Nerang River

Nerang
River
View south at Surfers Paradise, 2007
Name origin: Yugambeh: little or shovel-nosed shark
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
Region	South East Queensland
Local government area	City of Gold Coast
Tributaries
- left	Nixon Creek, Tonys Creek, Crane Creek (Queensland)
- right	Nerang Creek, Bridge Creek (Queensland)
City	Southport
Source	McPherson Range
- location	Numinbah Valley
- elevation	138 m (453 ft)
- coordinates	28°14′34″S 153°15′15″E / 28.24278°S 153.25417°E / -28.24278; 153.25417
Mouth	Gold Coast Broadwater
- location	Southport
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	27°58′26″S 153°25′23″E / 27.97389°S 153.42306°E / -27.97389; 153.42306Coordinates: 27°58′26″S 153°25′23″E / 27.97389°S 153.42306°E / -27.97389; 153.42306
Length	62 km (39 mi)
Basin	490 km2 (189 sq mi)
National park	Springbrook National Park
Reservoirs / dams	Hinze Dam; Little Nerang Dam; Lake Rosser; Lake Capabella
Man-made lakes	Lake Rosser; Lake Capabella
Islands	McIntosh; Cronin; Chevron; Paradise; Girung
Location of the Nerang River mouth in Queensland

The Nerang River is a perennial river located in South East Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast local government area and covers an area of 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi). The river is approximately 62 kilometres (39 mi) in length.

The Nerang River rises in the McPherson Range in the Numinbah Valley on the New South Wales and Queensland border and heads north, then east where it flows through Nerang and reaching its mouth in the Gold Coast Broadwater at Southport on the Gold Coast and emptying into the Coral Sea. The river descends 255 metres (837 ft) over its 62-kilometre (39 mi) course. Major crossings of the river occur at Nerang where the river is crossed by the Pacific Motorway and at Southport where the river is crossed by the Gold Coast Highway.

The Nerang River catchment is the largest and most significant river system on the Gold Coast. Its upper reaches in the McPherson Range and Springbrook Plateau deliver flows through significant rural areas and also feed into the Hinze Dam, creating Advancetown Lake, the Gold Coast's main water supply, and Little Nerang Dam. These two reservoirs provide a large percentage of potable water for the Gold Coast and are managed by Gold Coast Water. The Hinze Dam has had a significant flood mitigation effect. In the river's lower catchment, multi-branched canal developments and a number of artificial tidal and freshwater lake systems have influenced and altered large aras of the floodplain. These canal developments provide a range of opportunities for many residents including boating and recreational fishing. The canals and lakes provide habitat to a range of aquatic, terrestrial and marine flora and fauna. The canal systems provide for drainage of stormwater and contribute to flood mitigation, but can periodically be subject to contamination via stormwater drainage.