The Russell River is a short river that passes east of the town of Babinda

Babinda, Queensland

Babinda is a small town 60 km south of Cairns, Queensland. It is located in the Cairns Region.The town is noted for its proximity to two of Queensland's highest mountains Mount Bartle Frere and Mount Bellenden Ker....

 in Far North Queensland

Far North Queensland

Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...

, Australia. The river rises near the highest mountain in Queensland, Mount Bartle Frere

Mount Bartle Frere

Mount Bartle Frere is the highest mountain in Queensland at an elevation of 1622 metres. The mountain was named after Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a British colonial administrator and then president of the Royal Geographical Society by George Elphinstone Dalrymple in 1873. Bartle Frere was British...

, part of the Frances Range in the Wooroonooran National Park

Wooroonooran National Park

Wooroonooran is a national park in Queensland , 1367 km northwest of Brisbane, between Innisfail and Cairns.The park is one of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area series of national parks, and is a gazetted World Heritage site...

. Part of the lower stretches are protected within the Russell River National Park

Russell River National Park

Russell River is a national park in North Queensland, Australia, 1352 km northwest of Brisbane. The park protects a coastal strip between the sea and the Russell River.Camping is allowed with a camping permit, but the park itself has no visitor facilities....

.

It flows north eastwards to the Coral Sea

Coral Sea

The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...

, after being joined by the Mulgrave River in an estuary. Water from the river is used to grow sugar cane on the coastal plains surrounding the Russell River's lower reaches.

Josephine Falls

Josephine Falls

Josephine Falls are located at the foot of the southern face of Mount Bartle Frere in the Wooroonooran National Park, in Queensland, Australia. The falls are a popular recreation site among locals as the water flows over a large rock to form a natural waterslide.Josephine Falls are located on...

 are located on Josephine Creek, a tributary of the Russell River. The river is a popular location for whitewater rafting.