NATIONAL WILDERNESS RED INDEX

Published by the Colong Foundation for Wilderness Ltd. 30/09/94
Level 2, 332 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
Ph (02) 9261 2400; Fax (02) 9261 2144.

Name:

ARCHER RIVER

Nominated by:

Not recorded

Location:

On the west side of Cape York, south and east of Aurukun.

Size
For size and tenure information contact the Colong Foundation.

DESCRIPTION

Extensive alluvial flats occur along the coastline in teh west of this area.
Repeated ridges and valleys with local relief of 10 metres form a large part of
the lowland area. Further to the east, hills rise to about 500 metres elevation.
Quaternary sediments overlie Cretaceous sediments which outcrop in the east. [1]

Levee banks along the Archer river support gallery rainforest. Vine forests and
thorn scrubs are also found here. Extensive ares of woodland dominated by
eucalypts and melaleucas occur within the area and these species are emergents
in vine thickets. Grasslands of Sporobolis virginius and samphires occur on the
coastal alluviaum. Low shrublands of Grevillea pteridifolia, Eucalyptus
Polycarpa, Thryptomene elogandra and Melaleuca veridiflora are found on soils of
low fertility where waterlogging is common. [2]

Crocodiles occur in the river estuaries of this area, and its fauna is thought
to be generally representative of the Cape York region. [3]

STATE FORESTS

ENDANGERED SPECIES

LAND USE HISTORY

CONSERVATION HISTORY

THREATS

MINING
Development associated with bauxite mining at Weipa occurs to the north of the
area. [4]

CONTACTS

No contacts are recorded from that area.
ENDNOTES
1
Prineas, 1986.

2
Prineas, 1986.

3
Prineas, 1986.

4
Prineas, 1986.

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