Maitland River (Western Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Maitland River is a river
in the Pilbara of Western Australia
.
The headwaters of the river rise in the Chichester Range near Zebra Hill and flow in a north westerly direction. The river crosses the North West Coastal Highway
South of Karratha
then discharges into the Indian Ocean
. The river flows through a number of permanent and semi-permanent pools on the way to the coast including Miaree Pool, Toorare Pool and Charrowie Pool.
The river has four tributaries
; Four Mile Creek, Cockatoo Creek, Munni Munni Creek and Corringer Creek.
The first European to discover the river was the surveyor and explorer Francis Thomas Gregory
during an expedition to the area in 1861. Gregory named the river after another member of the expedition party, volunteer Maitland Brown.
The traditional owners
of the area that the river flows through are the Ngaluma people.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Pilbara of Western Australia
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...
.
The headwaters of the river rise in the Chichester Range near Zebra Hill and flow in a north westerly direction. The river crosses the North West Coastal Highway
North West Coastal Highway
North West Coastal Highway in Western Australia is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the fishing town of Geraldton with the iron ore port of Port Hedland. It is long, and constructed as a sealed 2-lane single carriageway with overtaking lanes in some parts. It was...
South of Karratha
Karratha, Western Australia
-Facilities:A range of hotel, motel, B&B and caravan/RV accommodation is available for visitors. However, as the town is booming, accommodation is often hard to come by.The town has restaurants, a tavern, two hotels and two night clubs...
then discharges into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. The river flows through a number of permanent and semi-permanent pools on the way to the coast including Miaree Pool, Toorare Pool and Charrowie Pool.
The river has four tributaries
Tributary
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...
; Four Mile Creek, Cockatoo Creek, Munni Munni Creek and Corringer Creek.
The first European to discover the river was the surveyor and explorer Francis Thomas Gregory
Francis Thomas Gregory
Francis Thomas Gregory was an English-born Australian explorer and politician.-Biography:Gregory was born at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and was the younger brother of the explorer Augustus Gregory...
during an expedition to the area in 1861. Gregory named the river after another member of the expedition party, volunteer Maitland Brown.
The traditional owners
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
of the area that the river flows through are the Ngaluma people.