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Fitzroy River (Western Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Fitzroy River is located in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia
.
in the H.M.S. Beagle. The river was subsequently named by Lt J L Stokes on 26/2/1838 after Captain Robert FitzRoy
R.N. The Fitzroy River flows for 733 kilometres (455 mi) from the King Leopold and Mueller Ranges into King Sound
south of Derby
, and has a catchment area of 93829 square kilometres (36,228 sq mi)
province, which in turn is part of the larger West Australian Shield
division.
including Margaret River, Christmas Creek, Hann River
, Sandy Creek, Geegully Creek, Little Fitzroy River, Collis Creek, Adcock River
, Cunninghame River, Yeeda River, Mudjalla Gully and Minnie River.
was founded. When it floods the Fitzroy River is an awesome sight. In 1935, the Fitzroy got its first bridge - a low level concrete structure, which was built up into a wider structure in 1958. This bridge could be closed for several months at a time during the wet weather and travellers were then forced to use a flying fox
, which operated about 200 metres south of the crossing. When a new bridge was erected in 1974, the focus of the town grew away from its original site. The current town of Fitzroy Crossing
is one of the fastest growing in the Kimberley region. Over 80% of its population consist of Aboriginals
Record floods occurred in 1983, 1986 and 2002 with approximately 13 metres of water over the old concrete crossing. The flow rate down the 15 kilometre wide flood plain at Fitzroy Crossing was estimated to be 30,000 cubic metres per second. In flood, it is probably the largest river in Australia.
The Fitzroy River was diverted in the 1950s as part of the failed Camballin Irrigation Scheme
to store the water to irrigate crops of cotton, sorghum and other feed crops.
This part of the river covers an area of 12ha when full.
There have been other proposals over time to dam the river at Dimond Gorge
.
In April 2007, the then state opposition leader Colin Barnett
announced plans to dam the river, should he become elected, in order to provide a water source for a new irrigation venture to replace the Murray-Darling Basin
which has experienced significant water shortages as a result of the drought. His 20 year plan also included piping the water further south as an additional source for the Perth
Integrated Water Supply Scheme. However, these ventures were not pursued when in government.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Discovery
The Fitzroy River was discovered by the West in 1837 by George GreyGeorge Edward Grey
Sir George Grey, KCB was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony , the 11th Premier of New Zealand and a writer.-Early life and exploration:...
in the H.M.S. Beagle. The river was subsequently named by Lt J L Stokes on 26/2/1838 after Captain Robert FitzRoy
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
R.N. The Fitzroy River flows for 733 kilometres (455 mi) from the King Leopold and Mueller Ranges into King Sound
King Sound
King Sound is a large gulf in northern Western Australia. It expands from the mouth of the Fitzroy River, one of Australia's largest watercourses, and opens to the Indian Ocean. It is about 120 km long, and averages about 50 km in width. The port town of Derby lies near the mouth of the...
south of Derby
Derby, Western Australia
Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
, and has a catchment area of 93829 square kilometres (36,228 sq mi)
Physiography
The surrounding area is also known as the Fitzroy Valley and is a distinct physiographic section of the larger Canning BasinCanning Basin
The Canning Basin is a geological basin located in Western Australia.The Basin covers approximately of which approximately is on land...
province, which in turn is part of the larger West Australian Shield
Australian Shield
The Australian Shield, also called the Western Australian Shield or Western Plateau, occupies more than half of the continent of Australia. It occupies the portion of Australia west of a line running north-south roughly from the eastern shore of Arnhem Land on the Bay or Gulf of Carpentaria to the...
division.
Tributaries
The Fitzroy has 20 tributariesTributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
including Margaret River, Christmas Creek, Hann River
Hann River
The Hann River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.It was named after the first European to discover the river, Frank Hann, who had seen it during his expedition to the region in 1898 and named it the Phillips River...
, Sandy Creek, Geegully Creek, Little Fitzroy River, Collis Creek, Adcock River
Adcock River
The Adcock River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Philips Range near Qodesh then flow in a south easterly direction parallel with the King Leopold Range and past Mount House, Mount Clifton and Mount Hamilton before merging with the Fitzroy...
, Cunninghame River, Yeeda River, Mudjalla Gully and Minnie River.
Flooding
Extensive flooding during the wet season created a need for an adequate crossing. It was because of this that the town of Fitzroy CrossingFitzroy Crossing, Western Australia
Fitzroy Crossing is a small town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 400 km east of Broome and 300 km west of Halls Creek. It is approximately 2,524 km from the state capital of Perth....
was founded. When it floods the Fitzroy River is an awesome sight. In 1935, the Fitzroy got its first bridge - a low level concrete structure, which was built up into a wider structure in 1958. This bridge could be closed for several months at a time during the wet weather and travellers were then forced to use a flying fox
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
, which operated about 200 metres south of the crossing. When a new bridge was erected in 1974, the focus of the town grew away from its original site. The current town of Fitzroy Crossing
Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia
Fitzroy Crossing is a small town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 400 km east of Broome and 300 km west of Halls Creek. It is approximately 2,524 km from the state capital of Perth....
is one of the fastest growing in the Kimberley region. Over 80% of its population consist of Aboriginals
Record floods occurred in 1983, 1986 and 2002 with approximately 13 metres of water over the old concrete crossing. The flow rate down the 15 kilometre wide flood plain at Fitzroy Crossing was estimated to be 30,000 cubic metres per second. In flood, it is probably the largest river in Australia.
Damming of the Fitzroy
Camballin Irrigation Scheme
The Camballin Irrigation Scheme consisted of the Fitzroy River Barrage, the Seventeen Mile Dam, Company Pump, numerous irrigation channels, a seventeen kilometre levee bank, silos for grain storage which were built at the Broome Jetty and other support infrastructure located at the Camballin...
to store the water to irrigate crops of cotton, sorghum and other feed crops.
This part of the river covers an area of 12ha when full.
There have been other proposals over time to dam the river at Dimond Gorge
Dimond Gorge
Dimond Gorge is a gorge on the Fitzroy River, Western Australia, within Mornington Sanctuary.-River Level Gauging:The Department of Water maintain an operating gauging station in the gorge and the current river level can be ascertained -Controversy:...
.
In April 2007, the then state opposition leader Colin Barnett
Colin Barnett
Colin James Barnett , Australian politician, is the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party, the 29th and current Premier of Western Australia since the 2008 election and served as the Treasurer of Western Australia in 2010. He was sworn into office by Governor Ken Michael on 23 September 2008...
announced plans to dam the river, should he become elected, in order to provide a water source for a new irrigation venture to replace the Murray-Darling Basin
Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
which has experienced significant water shortages as a result of the drought. His 20 year plan also included piping the water further south as an additional source for the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
Integrated Water Supply Scheme. However, these ventures were not pursued when in government.
Further reading
- History of the flooding of the Fitzroy River Boab babbler, 12 March 1993, p.25