Queen River, Tasmania


The Queen River, part of the King River catchment, is a minor perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.

Course and features

The Queen River rises below, sourced by runoff from the West Coast Range and in particular the peaks of Mount Lyell and Mount Owen. The two branches of the river, West Queen River and East Queen River, merge north of and flow through the city and continue south, joined by one minor tributary before reaching its confluence with the King River.
The river valley is low-lying and narrow, and the subsequent fogs are notable in their effect, some created by smelter fumes in earlier years.
In April 1906, a significant flooding occurred in Queenstown and the southern part of the town due to the river overflowing. Subsequent recorded floods include in 1922, 1937 and 1954.

Tailings

For over 80 years the main carrier of Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company mining residue, and the local sewage. It is estimated that of tailings were disposed of into the Queen River. This in turn flowed into the lower part of the King River, and then into a delta at the mouth of the river where it met Macquarie Harbour.
Following the Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program with the construction of tailings dams, and general reduction of waste into this river, the river flow is now rusty in colour rather than silvery grey as it was previously.
The river passes under and adjacent to the revitalised railway now known as the West Coast Wilderness Railway. South of Queenstown on the edge of the river is the early settlement of Lynchford where a gold mine and other mining activity supported a small community in the early days of the railway.
In October 2018, TasDance dancers performed in the river, as part of The Unconformity festival, to create awareness of the effects mining pollution has on river systems. The performance was entitled "Junjeiri Bullun, Gurul Gaureima" and depicted native animals moving through the water while also exploring local indigenous history.