Stanley River (Queensland)

Stanley River below the Somerset Dam

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Stanley River is a river in the southeast of the Australian state of Queensland.

Geography

River

The river rises in the D' Aguilar Range in Landsborough, about 65 km north of Brisbane. From there it flows south-southwest and crosses at the D' Aguilar Highway Durundur. In Kilcoy he turns his course to the south and forms the Lake Somerset, of about 50 years ensured the water supply for Brisbane until the construction of Lake Wivenhoe. About 7 km below the dam opens the Stanley River in the Brisbane River.

Tributaries with muzzle heights

• Stony Creek - 115 m
• Neurum Creek - 100 m
• Sandy Creek - 97 m
• Kilcoy Creek - 97 m
• Oaky Creek - 97 m

Flowed through reservoirs

• Lake Somerset - 97 m
• Lake Wivenhoe - 65 m

History

Before the construction of two reservoirs Stanley River and Brisbane River were affected by frequent floods. Despite the warnings of the settler Henry Somerset, who had been watching a flash flood on the upper reaches of the river, the waters of the black February 1893 caused widespread flooding in Brisbane and other cities, such as Fernvale.

The river once formed the north- western frontier of the former Stanley County.

Flora and Fauna

The riparian vegetation around Lake Somerset was almost completely removed. Today there is pasture. At the headwaters of the river the bush is still almost intact, but biotope networks were destroyed and decimated fish in the river.

The gastric-brooding frogs are extinct frogs, found only on the Mary River at Mooloolah River and the Stanley River recently.