Roper River

Last updated

Roper
StateLibQld 1 113736 Goodwill (ship).jpg
The Goodwill on the Roper River
Australia Northern Territory relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location of the Roper River mouth in the Northern Territory
Native nameRopa Riba (Australian Kriol)
Location
CountryAustralia
Territory Northern Territory
Physical characteristics
Source confluenceWaterhouse River and Roper Creek
 • locationeast of Mataranka
 • coordinates 14°55′58″S133°08′59″E / 14.93278°S 133.14972°E / -14.93278; 133.14972
 • elevation126 m (413 ft)
Mouth Limmen Bight
 • location
 Gulf of Carpentaria
 • coordinates
 14°42′40″S135°19′42″E / 14.71111°S 135.32833°E / -14.71111; 135.32833
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length400 km (250 mi) [1]
Basin size81,794 km2 (31,581 sq mi) [2] [3]
Discharge 
 • location Limmen Bight (near mouth)
 • average5,540,000 ML/a (176 m3/s) [4] to (Period: 1971–2000)296.9 m3/s (10,480 cu ft/s) [5]
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) [5]
Discharge 
 • locationRed 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) [5]
 • minimum0 m3/s (0 cu ft/s) [2]
 • maximum1,395 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) [5]
 • minimum0.7 m3/s (25 cu ft/s) [2]
 • maximum182.5 m3/s (6,440 cu ft/s) [2]
Basin features
River system Roper River
Tributaries 
 • leftWaterhouse, Chambers, Maiwok Creek, Flying Fox Creek, Jalboi, Wilton, Phelp
 • rightRoper Creek, Elsey Creek, Strandways, Hodgson, Mountain Creek
National park Elsey National Park
[6]

The Roper River is a large perennial river located in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory of Australia.

Contents

Location and features

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 400 km (250 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 m (413 ft) over its 400 km (250 mi) [1] course [6] and has a catchment area of 81,794 km2 (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 5.54 km3/a (176 m3/s). [4] [7] It is one of only few major rivers in the Northern Territory that flows all year round sustained by groundwater.

Annual flooding is essential for the health of its nationally significant coastal wetlands and seagrass beds of Limmen Bight, that are habitat for turtles and dugongs, as well as the barramundi, prawns and crabs that are fished recreationallyly and commercially. [8]

History

The traditional owners of the Roper River are the Ngalakgan, Alawa, Mangarrayi, Ngandi, Marra, Warndarrang, Nunggubuyu, Ritharrngu-Wagilak and Rembarrnga peoples. [8]

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 stating: "I found myself on the banks of a large fresh water river from 500 to 800 yards broad, with not very high banks... it was the river Mr Roper has seen two days before, and I named it after him, as I had promised to do." [9] [10]

Tributaries

The largest tributaries of the Roper River: [2] [3] [5] [6]

Left

tributary

Right

tributary

Length

(km)

Basin

size

(km2)

Average

discharge

(m3/s)

Roper400*81,794296.9
Phelp1235,30540
Mountain Creek633.63.65
Hodgson 23014,10989.6
Wilton 22512,69485
Jalboi902,2718.6
Flying Fox Creek1783,03712
Maiwok Creek1672,77010.2
Strangways 1856,14218
Chambers701,0514.1
Elsey Creek21,21023.8
Waterhouse1993,64914.8
Roper Creek1102,108.77.4

*Roper River (400 km (250 mi) [1] with Waterhouse River (199 km (124 mi) [6] is 599 km (372 mi) long; Roper River with the Roper Creek (110 km (68 mi) [6] is 510 km (320 mi) long;

Roper River Mission

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. [11] In 1988, control of the town was handed to the Yugul Mangi Community Government Council, and the township was renamed Ngukurr. [12]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Roper River".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Overview of the Roper River Catchment" (PDF). Roper River Catchment: An Assessment of the Physical and Ecological Condition of the Roper River and its Major Tributaries. Northern Territory Government, Department of Land Resource Management. January 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Roper River Catchment" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 "Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Roper River".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Darwin-Arnhem".
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Map of Roper River, NT". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Roper River" (PDF). TRaCK. 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  8. 1 2 Booth, Carol; Turner, Joel (February 2024). "Free-flowing Rivers of Australia's North". Territory Rivers: Keep ‘em Flowing.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  9. ↑ "Roper, John (1822–1895)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. 1976. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Place Names Register". www.ntlis.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Profile". Northern Territory Government. Dept of Community Welfare. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Roper River Mission - Place". National Centre for Indigenous Genomics. The Australian National University. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2020.


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