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Staaten River
West of Cairns, halfway across Cape York Peninsula, the Staaten River begins its meandering flow between crumbling sandstone gullies and drooping tea-tree gums, towards its terminus in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Along the way its waters overflow into a plait of intertwining lagoons and billabongs creating an enormous wetland sanctuary for a vast array of unique wildlife and plants.
Whistle ducks, Egrets and Freshwater Crocodiles basking in the abundance of the Byrnes Ponds wetlands on the Staaten River. Photo: Wayne Lawler / Ecopix
Conservation and cultural values
The Staaten River catchment is one of Australia’s last great wilderness areas. With little agricultural development, scant road access and thriving forests and wildlife, it is a truly wild river system.
The Staaten straddles both the Cape York Peninsula and Gulf Country regions. Characterised by the replenishing floods of the big ‘Wet’, and the extensive network of lagoon refuges of the ‘Dry’, the river system is famous for its excellent Saratoga and Barramundi fishing. Stalking the same fish-abundant waters, are giant Estuarine Crocodiles, one of Australia’s best known animals and easily one of Queensland’s top tourist drawcards.
Wet season in the Staaten sees a mass congregation of waterbirds from all over Australia, and as far as China and Russia, to revel in the abundant waters of places like the huge Inkerman-Gilbrath Wetland, near the mouth of the catchment. The coastal margin of the Staaten forms part of the Southeast Karumba Plan wetland aggregation – the best developed coastal wetland system in Queensland, which also provides critical habitat and breeding grounds for birds, fish and other native wildlife.
When the rains of the short wet cease, the Staaten retreats from the floodplains and wetlands, and become little more than a thread trickling down wide sand banks and a string of important lagoon refuges.
The Staaten River National Park in this area, covering some 467,000 ha, is one of Australia’s largest and most remote National Parks. Providing habitat for rare and endangered wildlife, such as the Goldern-Shouldered Parrot, this Protected Area plays a key role in maintaining the high natural and cultural values of the region. The Bulleringa National Park, covering about 20,000 ha, protects some of the eastern extreme of the Staaten River system.
The Agwamin, Kutjar, Koknar, Kunjen and Kokoberrin people are the traditional owners of the Staaten 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
The Staaten River is remote and currently there is little demand for water extraction in this area. The major present threat in this area is cattle grazing; if not managed sustainably, cattle can cause major soil erosion, trample vegetation and pollute river systems. There are also minor infestations of the invasive weeds such as rubber-vine in the Staaten. Wild River protection, as well as the Indigenous Wild River Ranger program, will help address these impacts.