Herbert River

river, Queensland, Australia

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Article History

Herbert River, river in northeastern Queensland, Australia. The river rises in the Eastern Highlands, flows for 150 miles (240 km) southeast across the Atherton Plateau past Ingham, and enters the Coral Sea at Halifax Bay in the Hinchinbrook Channel. A relatively deep stream, the longest tributary of which is Blunder Creek, it drains an area of 3,340 square miles (8,650 square km). Explored in 1864 by George Dalrymple, the river was named after Sir Robert George Herbert, the state’s first premier. Dense forests along its middle course furnish lumber, while sugarcane is grown on flats near the coast. Wallaman Falls (970 feet [296 m]), on the tributary Stony Creek, forms the second highest single cascade in Australia.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.