Fitzroy River, Queensland
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The Fitzroy River lies in Central Queensland, Australia. Its catchment covers an area of 150,000 square kilometres, making it the second largest river catchment in Australia, after that of the Murray Darling system. The river catchment stretches from the Carnarvon Ranges in the west to the rivermouth in Keppel Bay, near Rockhampton.
Predominant industries in the catchment are coal mining, grazing and cotton.
The lower reaches of the river are home to salt water crocodiles, a recently captured example (2003) being in excess of 4 metres long. The prized Australian fish, the barramundi, also breeds in the river.
The city of Rockhampton is situated 40 kilometres from the coast on the river. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the city was a major port, however rocky bars in the river prevented the Fitzroy from being used for navigation any further inland. As ships became larger, the lower reaches became less viable for commercial traffic, and today only pleasure craft and small commercial fishing boats use the river. Wharves which once lined the town reach at Rockhampton have now almost all disintegrated or been removed.
Nowadays, the river has a number of dams and weirs along its length. The Fitzroy River barrage at Rockhampton provides fresh water to city and surrounds, while the Fairbairn Dam, on the Nogoa River (a tributary), provides water for irrigating cotton and domestic use for the town of Emerald.