Leichhardt | |
---|---|
Location of Leichhardt River river mouth in Queensland | |
Etymology | Ludwig Leichhardt |
Location | |
Country | Australia |
State | Queensland |
Region | Gulf Country |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Rifle Creek |
• location | Selwyn Range, Australia |
• elevation | 406 m (1,332 ft) |
Mouth | |
• location | Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia |
• coordinates | 17°34′46″S139°47′37″E / 17.57944°S 139.79361°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 630 km (390 mi) |
Basin size | 32,878 km2 (12,694 sq mi) |
Discharge | |
• average | 69 m3/s (2,400 cu ft/s) |
[1] |
The Leichhardt River is a river in northwest Queensland, Australia.
The source of the river is in the Selwyn Range under Rifle Creek Hill and fed by Rifle Creek approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the mining town Mount Isa. It runs in a generally northerly direction almost parallel with the Diamantina Developmental Road until it reaches Mount Isa and crosses the Barkly Highway. It continues in a north easterly direction across the Gulf Country passing through Lake Moondarra past Glenroy Station then through Lake Julius. It then bears east then north again almost parallel with the Burke Developmental Road until crossing it near Nardoo. Continuing north past Augustus Downs Station to its mouth at the Gulf of Carpentaria. [1] The river is named after the early explorer of Australia, Ludwig Leichhardt.
Leichhardt River has a catchment area of 32,878 square kilometres (12,694 sq mi). [2] Primary activities undertaken in the watershed include mining and grazing.
The river is ephemeral and in the dry season the upstream reaches retract to a series of waterholes. The drainage basin and river estuary are in a near pristine condition. [3]
The river is dammed near Mount Isa to form Lake Moondarra. Other storage facilities in the catchment include Julius Dam, East Leichhardt Dam and Rifle Creek Dam. [2] Around 50 kilometres (31 mi) upstream from its mouth are the Leichhardt Falls. As well as Mount Isa, the small community of Kajabbi is located on the river.
The river has a mean annual discharge of 2,179 gigalitres (2.85×109 cu yd). [4]
In 2009 Xstrata spent $3 million for remediation work involving the removal of 40,000 tonnes of material from the riverbed. [5]
Fossil remains have been found along the river's course. In 2011 an unidentified ancient marsupial was discovered by paleontologists. [6]
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Lake Moondarra is an artificial lake on the Leichhardt River in Queensland, Australia, 16 km downstream from the town of Mount Isa. It provides water to the city and the adjacent Mount Isa Mines (MIM) mining lease.
Rifle Creek Dam is owned by Mount Isa Mines. A concrete arch dam, it was constructed in 1929 to replace the earlier Experimental Dam as the primary water supply to the town of Mt Isa, and the mine. The initial full supply volume was 600 million gallons, the spillway was raised in 1953, and the current full capacity is 9,500 megalitres. The dam was replaced as Mt Isa's primary water supply by Lake Moondarra following the completion of that dam in 1958. Rifle Creek Dam now serves as a backup water supply for Mt Isa Mines.
Lake Julius was formed following the construction of Julius Dam in 1976 for irrigation and town water storage. The dam wall is located just below the junction of the Leichhardt River and Paroo Creek some 70 kilometres (43 mi) North East of Mount Isa. With a catchment area of 4,845 square kilometres it has a full supply capacity of 107,500 megalitres, a surface area of 1,255 hectares with an average depth of 8.9 metres (29 ft).
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