′50″E / 10.95000°S 142.23056°E |
| Length | 162 km (101 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 3,282 km2 (1,267 sq mi) |
| Tributaries |
|
| National park | Jardine River National Park |
The Jardine River is the biggest river on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. You can find it in the far northern part of Queensland.
Contents
The River's Journey
The Jardine River starts its journey southwest of Helby Hill. This area is part of the Great Dividing Range. The river then flows northwest, running alongside the McHenry River. Both rivers flow through the Jardine River National Park.
Eventually, the McHenry River joins the Jardine. The Jardine River continues its path, collecting water from many other smaller rivers and streams called tributaries. It then flows into the flat, wet areas known as the Jardine Swamps.
Finally, the Jardine River empties into the Endeavour Strait. This is near a place called Van Spoult Head. The water then flows into the northern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria, which is part of the Coral Sea.
Unlike many other rivers in tropical Northern Australia, the Jardine River flows all year round. This is because it gets enough rain throughout the year to keep its waters moving.
The area of land that collects water for the river is called its catchment. The Jardine River's catchment covers about 3,282 square kilometers. Most of this land is uninhabited. About 219 square kilometers of the catchment are freshwater wetlands.
Amazing Animals in the River
The Jardine River is home to many different kinds of fish. Scientists have found 46 species living here! Some of these include:
- Sailfin Glassfish
- Macleay's Glassfish
- Barred Grunter
- Marbled Eel
- Hardyhead
- Pennyfish
- Mouth Almighty
- Goby
- Empire Gudgeon
- Barramundi
- Oxeye Herring
- Northern Trout Gudgeon
- Seven-spot Archerfish
- Banded Rainbowfish
The Jardine River Painted Turtle
A special animal found here is the Jardine River Painted turtle. For 20 years, people thought this turtle had disappeared from the river. But in 2014, it was found again!
A team of rangers from Apudthama Cape York and scientists worked together. They used new ways to trap the turtles. They successfully found 24 of these turtles in two different spots along the river. This was exciting news for conservation!
A Look Back in Time
The traditional owners of the land around the Jardine River are the Unjadi and Ankamuti peoples. They have lived in this area for thousands of years.
The river gets its name from two explorers and pioneers: Frank Jardine and Alexander Jardine. They came across the river during their expedition in 1864. They were exploring Far North Queensland.
In early 1865, the Jardine brothers had a tough time. They had just survived a battle with local Indigenous people. Some of their horses also drowned while crossing another river, the Batavia River. The group was running low on food and ammunition.
They then found a stream they thought would help them escape their difficulties. But it didn't. So, they named it "Deception River." Later, the government, led by George Bowen, changed the name to the Jardine River.
