The Mary River – it’s home
The river flows in a northerly direction for 307 km from its headwaters in the Conondale Ranges near Maleny, two hours north of Brisbane in sub-tropical south-east Queensland. It empties into the Great Sandy Straits west of Fraser Island.
The river flows in a northerly direction for 307 km from its headwaters in the Conondale Ranges near Maleny in sub-tropical south-east Queensland, just two hours north of Brisbane. It empties into the Great Sandy Straits west of Fraser Island.
The indigenous peoples knew the Mary River as Moonaboola. In 1842 Andrew Petrie and his party rowed a whaleboat for three days up the river until they were blocked by rapids near Tiaro. He named it the Wide Bay River. This was replaced by Governor Fitzroy who named it in honour of his wife, Mary.
“It’s not the biggest, it’s not the longest, but I reckon it’s one of the most important rivers in Australia” Prof Tim Flannery, Two on the Great Divide ABC TV. The Mary River has high ecological value as well as being a source of water for irrigation and urban town supply. It is home to multiple threatened species. The vulnerable Queensland lungfish (Neoceradotus forsteri) is probably the world’s oldest living vertebrate species. The endangered Mary River Cod (Maccullochella peelii mariensis) is one of Australia’s largest strictly freshwater fish and is endemic to the Mary River. The endangered Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s most ancient turtles. Another river turtle, the critically endangered white throated snapping turtle (Elseya albagula) is restricted to the Mary, Burnett and Fitzroy Rivers. Why these ancient species have persisted here and nowhere else is unknown. However, the evidence is clear that the region has conserved many lineages extinct elsewhere.
The Mary River in Queensland is arguably one of the most significant Australian rivers for freshwater turtles. Five of the eight genera of freshwater turtles found in Australia are represented in the Mary River. This includes the broad-shelled turtle (Chelodina expansa), the eastern long-neck turtle (Chelodina longicollis), the white-throated snapping turtle (Elseya albagula), the Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus), the Krefft’s short-neck turtle (Emydura macquarii krefftii) and the saw-shelled turtle (Muchelys latisternum). An identification key to the freshwater turtles of the Mary River can be downloaded here.
