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'{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}} {{Geobox|River <!-- *** Heading *** --> | name = Daintree | native_name = | other_name = | category = River <!-- *** Names **** --> | etymology = [[Richard Daintree]], an English [[geologist]]<ref name=QPN/> | nickname = <!-- *** Image *** --> | image = Dtr1.jpg | image_caption = Daintree River mouth | image_size = <!-- *** Country *** --> | country = [[Australia]] | state_type = [[States and territories of Australia|State]] | state = [[Queensland]] | region = [[Far North Queensland]] | region1 = | district = | municipality = <!-- *** Family *** --> | parent = | tributary_left = Boolbun Creek | tributary_left1 = | tributary_left2 = | tributary_left3 = | tributary_left4 = | tributary_right = Douglas Creek | tributary_right1 = | tributary_right2 = | tributary_right3 = | city = | landmark = <!-- *** River locations *** --> | source = [[Daintree National Park]], [[Great Dividing Range]] | source_location = below Black Mountain | source_region = | source_country = | source_elevation = 1270 | source_lat_d = 16 | source_lat_m = 23 | source_lat_s = 11 | source_lat_NS = S | source_long_d = 145 | source_long_m = 12 | source_long_s = 32 | source_long_EW = E | source1 = | source1_location = | source1_region = | source1_country = | source1_elevation = | source1_lat_d = | source1_lat_m = | source1_lat_s = | source1_lat_NS = | source1_long_d = | source1_long_m = | source1_long_s = | source1_long_EW = | source_confluence = | source_confluence_location = | source_confluence_region = | source_confluence_country = | source_confluence_elevation = | source_confluence_lat_d = | source_confluence_lat_m = | source_confluence_lat_s = | source_confluence_lat_NS = | source_confluence_long_d = | source_confluence_long_m = | source_confluence_long_s = | source_confluence_long_EW = | mouth = Coral Sea | mouth_location = Cairns Marine Park | mouth_region = | mouth_country = | mouth_elevation = 0 | mouth_lat_d = 16 | mouth_lat_m = 18 | mouth_lat_s = 52 | mouth_lat_NS = S | mouth_long_d = 145 | mouth_long_m = 26 | mouth_long_s = 59 | mouth_long_EW = E <!-- *** Dimensions *** --> | length = 140 | width = | depth = | volume = | watershed = 2107 | discharge = 40 | discharge_location = [[river mouth|mouth]] | discharge_max = | discharge_min = <!-- *** Free fields *** --> | free = [[Daintree National Park]]; Cairns Marine Park | free_type = National park | free1 = | free1_type = <!-- *** Maps *** --> | map = Australia Queensland relief location map.jpg | map_caption = Location of the Daintree River [[river mouth|mouth]] in Queensland | map_background = | map_locator = Australia Queensland | map_locator_x = | map_locator_y = <!-- *** Website *** --> | website = | commons = Daintree River <!-- *** Footnotes *** --> | footnotes =<ref name=bonzle>{{cite web|url=http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=209050&cmd=sp|title=Map of Daintree River, QLD|accessdate=22 July 2015|work=Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia}}</ref> }} The '''Daintree River''' is a [[river]] that rises in the [[Daintree Rainforest]] near [[Cape Tribulation]] in [[Far North Queensland|Far North]] [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]. The river is located about {{convert|100|km|mi|0}} northwest of [[Cairns, Queensland|Cairns]] in the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List|World Heritage]]{{endash}}listed [[Wet Tropics of Queensland]]. The area is now primarily a [[tourist attraction]]. ==Course and features== The river rises on the slopes of the [[Great Dividing Range]] within the [[Daintree National Park]] below Black Mountain at an elevation of {{convert|1270|m}} {{AHD}}. The river flows in highly meandering [[course (navigation)|course]] generally north, than east, then sough and then east, through the rainforest where the water is fresh. At this convergence point, an abundance of [[wildlife]] congregate, particularly fish. The river is joined by two minor [[tributary|tributaries]] before flowing through the Cairns Marine Park through thick [[mangrove]] swamps where the water is highly saline; and then empties into the [[Coral Sea]], north of {{QLDcity|Wonga}}. The mouth of the Daintree River opens onto a giant [[sandbar]] that shifts with each changing tide. The river descends {{convert|1270|m}} over its {{convert|127|km|adj=on}} course.<ref name=bonzle/> The catchment area of the river occupies an {{convert|2107|km2|sqmi|0}} of which an area of {{convert|33|km2|sqmi|0}} is composed of [[estuarine]] wetlands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/sub-basin-daintree-river/|title=Daintree River Drainage Basin|accessdate=22 July 2015|work=WetlandInfo|publisher=[[Queensland Government]]}}</ref> ===Flooding=== {{refimprove|section|date=October 2015}} The river is surrounded by mountains and deep valleys. Combined with the climatic conditions of the area the river is prone to quickly developing [[flood]]s with little warning due to the high rainfalls on the {{convert|1000|m|adj=on}} high mountain ranges around the catchment and the influence of the cyclonic forces in the adjacent Coral Sea. In March 1996, record flood levels swamped roads and properties throughout the Daintree region. Statistics gathered at the time recorded {{convert|606|mm}} of rain falling in 24 hours. In 2011, two new causeways were completed over Cape Tribulation Road, making the drive mostly floodproof in all but the most severe rain events. In particular, the notorious bottleneck at Cooper Creek was raised {{convert|3|m}}. ==Attraction== People are drawn to the area for its ancient vegetation, scenic surroundings and the vast array of native wildlife and plant species that inhabit the area. Currently, there is no bridge to enable crossing the river, so access is limited to the [[Daintree River Ferry]], a commercial ferry that traverses the river for the purpose of tourism. Other features that surround the river include [[Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) National Park|Black Mountain]], [[Daintree Rainforest|Daintree Range]], [[Thornton Peak]] and the [[Cape Tribulation, Queensland|Cape Tribulation]] Rainforest. The Daintree River is home to a dazzling array of [[tropical]] life. ==History== ===Indigenous history=== The [[Kuku Yulanji]] is the indigenous people who once inhabited the regions surrounded by the Daintree River. The tribespeople were [[hunter-gatherers]] who lived in groups of eight to twelve, camping along the banks of the river and living on a staple diet that included a selection of bush tucker harvested from the vegetation from the forest surrounding the Daintree. It has been estimated that the tribe resided on the banks of the Daintree river for over 9,000 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destinationdaintree.com/the-daintree/history-culture/indigenous-culture |title=Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people of the Daintree |work=Destination Daintree |publisher=Daintree Marketing Co-Operative Ltd |date=2014 |accessdate=25 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://jchrisanderson.com/pdf/1of4/Aborigines%20and%20conservationism%20-%20The%20Daintree-Bloomfield%20Road.pdf |title=Aborigines and Conservationism: The Daintree-Bloomfield Road |author=Anderson, Christopher |journal=Australian Journal of Social Issues |publisher= |date=3 August 1989 |accessdate=25 October 2015 |volume=24 |number=3 |pages=214-27 }}</ref> ===European history=== Due to the ever-shifting deep centre of the sandbar, entering the Daintree River has always been a problem for ship captains. The area was missed by [[James Cook|Captain Cook]] when passing in the voyage where his ship was wrecked on the [[Great Barrier Reef]]. The Daintree River was discovered by [[European ethnic groups|European]]s in 1873 after they were attracted to nearby regions due to its vast natural reserves of [[gold]]. [[George Elphinstone Dalrymple]], the Queensland Gold Commissioner on the [[Gilbert gold field]] at that time, was the first European to discover the river and he named the river in honour of [[Richard Daintree]], an English [[geologist]] and the Agent-General for Queensland in London.<ref name=QPN>{{cite QPN|9187|Daintree River|accessdate=22 July 2015}}</ref> The Daintree was rated second to the [[Proserpine River]], as the river in Queensland where people were most likely to spot a [[saltwater crocodile]] from 2000 to 2012, with 145 sightings recorded over the period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cairnspost.com.au/proserpine-is-queenslands-croc-hotspot-but-daintree-river-is-close-second/story-fnnjfpar-1227164695752|title=Proserpine is Queensland’s croc hotspot but Daintree River is close second|author=Bateman, Daniel|date=23 December 2014|accessdate=2 August 2015|work=[[The Cairns Post]]}}</ref> ==World Heritage listing== [[Image:DaintreeConfluent.jpg|thumb|right|Confluent of tributary (foreground) and the Daintree (background)]] The Wet Tropics of Queensland was given UNESCO World Heritage listing, inclusive of the Daintree River in recognition of "its outstanding natural universal value as an outstanding example representing; the major stages of Earth's evolutionary history, significant ongoing ecological and biological processes, superlative natural phenomena and as containing important and significant habitats for in situ conservation of biological diversity. The river is part of the much larger Daintree Rainforest, region in Northern Queensland encompassing {{convert|894000|ha}}. ==Flora and fauna== {{refimprove|section|date=October 2015}} [[Image:FemaleCrocodile DaintreeRiver.jpg|thumb|Female crocodile in the Daintree River]] The river and its surroundings are home to some of the most primitive forms of animal and plant life in the world. The surrounding mountains and valleys provided protection from the forces to adapt to climate change by sheltering several species of plants. A notable example is the primitive She-oak ''[[Gymnostoma australianum]]''. This pine-like tree is the only remaining species in the [[Gymnostoma]] group of plants in Australia, and is now restricted to very isolated pockets north of the Daintree River. The genus was once widespread throughout [[Gondwana]], and its relatives are still found in parts of the Pacific and south-east Asia. Of the five species of ringtail possum found in north Queensland rainforests, the [[Cinereus ringtail possum]] (''Pseudochirulus cinereus'') is almost wholly restricted to the Daintree catchment. Within the park, this species is found only in upland rainforest on Thornton Peak and the upper reaches of the Daintree and [[Mossman Gorge, Queensland|Mossman]] Rivers. Once considered a light-coloured form of the [[Herbert River ringtail possum]], commonly found throughout the [[Atherton Tablelands]], it was described as a distinct species in 1989. Black and white [[Striped possum]]s (''Dactylopsila trivirgata'') are quite common throughout the park, particularly in the coastal lowlands north of the Daintree River, although to see one while spotlighting requires a mixture of luck and know-how. Due to the river's isolation, [[saltwater crocodiles]] - once threatened in the region due to hunting - have flourished in recent years, beneficiaries of legislation that protects them. There have been numerous reports of deaths in the Daintree River from crocodile attacks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/dad-could-not-save-son-for-crocodile-in-daintree-river/story-e6freuy9-1111118794500|title=Dad could not save son for crocodile in Daintree river |work=[[Daily Telegraph (Australia)|Daily Telegraph]] |location=Australia |date=9 February 2009 |accessdate=25 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cairnspost.com.au/fnq-croc-snapped-feasting-on-an-echidna-along-daintree-river/story-fnnjfpar-1227530817230 |title=FNQ croc snapped feasting on an echidna along Daintree River |work=[[The Cairns Post]] |date=17 September 2015 |accessdate=25 October 2015 |author= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-24/new-exclusion-zones-for-crocs-designated-in-north-qld/5043284 |title=Crocodile crackdown: Controversy over Queensland's croc exclusion zones as experts warn on 'false sense of security' |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date=25 October 2013 |accessdate=25 October 2015 |author=Solomons, Mark }}</ref> Authorities warn tourists and visitors not to step close to the riverbank, and stay within the confines of boats, and absolutely never swim in the river. ==See also== {{stack|{{Portal|Queensland|Water|Environment}}}} *[[List of rivers of Australia#Queensland|List of rivers of Queensland]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{Commons category-inline}} * {{cite web |url=https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/water/policy/pdf/documents/daintree-ev-2010.pdf |title=Daintree River environmental values and water quality objectives: Basin No. 108 (part), including all tributaries of the river |work=Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 |publisher=Department of Environment and Resource Management , [[Queensland Government]] |date=July 2010 |author= }} {{Rivers of Queensland}} [[Category:Rivers of Queensland]] [[Category:Far North Queensland]] [[Category:Wet Tropics of Queensland]] [[Category:Coral Sea]]'