Proserpine Catchment Story

Proserpine Catchment Story

This catchment story is part of a series prepared for the catchments of Queensland.

Understanding how water flows in the catchment

To effectively manage a catchment it is important to have a collective understanding of how the catchment works. This map journal gathers information from experts and other data sources to provide that understanding.

The information was gathered using the walking the landscape process, where experts systematically worked through a catchment in a facilitated workshop, to incorporate diverse knowledge on the landscape features and processes, both natural and human. It focused on water flow and the key factors that affect water movement.

The map journal was prepared by the Queensland Wetlands Program in the Queensland Department of Environment and Science in collaboration with local partners.

Main image. The Proserpine River, adjacent farming and the Peter Faust Dam - provided by ©Queensland Government.

How to view this map journal

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Map journal for the Proserpine catchment—water movement

This map journal describes the location, extent and values of the Proserpine catchment*. It demonstrates the key features which influence water flow, including geology, topography, rainfall and runoff, natural features, human modifications and land uses.

Knowing how water moves in the landscape is fundamental to sustainably managing the catchment and the services it provides.

Weir and fish barrier on the Proserpine River - provided by Catchment Solutions.

*The use of the terms 'catchment', 'sub-catchment', 'basin' and 'sub-basin' are sometimes used interchangeably. In this map journal the term 'catchment' has been used.

Proserpine catchment story

The Proserpine catchment is located in north Queensland and is part of the Reef Catchments NRM Region. The catchment falls within the Whitsunday Regional Council area. The main townships include Proserpine and Airlie Beach and there are several other small rural residential areas.

The catchment covers approximately 2,494 square kilometres (click for animation).

The main waterway is the Proserpine River, together with smaller waterways including Gregory River, Lethe Brook, Eden Lassie Creek, Duck Creek and Repulse Creek. All waterways (click for animation) flow to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), via Edgecumbe Bay, Whitsunday Coast and Repulse Bay. The GBR is World Heritage-listed and a marine park.

The Proserpine catchment is surrounded by the Don, Bowen and O'Connell catchments.

There is a drop-down legend for most maps and it can be accessed by clicking on 'LEGEND' at the top right of the map. On this map you can use the drop down legend for the land use.

There are also 'pop-ups' for most mapping features - simply click on the mapping of interest for more information.

Main image. Coastal creek - provided by Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.

Values of the catchment—key features

Key features of the Proserpine catchment include: 

• Significant agricultural production in the region, including grazing, horticulture and sugarcane.
• The key geological feature of Proserpine catchment is a fault line, running through the catchment, from Bowen through the center of Goorganga wetlands.
• The catchment includes the Goorganga Plains and Edgecumbe Bay DIWA-listed wetlands(Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia).
• The average annual rainfall ranges from 901 millimetres in the north-west to 2,401 millimetres over higher elevations.
• The Lake Proserpine (Peter Faust Dam), commissioned in the 1990's upstream of Proserpine River, is the primary water source in the region and provides for flood mitigation in high flow situations.
• Numerous levees have been placed throughout the Proserpine catchment, forming farm dams and providing for flood mitigation purposes.

Values of the catchment—economic

The Proserpine catchment supports many different land uses*, including grazing on native pastures and irrigated cropping (sugar cane). There are small areas of mining and several Key Resource Areas.**

*Australian Land Use Management Classification (Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2010) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

**Hard rock, gravel and sand extraction shown is within KRAs (Key Resource Areas) only. KRAs are identified locations containing important extractive resources of state or regional significance worthy of protection for future use. Some KRAs include existing extractive operations (see link at the end of map journal for more information).

Values of the catchment—environmental and social

The Proserpine catchment provides important habitat for many marine, estuarine, freshwater and terrestrial species.

The catchment includes several protected areas and nature refuges. Protected areas also provide recreational activities such as bush walking, swimming, camping, boating and fishing. These activities not only provide substantial social and health benefits but they are also very important for tourism.

The wetlands and creeks of the catchment provide habitat for many important aquatic species, including plants, fish and birds. Estuarine areas also support important plants (mangrove, saltmarsh and seagrass), marine turtles, marine mammals and fisheries species.

Information about the different types of wetlands shown in this mapping is provided here.

The sub-catchment includes declared Fish Habitat Areas*, DIWA-listed wetlands (Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia) and Dugong Protection Areas. 

Many of the species in the catchment have lifecycles with connections to the GBR, which is World Heritage-listed and a marine park. 

*Declared Fish Habitat Area Plans (Queensland Government 2017) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.
Main image. Estuarine crocodile - provided by Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.

Natural features—geology and topography

Several different rock types combine to make up the geology of the Proserpine catchment. 

Conceptual models for several of the catchment's geology types are provided below.

Main image. The Gregory River floodplain and hills - provided by ©Queensland Government.

Natural features—rainfall

The Proserpine catchment receives high to very high rainfall, predominantly in the wet season. The average annual rainfall ranges from 901 millimetres in the north-west to 2,401 millimetres over higher elevations.

Dancing brolga - provided by Dale Mengel.

Natural features—vegetation

Vegetation affects how water flows through the catchment, and this process is affected by land use and management practices. Native vegetation slows water, retaining it longer in the landscape and recharging groundwater aquifers, and reducing the erosion potential and the loss of soil from the catchment. 

Several different vegetation types combine to make up the original native (preclearing) vegetation of the Proserpine catchment.* Much of the catchment has been cleared or partially-cleared for a range of rural and urban land uses. Some of the cleared vegetationhas regrown** since initial clearing. 

Explore the swipe map showing vegetation clearing over time, using either of the options below.***

• Interactive swipe app where you can zoom into areas and use the swipe bar (ESRI version)
• Interactive swipe app where you can use the swipe bar. Use the white slide bar at the bottom of the map for a comparison (HTML version)

These developments and activities change the shape of the landscape and can modify water flow patterns.

*Broad Vegetation Groups derived from Regional Ecosystems. Regional Ecosystems are vegetation communities in a bioregion that are consistently associated with a a particular combination of geology, landform and soil.

**Smaller areas of regrowth are not shown in this mapping. This dataset was prepared to support certain category C additions to the Regulated Vegetation Management Map under the Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016. This dataset is described as: The 2013 areas of non-remnant native woody vegetation that have not been cleared between 1988 and 2014 that are homogenous for at least 0.5 hectare and occur in clumps of at least 2 hectares in coastal regions and 5 hectares elsewhere.

***This application takes time to load.

Main image. Figs growing along the Proserpine River - provided by Catchment Solutions.

Modified features—infrastructure, dams, weirs and bores

Buildings and important infrastructure such as roads, railways and creek crossings create barriers and impermeable surfaces that redirect water through single points or culverts, leading to channeling of water. This increases the rate of flow and the potential for erosion. Modifications to channels, such as straightening and diversions, can also increase flow rates.
Dams and weirs also modify natural water flow patterns, by holding water that would otherwise flow straight into the stream network. The catchment has many rural water storages (farm dams) and the relatively large Peter Faust Dam (Lake Proserpine).

This infrastructure can also affect fish passage.* 

There are also many bores, which extract water for livestock and domestic uses and can influence groundwater.

*Mackay Whitsunday Fish Barrier Prioritisation (Catchment Solutions, 2015) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information. 

Main image. Culvert crossing of the Proserpine River - provided by Catchment Solutions.

Modified features—sediment

Increases in the volume and speed of runoff can increase erosion in the landscape and the stream channels, resulting in sediment being carried downstream and reduced water quality.

The suspended sediment of most risk to the GBR is the fine fraction. This is the component that contains most of the nitrogen and phosphorus content (and other contaminants), travels widely in flood plumes rather than all depositing near the river mouth, and is very effective at reducing light when in suspension.

Furthermore, the impacts of suspended sediment contributes to the cumulative impacts of other stressors (e.g. fresh-water flood plumes, elevated nutrients, impacts from cyclones, increasing sea surface temperatures) to increase the overall impact on organisms of the GBR.

Water quality

Water quality is influenced by diffuse runoff and point source inputs. Runoff is from a variety of land uses, including rural, residential, industrial and commercial areas.

Diffuse runoff includes on-site sewage facilities (e.g. septic tanks) and stormwater discharges. Many rural areas and more densely populated rural-residential areas use on-site sewage facilities.

Point source inputs include sewage treatment plants (STPs). 

Information regarding monitoring sites (gauging stations*) and catchment load monitoring** can be found in the reference section at the end of this map journal.

*Water Monitoring Information Portal (122004A Gregory River at Lower Gregory) Queensland Government (2017) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

**Great Barrier Reef Catchment Loads Modelling Program (Queensland Government, 2017); Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022, Draft - for consultation. Queensland Government (2017) ; Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan - Report cards (Queensland Government (2017) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

Main image. Platypus - provided by Dale Mengel.

Water flow

Water flows across the landscape into the Proserpine River and other waterways (click for animation)*.
The remaining water either sinks into the ground where it supports a variety of terrestrial and groundwater dependent ecosystems or is used for other purposes.

The smaller channels and gullies eventually flatten out to form larger waterways that flow through lower lying land. They pass through unconsolidated areas which store and release water, prolonging the time streams flow.

*Please note this application takes time to load.

The main areas

A 'catchment' is an area with a natural boundary (for example ridges, hills or mountains) where all surface water drains to a common channel to form rivers or creeks.*

The Proserpine catchment is listed as a single catchment but consists of several distinct areas which have similar characteristics:

• Eden Lassie Creek (Eden Lassie, Hay Gully, Major, Duck and Yeates creeks)
• Gregory River (the Gregory River and Ten Mile and Six Mile creeks)
• Whitsunday Coastal Creeks (Repulse Creek and the Whitsunday coastal creeks including Airlie, Charley, Cedar and Impulse)
• Proserpine River and Myrtle Creek
• Goorganga Plains (Thompson Creek and Lethe Brook)

Main image. Upper Repulse Creek - provided by Catchment Solutions. *Definition sourced from the City of Gold Coast website - see links at the end of this map journal.

Eden Lassie Creek

• The Eden Lassie Creek area is flat to undulating. It is not as steep as other parts of the catchment and receives lower average rainfall than other parts.
• Majority of upper headwaters dominated by granite rock type, except for Eden Lassie Creek.
• Headwaters of Eden Lassie Creek dominated by metamorphic rock type, middle to lower parts are mixed volcanic and sedimentary rock.
• Eden Lassie Creek has good hard bedrock, there are large areas of sand and gravel in the system downstream together with conglomerate pebbles.
• Eden Lassie Creek does not flow continuously. Water is lost a lot quicker in alluvium at Eden Lassie Creek, when compared to Hays and Duck creeks.
• The Hay Gully, Major Creek, Duck Creek and Yeates Creek areas are generally cleared for grazing and agriculture. Riparian zones are poorly vegetated, very dry and on hard sediments. Flow during the wet seasons, small weirs to retain some water. Weeds include prickly acacia and rubber vine although there is no distinct riparian zone.
• Headwaters of Eden Lassie Creek are well vegetated due to conservation and production forestry. It becomes less vegetated further down slope and into the agricultural areas. Coastal vegetation at mouth.
• Wetlands are found at the bottom of the Eden Lassie system, both estuarine and marine. 
• There is open access to stock throughout channels in this catchment area.
• Relatively good connectivity in Eden Lassie Creek, some barriers, fords and off-stream dams on Hay Gully and Duck Creek.

Juvenile estuarine crocodiles - provided by Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership. Lower Eden Lassie Creek - provided by Tim Marsden.

Gregory River

• The Gregory River area includes slopes up to 650 metres above sea level in the headwaters of the Gregory River and Dryander State Forest. These elevated areas receive relatively high rainfall compared to most parts of the catchment.
• Majority of the Gregory Creek and lower eastern catchment is made up of mixed volcanic and sedimentary rocks.
• Alluvium in upper catchment with harder geologies closer to the coast. This geology means the upper part is used for cane plantations and lower regions are used for grazing purposes.
• Dingo, Acacia, Billy and Ten Mile creeks and the area downstream of Mount Pluto consist of poorly lithified sandstone, conglomerate and mudstone. Not a huge amount of alluvium, with broad and shallow channels.
• Billy Creek has cane plantations together with sand and gravel extraction.
• Wetlands and aquaculture are located near the Gregory River mouth. Water quality is regulated through licensing.
• Irrigation in headwaters of the Gregory River, off-stream excavations and bores for agriculture (sugarcane).
• A quarry is located at the top of the Gregory River.
• Complex rainforest system around the Gregory River, which plays an important role such as providing corridors for fruit bats and micro bats. The rainforest becomes less complex further up the system, transforming into an open riparian system.
• Interchange of water, fish etc. from Myrtle Creek and the Gregory River, lot of snags in the area. A lot of work has been done in this area.*
• There are barriers to fish passage along the Gregory River and some have fishways.
• Riparian vegetation is fair throughout and regrowth of Melaleuca around Ten and Six Mile creeks.

Beach stone curlew - provided by Dale Mengel.

Soybean fallow crop along Billy Creek - provided by provided by ©Queensland Government.

*Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Water Quality Improvement Plan 2014-21 (Reef Catchments 2017) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

Main image. The mid reaches of the Gregory River - provided by Tim Marsden.

Whitsunday Coast

• The Whitsunday Coast includes the Whitsunday Coastal Creeks and Repulse Creek.
• Includes flats between 10 and 100 metres above sea level. Low lying areas with short sharp catchments, fast run off and flashy systems. Flows are near permanent with waterholes forming in dry season.
• Geology is dominated by felsites and mafites along the Whitsunday Coast.
• Repulse Creek mouth has clay, silt, sand, and estuarine deposits. Lots of alluvium and estuarine deposits down at the mouth.
• The headwaters of Repulse Creek and other elevated areas receive the highest average annual rainfall of the catchment (2,401 millimetres per year).
• Landward area of the Whitsunday Coast has monsoon vine thickets. Littoral rainforests are EPBC-listed (Environment and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999). Gorges within this area form vine thickets and waterholes. 
• Impulse and Repulse creeks are reference sites, due to their significant high value areas and being natural systems.
• Cedar creek is rural residential and has a few weed infestations and barriers.

Upper Repulse Creek - provided by Catchment Solutions.

Lower Repulse Creek - provided by Catchment Solutions.

Wilcox's frog - provided by Dale Mengel.

Barrier to fish passage on Cedar Creek - provided by Catchment Solutions.

Airlie Beach lagoon - provided by John Higham.

Main image. Airlie Beach and surounds - provided by Tourism Whitsundays. 

Proserpine River

• This area includes the Upper Proserpine River, the Proserpine River and Myrtle Creek.
• Lake Proserpine (Peter Faust Dam) and surrounds are dominated by granite rock type.
• Upper region of the Proserpine River includes clay, silt, sand, gravel and soil; colluvial and residual deposits (generally on older land surfaces). These geologies generate sands that flow to and are captured by Lake Proserpine.
• Modified system with the construction of Lake Proserpine, water extraction and flow alteration which has changed the Proserpine River.
• Lake Proserpine is a major storage and water infrastructure on the Proserpine River.
• Less regular ‘flushing’ of the system, has caused a highly vegetated channel with build-up of vegetation in-stream in some regions and over-topping of banks.
• Several ponds along the Proserpine River, no major riffle habitats.
• Mimosa pigra plants on western side controlled and monitored.
• Some waterholes in this region, lots of them have been filled with sand.
• Myrtle Creek Flat approximately 20 to 40 metres above sea level.
• Geology is made up of mixed volcanic and sedimentary rocks, shale, sandstone, limestone, clayey sandstone, siltstone, pebble conglomerate and marine fossils.
• Myrtle Creek has well defined channels, about 2.5 metres deep, alluvia with near-permanent flows. Land use is dominated by irrigated cropping (sugarcane plantations).  
• Brandy Creek joins Myrtle Creek. A sand levee on Myrtle Creek mouth forms a dam and backs up flows.
• Myrtle Creek weir is a barrier with fish way, therefore it has good connectivity.
• There are several barriers to fish passage along the Proserpine River.
• Brandy Creek has mango trees in riparian zone. 

Crossing of Myrtle Creek - provided by Catchment Solutions. The Proserpine River at the old gauging station - provided by Catchment Solutions.  Sand dam at the estuarine interface of the Proserpine River - provided by Catchment Solutions.

Goorganga Plains

• Goorganga Plains (Lethe Brook and Thompson Creek) is a combination of estuarine and alluvial deposits.
• This is a hydrologically complex area.
• A lot of paleochannels in the southern parts. Bunds and levees extend water permanency into the dry season.
• Shale oil deposits under this wetland complex.
• Major barrier to fish passage on Thompson Creek.
• Dams around La-di-da, Kelsey and Slater creeks for irrigation.
• East of the highway, much of the area is submerged during heavy flooding in the region.
• Low transmissivity west of the highway provides for less groundwater recharge than in other areas.
• Lots of invasive weeds (hymanachne, paragrass) and pest animals, particularly feral pigs.
• Riparian vegetation is good in some areas, including melaleuca along Lethe Brook around highway, and rainforest along Silver and Gold creeks. Thompson Creek doesn’t have much riparian but has never been heavily vegetated.
• Goorganga Plains wetland habitats have been impacted by hymenachne and barriers to fish passage that block life-cycle dependent migrations for economically important fish species such as barramundi, sea mullet and long-fin eels. 

Estuarine crocodile - provided by Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.
Main image. Goorganga Plains - provided by ©Queensland Government.

Conclusion

The Proserpine catchment shows how natural and modified features within the landscape impact on how water flows. These issues need to be managed to ensure that the significant natural (and social) values of the catchment are protected, and to minimise impacts on the multitude of values within the catchment and downstream in the GBR, while providing for residential, water supply, farming and other important land uses of the catchment.

Knowing how the catchment functions is also important for future planning, including climate resilience. With this knowledge, we can make better decisions about how we manage this vital area.

Acknowledgments

Developed by the Queensland Wetlands Program in the Department of Environment and Science in partnership with:

Reef Catchment NRM Group
Whitsunday Regional Council
Catchment Solutions
Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnerships Whitsunday Tourism

Tim Marsden

Dale Mengel

This resource should be cited as: Walking the Landscape – Proserpine Catchment Story v1.0 (2018), presentation, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland.

Images provided by Catchment Solutions, Department of Fisheries and Agriculture, Reef Catchments, Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnerships, Whitsunday Tourism, Tim Marsden and Dale Mengel.

The Queensland Wetlands Program supports projects and activities that result in long-term benefits to the sustainable management, wise use and protection of wetlands in Queensland. The tools developed by the Program help wetlands landholders, managers and decision makers in government and industry.

Contact wetlands♲des.qld.gov.au or visit www.wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au

Disclaimer

This map journal has been prepared with all due diligence and care, based on the best available information at the time of publication. The department holds no responsibility for any errors or omissions within the document. Any decisions made by other parties based on this document are solely the responsibility of those parties. Information contained in this education module is from a number of sources and, as such, does not necessarily represent government or departmental policy.

Data source, links and extra information

Software Used ArcGIS for Desktop | ArcGIS Online | Story Map Journal| Story Map Series |
Some of the information used to put together this Map Journal can be viewed on the QLD Globe.  
Queensland Globe allows you to view and explore Queensland spatial data and imagery. You can also download a cadastral SmartMap or purchase and download a current titles search.

More information about the layers used can be found here:

Source Data Table

Flooding Information

Whitsunday Regional Council

Other References

• Catchment Solutions (2015) Mackay Whitsunday Fish Barrier Prioritisation [webpage] Accessed 8 February 2018

City of Gold Coast (2021) About water catchments. [webpage] Accessed 25 August 2021

• Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (2010) Australian Land Use Management Classification [webpage] Accessed 20 September 2017
• Queensland Government (2016) Declared Fish Habitat Area Plans [webpage] Accessed 15 December 2017
• Queensland Government (2016) Key Resource Areas in Queensland [webpage] Accessed 18 December 2017
• Queensland Government (2017) Great Barrier Reef Catchment Loads Modelling Program [webpage] Accessed 25 October 2017
• Queensland Government (2017) Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022, Draft - for consultation. Queensland Government, Brisbane
• Queensland Government (2017) Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan - Report cards [webpage] Accessed 14 October 2017
• Queensland Government (2017) Water Monitoring Information Portal (122004A Gregory River at Lower Gregory) [webpage] Accessed 8 February 2018
• Reef Catchments (2016) Water Quality Improvement Plan – Mackay Whitsunday Isaac 2014-2021 [webpage] Accessed 3 January 2018 (replaced by online portal below)
• Reef Catchments Water Quality Improvement Plan – Mackay Whitsunday Isaac 

 

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2021) Proserpine Catchment Story, WetlandInfo website, accessed 18 March 2024. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/processes-systems/water/catchment-stories/transcript-proserpine.html