Ross River (Queensland)

Ross
River
Ross River as it runs through Townsville suburbs, with Aplins Weir visible on right
Name origin: W. A. Ross, a colonial settler
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
Region	North Queensland
Tributaries
- left	Ross Creek, Goondi Creek
- right	Stuart Creek
City	Townsville
Source	Hervey Range
- location	below Pepper Pot Mountain
- elevation	92 m (302 ft)
- coordinates	19°34′07″S 146°43′12″E / 19.56861°S 146.72000°E / -19.56861; 146.72000
Mouth	Coral Sea
- location	South Townsville
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	19°15′25″S 146°50′58″E / 19.25694°S 146.84944°E / -19.25694; 146.84944Coordinates: 19°15′25″S 146°50′58″E / 19.25694°S 146.84944°E / -19.25694; 146.84944
Length	49 km (30 mi)
Basin	1,340 km2 (517 sq mi)
Reservoirs	Black Weir; Gleeson's Weir; Aplin's Weir; Ross River Dam
Location of Ross River river mouth in Queensland

The Ross River is a river located in northern Queensland, Australia. The 49-kilometre (30 mi) long river flows through the city of Townsville and empties into the Coral Sea. It is the major waterway flowing through Townsville and the city's main source of drinking water.

The river rises in the Hervey Range below Pepper Pot Mountain and flows generally north through Lake Ross, across a flat coastal plain and east around Mount Stuart into Townsville city. The Ross River flows across the Townsville suburbs of Aitkenvale, Annandale, Condon, Kelso, Mundingburra, Murray and Rasmussen. The river is joined by three minor tributaries including Ross Creek, before reaching its mouth south east of Townsville. This area is currently being developed into a marina precinct. Flow rates in the river are controlled by the Ross River Dam, the largest dam in the catchment. There are seven crossings over the river and three weirs exist along the river. The river has a catchment area of 1,340 square kilometres (517 sq mi) of which an area of 102 square kilometres (39 sq mi) is composed of estuarine wetlands.

The Ross River Parkway is a series of parks, community facilities and pedestrian bridges which stretch from Twin Cities Bridge, Douglas to Rooney's Bridge, Railway Estate which are interlinked by more than 30 kilometres (19 mi) of shared use pathways. The parkway is used for recreation by many people who exercise or play in the parkland or along the network of paths, but was also designed to provide a safe network of paths to link the Townsville central business district to outlying suburbs. The parkway was developed over a series of years with funding from the Townsville City Council and Queensland Government and linked a series of existing parks, paths and bridges together. Notable facilities in the Ross River Parkway include Riverway, Tony Ireland Stadium, Riverside Lodge, Rossiter Park, The Palmetum, Aplin's Weir Rotary Park, Bicentennial Park and Black, Gleeson's and Aplin's Weirs.