Queanbeyan River
| Queanbeyan | |
| Burra Creek, Sallee Creek | |
| River | |
 Road bridge carrying the Kings Highway over the Queanbeyan River, in Queanbeyan
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| Name origin: Aboriginal (Ngarigu): "clearwater" | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Regions | South Eastern Highlands (IBRA), Monaro, Capital Country |
| Local government areas | Cooma-Monaro, Queanbeyan |
| Part of | Murrumbidgee catchment, Murray-Darling basin |
| City | Queanbeyan |
| Source | Gourock Range |
| - location | east of Bredbo, New South Wales |
| - elevation | 1,260 m (4,134 ft) |
| - coordinates | 35°56′24″S 149°27′35″E / 35.94000°S 149.45972°E |
| Mouth | confluence with the Molonglo River |
| - location | Oaks Estate, Australian Capital Territory |
| - elevation | 567 m (1,860 ft) |
| - coordinates | 35°20′13″S 149°13′51″E / 35.33694°S 149.23083°ECoordinates: 35°20′13″S 149°13′51″E / 35.33694°S 149.23083°E |
| Length | 104 km (65 mi) |
| Basin | 96,000 km2 (37,066 sq mi) |
| Reservoirs | Googong Reservoir, Queanbeyan Weir |
The Queanbeyan River, a perennial stream that is part of the Molonglo catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Monaro and Capital Country regions of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia. The river is 104 kilometres (65 mi) in length with a catchment area of 96,000 hectares (240,000 acres). The Queanbeyan River and the Cotter River meet the potable water supply needs of the Canberra and Queanbeyan region and whose water quality is specifically protected under Federal legislation.
It is believed that the local Aboriginal Ngarigo people used a word that sounded like queanbeyan to describe the river, said to mean "clearwater".
The headwaters of the Queanbeyan River rise 70 kilometres (43 mi) east-southeast of Queanbeyan and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of the township of Bredbo, near the village of Jerangle. Fourteen tributaries upstream of the Googong Dam contribute to the river flow including the Burra, Urialla, Tinderry, Ballinafad, Groggy, Woolpack, Sherlock, Lyons, Towneys and Mile Creeks. The major river crossings above Googong Dam are the Boolboolma causeway on the Tinderry Road and a road bridge on the Captain's Flat-Jerangle Road.
Once inside the city precinct of Queanbeyan, the river is crossed by several bridges, including the Canberra-Goulburn railway, Morisset Street bridge, the Queens Bridge on Monaro Street (which becomes Bungendore Road or Kings Highway), and by a pedestrian footbridge near Isabella Street in East Queanbeyan. Queens Bridge was opened by Wal Fife MP, Minister for Transport and Highways on the 21 July 1975, according to a plaque on the bridge. The Queanbeyan River meets the Molonglo River at a confluence located in Oaks Estate, within the boundary of the Australian Capital Territory. The river descends 697 metres (2,287 ft) over its 104-kilometre (65 mi) course. The river's catchment area is 920 square kilometres (360 sq mi), more than double that of the Cotter River.
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