Prince Regent River
Encyclopedia
The Prince Regent River is a river
in the Kimberley of Western Australia
.
The headwaters of the river rise in the Caroline Range near Mount Agnes then flow in a north westerly direction. The river enters and flows through the Prince Regent Nature Reserve
and past King Cascade and finally discharging into Saint George Basin and Hanover Bay to the Indian Ocean
.
The river runs a uniquely straight course following a fault line
for the majority of its length.
The river has six tributaries
including; Quail Creek, Youwanjela Creek, Womarama Creek and Pitta Creek.
The river was named in 1820 by the first European to discover the river, Philip Parker King
and the crew of the Mermaid. The river is named after the Hanoverian prince, King George IV, who was shortly to succeed his father to the throne.
The first European to settle in the area was Joseph Bradshaw who established Marigui homestead along the river with his cousin Aeneas Gunn in 1890. In 1891 he discovered the Bradshaw rock paintings on his land. The pastoral venture was unsuccessful but Gunn later documented his memoirs of the time in the book Pioneering in Northern Australia.
The River was visited in 1901 by the surveyor
Frederick Brockman while on expedition in the area.
The traditional owners
of the area are the Worora peoples.
Eighteen freshwater fish species are known to inhabit the waters of the Prince Regent River.
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 Kimberley 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 Caroline Range near Mount Agnes then flow in a north westerly direction. The river enters and flows through the Prince Regent Nature Reserve
Prince Regent Nature Reserve
Prince Regent Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1978 the area was nominated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.-Description:...
and past King Cascade and finally discharging into Saint George Basin and Hanover Bay to 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 runs a uniquely straight course following a fault line
Fault line
In geology, fault line refers to the surface trace of a fault.Fault line, Fault Line, or faultline may also refer to:* "Faultline", a song from the 2008 studio album Versus by The Haunted...
for the majority of its length.
The river has six 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...
including; Quail Creek, Youwanjela Creek, Womarama Creek and Pitta Creek.
The river was named in 1820 by the first European to discover the river, Philip Parker King
Philip Parker King
Admiral Phillip Parker King, FRS, RN was an early explorer of the Australian coast.-Early life and education:...
and the crew of the Mermaid. The river is named after the Hanoverian prince, King George IV, who was shortly to succeed his father to the throne.
The first European to settle in the area was Joseph Bradshaw who established Marigui homestead along the river with his cousin Aeneas Gunn in 1890. In 1891 he discovered the Bradshaw rock paintings on his land. The pastoral venture was unsuccessful but Gunn later documented his memoirs of the time in the book Pioneering in Northern Australia.
The River was visited in 1901 by the surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
Frederick Brockman while on expedition in the area.
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 are the Worora peoples.
Eighteen freshwater fish species are known to inhabit the waters of the Prince Regent River.