Isaac River

Isaac
Location of Isaac River mouth in Queensland
Etymology	Frederick Nevil Isaac [1]
Location
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
Region	Central Queensland
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	below Moranbah North
• coordinates	21°27′03″S148°11′40″E / 21.45083°S 148.19444°E / -21.45083; 148.19444
• elevation	245 m (804 ft)
Mouth	confluence with the MacKenzie River
• coordinates	22°52′19″S149°20′01″E / 22.87194°S 149.33361°E / -22.87194; 149.33361
• elevation	85 m (279 ft)
Length	457 km (284 mi)
Basin size	22,364 km2 (8,635 sq mi)
Basin features
River system	Fitzroy River
Tributaries
• left	Connors River
Waterbodies	Burton Gorge Dam
[2] [3]

The Isaac River is a river and anabranch in Central Queensland, Australia.

Course

The headwaters of the river rise south east of Glenden, Queensland and flow in a generally southern direction, crossing the Peak Downs Highway near Moranbah. It continues past Iffley and veers eastward at Leichhardt Downs forming a series of braided channels, and veers south east again and flows past the eastern edge of Junee State Forest and then discharges into the MacKenzie River of which it is a tributary. ^[2]

The river has a catchment area of 22,364 square kilometres (8,635 sq mi) of which an area of 474 square kilometres (183 sq mi) is composed of riverine wetlands. ^[4]

In 1992, the river was impounded by the Burton Gorge Dam, upstream of Moranbah, to create a reservoir of 20 million cubic metres (710×10^⁶ cu ft) for the purposes of potable water supply. ^[5]

History

Yetimarala (also known as Jetimarala, Yetimaralla, and Bayali) is an Australian Aboriginal language of Central Queensland. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Central Highlands Region, on the Boomer Range and Broadsound Range and the Fitzroy River, Killarney Station, Mackenzie River and Isaac River. ^[6]

The river was named for the pastoralist Frederick Nevil Isaac by the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt who came across the river during his 1845 expedition through the area to Port Essington (now Darwin). Isaac owned Gowrie Station on the Darling Downs and was a keen supporter of Leichhardt. ^[1]

See also

• Water portal
• Environment portal
• Queensland portal

• List of rivers of Australia § Queensland

References

1. "Isaac River (entry 16856)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 26 July 2015.
2. "Map of Isaac River, QLD". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
3. "Map of Isaac River, QLD (anabranch)". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
4. "Isaac River drainage basin". WetlandInfo. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 July 2015.
5. "Burton Gorge". RCC Dams. Buckfastleigh, Devon, UK: MD&A. n.d. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
6. This Wikipedia article incorporates CC BY 4.0 licensed text from: "Yetimarala". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland . Retrieved 30 January 2020.