Bowen Broken & Bogie Basin

The Bowen Broken Bogie Basin is relatively small, covering just under 12,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing, with about a quarter used for conservation and minimal use. Most of this lies in the Broken River subcatchment.

In this Basin, waterways vary between largely sandy, dry short-lived creek systems to permanently flowing clear-water rivers and creeks that originate in mountain rainforest.

This basin comprises seven subcatchments. These are:

Bogie River

Bogie River is a relatively small subcatchment where land use is dominated by grazing. A very small part of the land is used for conservation.

This area is home to part of the Mount Aberdeen National Park that straddles the Bogie Range and includes Pine Hill, Highlanders Bonnett and a section of the Aberdeen Nature Refuge area.

People use this area for recreation (swimming, fishing and tourism), irrigation, stock watering, human consumption, drinking, and the cultural and spiritual values of the Birri and Gia Traditional Owners.

Bowen River

Bowen River is a very small subcatchment where land use is almost exclusively grazing.

The Bowen River is one of the major tributaries of the Burdekin catchment, with many waterholes and clear flowing water for most of the year, thus providing very significant aquatic habitat. The Bowen River Weir, near Collinsville, is an artificial weir that provides a large, non-flowing deepwater habitat.

People use this area for recreation (swimming, fishing and tourism), irrigation, industry, stock watering, human consumption, drinking, and cultural and spiritual values of the Wiri Traditional Owners.

Broken River

Broken River is a relatively small subcatchment, although one of the largest in the Bowen Broken Bogie Basin, where the major land use is conservation and other minimal use. Grazing and production forestry are also carried out in this area.

The area is home to the Eungella National Park and the Gamma, Crediton and Macartney State Forests.

People use the area for recreation (swimming, boating and tourism), irrigation, farm supply, industry, stock watering, human consumption, drinking water, and the cultural and spiritual values of the Birri and Wiri Traditional Owners.

Glenmore Creek

Glenmore Creek is a relatively small subcatchment where the principle land use is grazing. A small part of the land is set aside for conservation and minimal use.

People use the area for stock watering and the cultural and spiritual values of the Birri and Wiri Traditional Owners.

 

Little Bowen River

Little Bowen River is a relatively small subcatchment and, while the principle land use is grazing, a significant part is set aside for conservation and minimal use.

The subcatchment is a largely sandy, dry seasonal creek system with limited habitat, although springs are present that create aquatic habitat in places.

The area is home to part of the upper catchment of Hazelwood Creek, which rises in rainforest headwaters at Criticon State Forest just west of Eungella. The flow generated from these headwaters support waterholes further downstream in Hazelwood Creek, providing aquatic habitat and refuge through some of the dry season in an otherwise dry catchment.

People use the area for stock watering, and the cultural and spiritual values of the Wiri Traditional Owners.

Pelican Creek

Pelican Creek is a relatively small subcatchment where the major land use is grazing. Mining is also an important land use.

Pelican Creek itself is a seasonal creek system that contains several permanent waterholes, but the water quality is adversely affected by coal mining operations in its upper reaches.

This area is home to the Sonoma State Forest which is a large area consisting of rugged rocky outcrops on steep hills.

People use this area for irrigation, industry, stock watering, drinking, and the cultural and spiritual values of the Birri and Gia Traditional Owners.

Rosella Creek

Rosella Creek is a small subcatchment where the principle land use is grazing. About 20 per cent of the land area is set aside for conservation and minimal use, while mining is also identified as an important land use.

Rosella Creek is a largely sandy, dry seasonal creek system with limited habitat availability, although waterholes are present that create aquatic habitat in places.

Rosella Creek is home to the Black Jack Mountain Nature Refuge.

People use this area for stock watering and the cultural and spiritual values of the Wiri Traditional Owners.