Roper | |
---|---|
Location of the Roper River mouth in the Northern Territory | |
Native name | Ropa Riba (Australian Kriol) |
Location | |
Country | Australia |
Territory | Northern Territory |
Physical characteristics | |
Source confluence | Waterhouse River and Roper Creek |
• location | east of Mataranka |
• coordinates | 14°55′58″S133°08′59″E / 14.93278°S 133.14972°E |
• elevation | 126 m (413 ft) |
Mouth | Limmen Bight |
• location | Gulf of Carpentaria |
• coordinates | 14°42′40″S135°19′42″E / 14.71111°S 135.32833°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 400 km (250 mi) [1] |
Basin size | 81,794 km2 (31,581 sq mi) [2] [3] |
Discharge | |
• location | Limmen Bight (near mouth) |
• average | 158.4 m3/s (5,590 cu ft/s) to (Period: 1971–2000)296.9 m3/s (10,480 cu ft/s) [4] |
Discharge | |
• location | Ngukurr (105 rkm; Basin size: 69,553.2 km2 (26,854.6 sq mi) |
• average | (Period: 1971–2000)253.5 m3/s (8,950 cu ft/s) [4] |
Discharge | |
• location | Red Rock (161 rkm; Basin size: 47,400 km2 (18,300 sq mi) |
• average | (Period: 1966–1999)88.8 m3/s (3,140 cu ft/s) [2] to (Period: 1971–2000)106 m3/s (3,700 cu ft/s) [4] |
• minimum | 0 m3/s (0 cu ft/s) [2] |
• maximum | 1,395 m3/s (49,300 cu ft/s) [2] |
Discharge | |
• location | Mataranka (Confluence of Waterhouse River and Roper Creek, 400 rkm; Basin size: 5,950.6 km2 (2,297.5 sq mi) |
• average | (Period: 1961–1999)20.5 m3/s (720 cu ft/s) [2] to (Period: 1971–2000)22.2 m3/s (780 cu ft/s) [4] |
• minimum | 0.7 m3/s (25 cu ft/s) [2] |
• maximum | 182.5 m3/s (6,440 cu ft/s) [2] |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Waterhouse, Chambers, Maiwok Creek, Flying Fox Creek, Jalboi, Wilton, Phelp |
• right | Roper Creek, Elsey Creek, Strandways, Hodgson, Mountain Creek |
National park | Elsey National Park |
[5] |
The Roper River is a large perennial river located in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory of Australia.
Formed by the confluence of the Waterhouse River and Roper Creek, the Roper River rises east of Mataranka in the Elsey National Park and flows generally east for over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) to meet the sea in Limmen Bight on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The river is joined by fifteen tributaries including the Chambers, Strangways, Jalboi, Hodgson and the Wilton Rivers. The river descends 126 metres (413 ft) over its 1,010-kilometre (630 mi) course [5] and has a catchment area of 81,794 square kilometres (31,581 sq mi), which is one of the largest river catchment areas in the Northern Territory. [2] The Roper River is navigable for about 145 kilometres (90 mi), until the tidal limit at Roper Bar, and forms the southern boundary of the region known as Arnhem Land. Mataranka Hot Springs and the township of Mataranka lie close to the river at its western end. Port Roper lies near its mouth on Limmen Bight.
The river has a mean annual outflow of 5,000 gigalitres (1.1×1012 imp gal; 1.3×1012 US gal). [6]
The first European to explore the Roper River was Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 as he made his way from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. Leichhardt crossed the river at Roper Bar, a rocky shelf which conveniently lies at the high tide limit on the river. He named the river after John Roper, a member of the expedition. [7]
The largest tributaries of the Roper River: [2] [3] [4] [5]
Left tributary | Right tributary | Length (km) | Basin size (km2) | Average discharge (m3/s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Roper | 400* | 81,794 | 296.9 | |
Phelp | 123 | 5,305 | 40 | |
Mountain Creek | 633.6 | 3.65 | ||
Hodgson | 230 | 14,109 | 89.6 | |
Wilton | 225 | 12,694 | 85 | |
Jalboi | 90 | 2,271 | 8.6 | |
Flying Fox Creek | 178 | 3,037 | 12 | |
Maiwok Creek | 167 | 2,770 | 10.2 | |
Strangways | 185 | 6,142 | 18 | |
Chambers | 70 | 1,051 | 4.1 | |
Elsey Creek | 21,210 | 23.8 | ||
Waterhouse | 199 | 3,649 | 14.8 | |
Roper Creek | 110 | 2,108.7 | 7.4 |
*Roper River (400 km (250 mi) [1] with Waterhouse River (199 km (124 mi) [5] is 599 km (372 mi) long; Roper River with the Roper Creek (110 km (68 mi) [5] is 510 km (320 mi) long;
The Roper River Mission was established by the Church of England Missionary Society in 1908. After it was closed in 1968, the government took over management of the community. [8] In 1988, control of the town was handed to the Yugul Mangi Community Government Council, and the township was renamed Ngukurr. [9]
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