Rivers to Reefs

The rivers and streams of the NQ Dry Tropics region drain a tremendous diversity of tropical landscapes: semi-arid dry lands, wooded grasslands, mountainous tropical rainforests, coastal plains and wetlands.

They then flow to the Great Barrier Reef.

A basin describes a region drained by a single river system.  Our region has six major basins. They are the Belyando, Bowen Broken Bogie, Cape Campaspe, Lower Burdekin, Suttor and Upper Burdekin.

The biggest river in our area, the Burdekin, is well known for the large quantity of water it carries. The Bowen, Bogie and Belyando rivers are also significant.

The quality of the water these rivers carry is important for plants and animals and the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

Reef Rescue is an Australian Government initiative that NQ Dry Tropics delivers. It helps farmers afford to make changes, like reducing soil and fertiliser loss, which improve the quality of water running off farms and grazing land.

We’re also reducing barriers to fish movement along the rivers and streams. The Bowling Green Bay project is about protecting wetlands from weeds and pests.

For information about the state of basins in our region see the Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan.