Edward River (Queensland)

The Edward River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia.

For the river in New South Wales, Australia, see Edward River.

Edward
Location of Edward River mouth in Queensland
EtymologyDr Edward Embley[1]
Location
CountryAustralia
StateQueensland
RegionFar North Queensland
Physical characteristics
SourceGreat Dividing Range
 • locationCurlew Range
 • coordinates14°34′4″S 142°56′38″E
 • elevation114 m (374 ft)
MouthGulf of Carpentaria
 • location
Pormpuraaw
 • coordinates
14°51′1″S 141°35′26″E
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length208 km (129 mi)
Basin size7,521 km2 (2,904 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftMistake Creek
 • rightThe Overflow, Melonhole Creek
[2]

The headwaters of the river rise in the Curlew Range in the Great Dividing Range and flow in a westerly direction. The river flows across mostly uninhabited plains country and discharges into the Gulf of Carpentaria. The mouth of the Edward River is located on the western shore of Cape York Peninsula, the eastern edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The river descends 144 metres (472 ft) over its 208-kilometre (129 mi) course.[2]

The drainage basin of the river occupies an area of 7,521 square kilometres (2,904 sq mi) of which an area of 167 square kilometres (64 sq mi) is made up of estuarine wetlands.[3]

The township of Pormpuraaw, formerly known as the remote Aboriginal community of Edward River[4] with a population of approximately 350 to 380 people,[5] is located 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) south-southeast of the river mouth.

The river was named by the surveyor, John Thomas Embley, in 1884 after his brother Dr Edward Henry Embley who worked as an anaesthetist in Melbourne.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Edward River (entry 11226)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  2. "Map of Edward River, QLD". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  3. "Edward River drainage basin". WetlandInfo. Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  4. "Pormpuraaw". Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community histories. Queensland Government. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  5. "Recognition of Aboriginal Customary Laws (ALRC Report 31): Dispute Settlement in Aboriginal Communities: Edward River (955)". Australian Law Reform Commission. Australian Government. Retrieved 23 September 2015.


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