The Mitchell River is a river in Far North Queensland, Australia. at annually, but is intermittent and may be dry for part of the year. Lake Mitchell is the main water storage facility on the river.

It was named by Ludwig Leichhardt on 16 June 1845 after Sir Thomas Mitchell while he was on his overland expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. It may have been previously named the Vereenighde River in 1623 by Dutch merchant and navigator Jan Carstensz.

Protected areas within the Mitchell River catchment include the Hann Tableland, Mitchell-Alice Rivers, Chillagoe-Mungana Caves, part of Bulleringa to the south, and most of the Forty Mile Scrub national parks.

Fauna and flora

thumb|left|Lagoon immediately next to [[Kowanyama township]]

Being a large river system, the Mitchell River may contain within its catchment one of Australia's most ecologically diverse aquatic systems consisting of a rich variety of both wet and dry tropical monsoonal habitats.

Towns

The major towns in the river's catchment are Kowanyama, Chillagoe, Dimbulah, Mount Carbine and Mount Molloy. Other smaller towns in the Mitchell River catchment include Mutchilba and Almaden.

Yir Yiront (also known as Yiront, Jirjoront, Yir-yiront, and Kokomindjan) is an Australian Aboriginal language. Its traditional language region is in Western Cape York within the local government areas of Aboriginal Shire of Kowanyama and Shire of Cook, in the catchments of the Coleman River and Mitchell River. Following the removal of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands, it is also spoken in Pormpuraaw and Kowanyama.

See also

References

Maps

  • Mitchell River Watershed Management Group's Map of the Mitchell River's catchment area
  • Mitchell River Watershed Management Group's Map of Towns, Communities, Stations and Riverways in the Catchment
  • Mitchell River Watershed Management Group's Map of the Biophysical Regions through which the Mitchell River passes
  • Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water Map of Mitchell River Catchment waterways (including Water Resource Plan boundaries)

Organisations

  • Official homepage of Mitchell River Watershed Management Group Inc

Videos

  • Our World 2 Video & Brief on local Aboriginal Knowledge of SeaLevel Rise in Mitchell River catchment, including footage and the telling of some traditional knowledge for Mitchell River <small>Accessed 28 January 2009</small>