Roe River (Western Australia)

Roe River
Country	Australia
Basin
Main source	Bushfire Hill 274 metres (899 ft)[1]
River mouth	York Sound sea level
Basin size	3,278 square kilometres (1,266 sq mi)[2]
Physical characteristics
Length	66 kilometres (41 mi)

The Roe River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.

The headwaters of the river rise in the Prince Regent National Park below Bushfire Hill then flow in a north westerly direction. The river discharges into Prince Frederick Harbour to York Sound and out onto the Indian Ocean. The river contains several permanent pools, including Paradise Pool where several examples of Indigenous Australian art known as Bradshaw paintings can be found along the cliff faces.^[3]

The river has five tributaries including; Moran river, Wyulda Creek and Rufous Creek.

The river was named in 1820 by Philip Parker King after the father of master's mate John Septimus Roe^[4] during his voyage in the Mermaid; he also named Prince Frederick Harbour, Prince Regent River and the nearby Mount Trafalgar during the same visit.^[5]

The first European to trace the Roe from its source to its outflow was the explorer Frederick Brockman in 1884.

The river has a total of seven freshwater fish species that inhabit its waters.

References

1. "Bonzle Digital Atlas – Map of Roe River". 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
2. "The Kimberley River Environment" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
3. "Bradshaw Foundation - Rock Art Archives". 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
4. Dun, Loftus (1995). "The Third and Fourth Journeys". They Came as Strangers (pdf). East Oatley, NSW: Loftus Dun. p. 38. ISBN 064625135X. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
5. "The Kimberley Society - Joseph Bradshaw getting lost in the Kimberley" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2010.

Coordinates: 15°08′16″S 125°23′11″E / 15.13778°S 125.38639°E