Daly River (Northern Territory)

Coordinates: 13°20′S 130°19′E / 13.333°S 130.317°E / -13.333; 130.317
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Daly River
Daly River (Northern Territory) is located in Northern Territory
Daly River (Northern Territory)
EtymologyDominick Daly
Location
CountryAustralia
TerritoryNorthern Territory
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of Flora and Katherine river
 • coordinates14°39′22.9536″S 131°42′18.0864″E / 14.656376000°S 131.705024000°E / -14.656376000; 131.705024000 -->
 • elevation64 m (210 ft)
2nd sourceKatherine River
 • locationArnhem Land
 • coordinates13°16′2.9784″S 133°4′27.7608″E / 13.267494000°S 133.074378000°E / -13.267494000; 133.074378000
 • elevation453 m (1,486 ft)
3rd sourceFlora River
 • locationFlora River Nature Park
 • coordinates14°54′37.6884″S 131°10′35.0328″E / 14.910469000°S 131.176398000°E / -14.910469000; 131.176398000
 • elevation268 m (879 ft)
MouthTimor Sea
 • coordinates
13°20′S 130°19′E / 13.333°S 130.317°E / -13.333; 130.317
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length354 km (220 mi)[1]
Basin size53,708 km2 (20,737 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • locationTimor Sea (near mouth)
 • average369.7 m3/s (11,670 GL/a)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationWooliana (92 rkm, 13°40′43.428″S 130°38′36.6648″E / 13.67873000°S 130.643518000°E / -13.67873000; 130.643518000; Basin size: 49,898.4 km2 (19,265.9 sq mi)
 • average317.8 m3/s (10,030 GL/a)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationMount Nancar (113 rkm, 13°47′58.8624″S 130°43′30.2448″E / 13.799684000°S 130.725068000°E / -13.799684000; 130.725068000; Basin size: 47,652 km2 (18,399 sq mi)
 • average(Period: 2000-2022)315.3 m3/s (9,950 GL/a)[3]
 • minimum11 m3/s (350 GL/a) (1970)[3]
 • maximum8,293 m3/s (261,700 GL/a) (1998)[3]
Discharge 
 • locationDorisvale Crossing (214 rkm, 14°21′47.8764″S 131°33′23.9004″E / 14.363299000°S 131.556639000°E / -14.363299000; 131.556639000; Basin size: 33,227 km2 (12,829 sq mi)
 • average(Period: 2000-2022)215.1 m3/s (6,790 GL/a)[4]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftFlora, Bradshaw Creek, Jinduckin Creek, Cattle Creek, Bamboo Creek, Fish, Chilling Creek, Hermit Creek
 • rightKatherine, Fergusson, Stray Creek, Douglas, Green Ant Creek, Hayward Creek, Kilfoyle Creek, Elliot Creek

The Daly River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is part of the Daly Catchment.

The Daly River flows 354 kilometres (220 mi) from the confluence of the Flora River and Katherine River to its mouth on the Timor Sea.[5] It is one the few major rivers in the Northern Territory that flows all year round. Sustained by groundwater, its dry-season flows are five time larger than any other river in the territory.[6]

It is home to more than 90 species of fish. It is best know for its large barramundi making it a popular waterway for recreational fishing. The floodwater carries baitfish which attracts predatory barramundi. The river is also home to the critically endangered largetooth sawfish. It also has eight different turtle species, includes the endangered pig-nosed turtle, more than any other Australian river.[7]

History[edit]

The traditional owners of the river and surrounding area are the Wadjigiynk, Maranunngu, Malak Malak, Kamu, Warai, Nanggiwumerri, Wagiman, Wardaman, Dagoman, Jawoyn, Matngala, and Yangman peoples.[6]

Boyle Travers Finniss named the river after Sir Dominick Daly, the Governor of South Australia, as the Northern Territory was at that time part of South Australia.[8] The region then lay untouched by Europeans until 1882 when copper was discovered.

Settlement on the river is centred on the Aboriginal community of Nauiyu, originally the site of a Catholic mission from 1955 to 1977,[9] as well as the town of Daly River itself, at the river crossing a few kilometres to the south.[10]

Industry[edit]

The Daly River Copper Mine was established after a rich copper lode was discovered at Mt Haywood along the Daly River in 1882. Woolwonga people killed four mine workers Johannes Noltenius, John Landers, Thomas Schollert and Henry Roberts on 3 September 1884. This triggered the Coppermine massacres led by the mine manager Sachse with police that saw over 150 people killed, decimating the Malak-Malak and Woolwonga people.[11] After a history of boom to bust and multiple lease turnovers the mine closed for good in 1925.[12]

The river also supports cattle, with the Daly River Cattle Station starting up in 1985, now Tipperary Station.[12]

The Daly River is popular location for tourism and recreational fishing due to its large barramundi.[13] It hosts two major fishing competitions annually, the "Barra Classic" and the "Barra Nationals". Both occur just after the wet season when the flooded river is falling fast and clear water is pouring in off the floodplains which is thought to be the best time for fishing.[14][15]

The Daly is also the site of a proposed large-scale cotton industry harvesting up to 500 gigalitres of flood waters. This would come under the Oolloo Dolostone Aquifer Water Allocation Plan that has already been overallocated by the Northern Territory Government.[16][6][17]

Floods[edit]

Like other rivers of the top end, the Daly is prone to seasonal flooding. Major flood events devastated the town of Daly River in 1899 and 1957, causing widespread property damage. The largest flood event post colonisation was in 1998, when floodwaters were fed by heavy rainfall in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Les reaching a peak of 16.25 m (53.3 ft) at the Daly River Police Station gauge, the highest level recorded to date. There were also flooding events triggering evacuations in 2000, 2018, 2023 and 2024.[18][19]

Discharge[edit]

Mean annual discharge of the Daly River at Mount Nancar (period from 1971 to 2021) and Dorisvale Crossing (period from 1966 to 2021):[3][4]

Year Mean annual

discharge

Mean annual

discharge

Mount Nancar Dorisvale Crossing
(GL/yr) (m3/s) (GL/yr) (m3/s)
1966 3,953.86 125.4
1967 4,183.33 132.7
1968 7,990.78 253.4
1969 6,112.79 193.8
1970 929.54 29.5
1971 3,055.7 96.9 3,073.52 97.5
1972 5,687.83 180.4 3,632.47 115.2
1973 7,839.22 248.6 3,887.4 123.3
1974 20,253.44 642.2 12,401.14 393.2
1975 7,484.03 237.3 4,286.37 135.9
1976 17,002.91 539.2 12,267.05 389
1977 6,421.06 203.6 8,090.05 256.5
1978 4,132.81 131.1 4,190.23 132.9
1979 4,177.21 132.5 3,322.47 105.4
1980 8,560.55 271.5 5,620.36 178.2
1981 7,574.83 240.2 5,143.17 163.1
1982 4,301.86 136.4 3,422.13 108.5
1983 2,311.66 73.3 1,590.18 50.4
1984 10,906.22 345.8 8,151.43 258.5
1985 4,565.57 144.8 2,117.47 67.2
1986 1,339.5 42.5 1,051.33 33.3
1987 6,114.56 193.9 5,165.54 163.8
1988 1,516.71 48.1 1,181.76 37.5
1989 5,696.05 180.6 2,710.78 86
1990 1,054.51 33.4 694.37 22
1991 9,506.28 301.4 6,508.84 206.4
1992 2,003.16 63.5 1,371.8 43.5
1993 7,062.55 224 4,457.08 141.3
1994 6,562.66 208.1 5,077.1 161
1995 8,354.25 264.9 4,596.53 145.8
1996 2,199.76 69.8 1,517.22 48.1
1997 15,952.31 505.8 10,723.82 339.4
1998 13,449.46 426.5 10,096.29 320.2
1999 10,307.06 326.8 7,188.43 227.9
2000 14,335.51 454.6 9,454.27 299.8
2001 14,418.61 457.2 10,884.56 345.2
2002 7,672.74 243.3 4,918.2 156
2003 6,827.31 216.5 6,738.52 213.7
2004 20,593.86 653 16,682.53 529
2005 3,987.72 126.5 2,995.99 95
2006 12,806.45 406.1 9,772.37 309.9
2007 6,547.18 207.6 5,001.04 158.6
2008 14,953.96 474.2 9,298.98 294.9
2009 13,365.59 423.8 10,078.81 319.6
2010 6,212.97 197 4,630.84 146.8
2011 23,694.11 751.3 14,168.17 449.3
2012 9,189.34 291.4 5,610.28 177.9
2013 5,863.01 185.9 3,739.89 118.6
2014 9,246.1 293.2 5,027.72 159.4
2015 3,739.96 118.6 2,714.27 86.1
2016 9,234.43 292.8 5,722.1 181.5
2017 10,920.68 346.3 6,580.47 208.7
2018 11,352.47 360 5,925.41 187.9
2019 1,843.01 58.4 1,126.49 35.7
2020 2,260.75 71.7 1,002.67 31.8
2021 9,704.87 307.7 7,152.42 226.8
Average 8,316.95 263.7 5,642 178.9

Tributaries[edit]

List of major tributaries[edit]

The largest tributaries of the Daly River:[2][20]

Left

tributary

Right

tributary

Length

(km)

Basin

size

(km2)

Average

discharge

(m3/s)

Daly 354* 53,708 369.7
Hermit C. 62.4 2,456.3 30.2
Elliot C. 24.2 2.9
Kilfoyle C. 15.9 455.4 6.5
Chilling C. 69.9 1,241 12.4
Hayward Creek 29.6 472 5.8
Austral C. 16 1
Survey C. 15.6 200.2 1.7
Fish 89.1 1,748 20.5
Bamboo C. 10.6 627.4 6.1
Green Ant Creek 48.8 914 15
Douglas 83.4 1,964 21.8
Cattle C. 17.5 122.5 1.2
Jinduckin Creek 35.2 348.3 2.7
Stray C. 64 1,216 8.2
Brandshaw Creek 63.5 1,181 6.5
Dead Horse C. 41.4 1.4
Fergusson 144 4,833.6 30.6
Yuwaiyunn Creek 1.3
Yujullowan Creek 29.1 191.4 0.7
Mullers C. 8.7 0.06
Flora 139 6,876 27.2
Katherine 328 24,363.3 109.8

*Daly River 354 km (220 mi) with Flora River (139 km (86 mi)[20] is 493 km (306 mi) long; Daly River with the Katherine (328 km (204 mi)[20] is 682 km (424 mi) long;

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Daly: Geographic information".
  2. ^ a b c "Darwin-Arnhem".
  3. ^ a b c d "Hydrologic Reference Stations-Mount Nancar".
  4. ^ a b "Hydrologic Reference Stations-Dorisvale Crossing".
  5. ^ McLennan, Chris (19 September 2018). "Katherine's poison plume". Katherine Times. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Booth, Carol; Turner, Joel (February 2024). "Free-flowing Rivers of Australia's North". Territory Rivers: Keep ‘em Flowing. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ^ Warren Snowdon (6 October 2011). "Fish River - Conservation helps close the gap". Media Release. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  8. ^ "Place Names Register". www.ntlis.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. "Daly River Mission - Organisation - Find & Connect - Northern Territory". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Nauiyu / Daly River". Victoria Daly Regional Council. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Centre For 21st Century Humanities". c21ch.newcastle.edu.au. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Daly River (1886-1899) | German Missionaries in Australia". missionaries.griffith.edu.au. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Daly River". Territory Rivers. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Low rain leaves mark on iconic NT fishing comp". www.9news.com.au. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  15. ^ Uvert, Tiina (1 May 2017). "Barra Nationals wrap up on Daly River with 894 fish caught". NT News.
  16. ^ "Expanded 2020 Cotton Trial - Tipperary Group". Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Cotton in the Northern Territory Facts and Stats" (PDF). Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade. Northern Territory Government.
  18. ^ Paiva, Jerome (March 2000). "Daly River Community Flood Study". Lands Planning Einvornment. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Man missing in Daly River floodwaters; emergency declared for NT community". www.willyweather.com.au. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  20. ^ a b c "Map of Daly River in the Northern Territory".
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