Jackey Jackey Creek

The Jackey Jackey Creek, also often called Jacky Jacky Creek, is a creek located in the Cape York Peninsula region of Far North Queensland, Australia.

Jackey Jackey
Jacky Jacky
Location of Jackey Jackey Creek river mouth in Queensland
EtymologyJackey Jackey
Location
CountryAustralia
StateQueensland
RegionFar North Queensland
Physical characteristics
SourceGreat Dividing Range
 • elevation49 m (161 ft)
MouthKennedy Inlet
 • location
southwest of Cliffy Point, Torres Strait
 • coordinates
10°55′36″S 142°30′39″E
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length27 km (17 mi)
Basin size2,963 km2 (1,144 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightSpear Creek
National parkJardine River National Park
[1]

Course

The headwaters of the river rise in the Great Dividing Range and flow in a north easterly direction along the northern border of the Jardine River National Park. The creek eventually discharges into Kennedy Inlet then Newcastle Bay and onto the Torres Strait.

Catchment

The creek's catchment occupies and area of 2,963 square kilometres (1,144 sq mi), of which an area of 257 square kilometres (99 sq mi) is made up of estuarine wetlands.[2] The area is composed of a variety of habitat and contains great ecological diversity. The southern end of the catchment holds the white silica sand dunes of the Shelburne Bay area with perched freshwater lakes. Savannah woodlands are found at the western side of the catchment, with the Escape River-Kennedy Inlet system, the site of Australia's largest mangrove forest as well as Queensland’s biggest pearl oyster site found to the north.[3]

The only tributary of the creek is Spear Creek which joins shortly before reaching Kennedy Inlet.[1]

The hilly areas at the tip of Cape York are made up of Carboniferous volcanic rocks, while further south the geology is Jurassic-Cretaceous sandstone. The lower lying country of the Jardine River National Park is made up of Cainozoic sands and gravels.[4]

A total of 31 species of fish are found in the creek, including the glassfish, Pacific Short-finned Eel, kabuna hardyhead, treadfin silver biddy, mouth almighty, concave goby, coal grunter, barramundi, oxeye herring, mangrove jack, eastern rainbowfish, Obbe's catfish, Spotted Blue-eye and Gulf Saratoga.[5]

History

The traditional owners of the area are the Unjadi[6] and Ankamuti[7] peoples who have lived in the area for thousands of years.

The creek is named for the Aboriginal guide, Jackey Jackey, who acted as a guide for Edmund Kennedy during his expedition through the Cape York area in 1848 which resulted in Kennedy's death.[8]

Land was cleared near the creek in 1942 for a dispersal airfield, named Higgins Airfield, after Japanese air raids at the Horn Island Airfield.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Map of Jackey Jackey Creek, QLD". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  2. "Jacky Jacky drainage basin". WetlandInfo. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  3. "Jacky Jacky Creek - Conservation and cultural values". Wilderness Society. Retrieved 26 June 2006.
  4. "11°S 143°E Arnold Islets". Queensland by Degrees. Royal Geographic Society of Queensland. 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  5. "Jacky Jacky Creek catchment". Fish Atlas of North Australia. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  6. "Unjadi". Australian Aboriginal tribal database. Ausanthrop. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  7. "Ankamuti". Australian Aboriginal tribal database. Ausanthrop. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  8. "Jackey Jackey Creek (entry 16955)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  9. "Horn Island Airfield". Queensland World War II Historic Places. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
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