Jeannie River

Conservation and cultural values

The Jeannie River catchment, just north of the Wet Tropics bioregions, close to the Aboriginal community of Hopevale, takes in the wild rivers of the Jeannie, the Howick and Starke. These east-flowing rivers, covering a relatively short distance to the sea (about 30km), are the lifeblood for many rare vegetation communities and abundant wildlife. 

The towering white sand dunes and their colourful variety of tropical vegetation are a highlight of the southern area of this wild river catchment. These dunes are as important as Fraser Island’s, and the waters of the perched lakes and streams are home to unique freshwater fish.

The boulder-strewn landscape of the Melville Range in the north is another of the clear distinguishing features of the Jeannie River catchment. Here thrives the endemic Foxtail Palm (the only member of its genus), alongside rare and endemic lizards and frogs and ancient Hoop Pines from the age of dinosaurs. The Blue-Winger Kookaburra, Stone-Curlew and Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and other intriguing Cape York birds also make their homes in this remote wilderness.

The Starke River Fish Habitat Area – a form of marine protected area – encompasses one of the most varied coastlines on Cape York Peninsula, including large areas of mangrove, paperbark forest, freshwater wetlands, tidal floodplains and dunes fields. This combination of habitats, mirrored throughout the Jeannie River catchment, is important for Indigenous subsistence fishing and sustaining species such as Barramundi, Queen Fish, Trevally and Grunter.

The Jeannie’s wild river systems support extensive and diverse seagrass meadows, making the region one the world’s most important for the endangered Dugong. Like all of Cape York’s east-flowing river systems, the health of the Jeannie is critical to the health of the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef just off the east coast.

Much of Cape Melville and Starke National Parks are encompassed by the Jeannie River Catchment.

The Mutumui and Guugu-Yimidhhirr, people are the Traditional Owners of the Jardine River catchment area and maintain strong cultural and spiritual connections with the land and rivers. The traditional ecological knowledge and health of these communities is in turn critical to the ongoing health of this wild river system.

Threats

In 1993 the Starke area was placed on the international market to be developed as a game reserve for international travellers. The Wilderness Society quickly formed an alliance with the Guugu-Yimidhhirr Traditional Owners to convince the Queensland Government to acquire the land and protect it from further exploitation. The campaign was a rapid success.

Today a significant threat to the natural and cultural values of the Jeannie River area is sand mining and petroleum exploration in the area. The Cape Flattery Silica Mines (owned by the Japanese company Mitsubishi) already cover at least 6500 ha and have a license to extract 6,000 ML of water a year from the nearby river systems.

Other threats to the health of the Jeannie River catchment are feral animals like wild pigs, invasive weeds and inappropriate fire management (non-Indigenous traditional burning). Wild River protection, as well as the Indigenous Wild River Ranger program, will help address these impacts.