BBB Catchment
The BBB catchment spans 11,718 km 2, making up 8.3 per cent of the Burdekin River Basin. It lies primarily in Birriah Country, with portions extending into Juru, Widi, and Jangga Country.
Grazing dominates the land use, covering 92 per cent of the area. Conservation areas, including national parks and state forests, occupy 8 per cent of the catchment, primarily in the southern ridges of the Broken sub-catchment. The region also hosts significant open-cut coal mining operations, particularly near Collinsville.
There are 74 grazing properties, either partially or fully located within the catchment. Of these, 63 are larger than 2000 hectares, eight of which( 205,447 hectares) are owned by mining companies, and one by the Urannah Property Association, an Indigenous Corporation. Two properties( 100,000 hectares) are owned by the government. Leasehold land makes up 73 per cent of the tenure, with 16 per cent being freehold.
The BBB catchment falls across four regional council areas. Most of the catchment lies within the Whitsunday Regional Council, with smaller portions in the Burdekin Shire, Isaac, and Mackay Regional council areas. It also overlaps with the Bowen Broken Bogie Geological Basin. The major population centre, Collinsville and Scottville, has approximately 1,830 residents( Queensland Government Statistician’ s Office, 2016).
The BBB catchment is divided into seven major sub-catchments: Bogie River, Bowen River, Broken River, Glenmore Creek, Little Bowen River, Pelican Creek, and Rosella Creek. The waterways range from sandy, ephemeral creek systems to permanently flowing clearwater rivers and creeks, originating from mountain rainforests.
The BBB catchment is the largest source of sediment flowing into the Great Barrier Reef, contributing 43 per cent of the Burdekin River Basin’ s sediment load. Gully erosion is the main driver, responsible for approximately 65 per cent of the fine sediment originating from the catchment.
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