Rivers & Creeks

The Noosa River is one of three river catchments located within or partly within the Noosa Shire Council area.

The Noosa River flows south from the Cooloola Section of the Great Sandy National Park into Laguna Bay. It is fed by springs that drain major sand deposits and is one of the few Queensland Rivers with a continuous year-round freshwater inflow.

A number of the Mary River tributaries are located in the hinterland regions of Noosa Shire. Six Mile Creek is the largest of these and Lake Macdonald is the impounded reservoir of the Six Mile Creek Dam which forms part of South East Queensland's drinking water supply. These creeks flow into the Mary River and north to Hervey Bay.

Tributaries of the Maroochy River catchment are found in the southern parts of the Shire near Lake Weyba. These are the headwaters of Doonan Creek and the northern arm of Stumers Creek. Both these creeks flow south from the Noosa border.

Statistics and Facts

Noosa Shire Council area 869.8km2
Noosa River catchment covers 63% of the Noosa Shire
Mary River catchment covers 36%
Maroochy River catchment covers 1%
Map of the rivers and creeks within the Noosa Shire area [2.2MB]

River and Creek Health

Noosa River catchment
Six Mile Creek [891KB]

More about Noosa River System

Noosa Waterways Assessment Report
Walking the Landscape – Noosa Catchment Story
Noosa River Plan (2004) [727KB] A second version of the Noosa River Plan is now available for consultation on the Your Say Noosa web page. See the Noosa River Community Jury project for previous community consultation on management of the Noosa River.
Noosa River Marine Zones
Noosa River’s migratory shorebirds [944KB]
Map of shorebird feeding and roosting areas at the river mouth [2.4MB]
Historical ecology of the Noosa Estuary Fisheries [2.4MB]
History of Aquatic Restoration and Management Options for Noosa Estuary and Lakes [4MB]
Restoration of Noosa Estuary - An Assessment of Oyster Recruitment [2.8MB]
Guidelines for Establishment of New Businesses on the Noosa River [27KB]

Management of the Noosa River

Topic	Management Agency	Contact Details
Non-compliance of Noosa River Marine Zones e.g. private Jet Skis, hovercraft, airboats and seaplanes Exclusion Zone – Noosa North Shore Migratory shorebird habitat Complaints about 4WD, horses and dogs accessing this area. Guidelines for the Establishment of New Businesses on the Noosa River. Commercial jetty lease complaints River foreshore hazards Litter hotspots	Noosa Council	Customer Service Centre (07) 5329 6500 (including After Hours emergencies)
Injured, sick or orphaned wildlife Marine animal strandings	RSPCA QLD	1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625)
Applications for buoy moorings Maintains aids to navigation and marine signage Undertakes related education with industry and community groups Administers and enforces the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995 and Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 2004, and the regulations	Maritime Safety QLD	Mooloolaba office General enquires (business hours) (07) 5373 2310 After hours incident reporting: (07) 3305 1700
Commercial Vessel Certification, licencing and compliance for DCVs as from July 1, 2018	Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) National Regulator for Domestic Commercial Vessels (DCV)
Applications for living on board approvals Complaints about living on board vessels Complaints about anchoring within 30m of a structure Complaints about construction and works on watercraft Administers the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, and Waterways Regulation 2012	TMR Boat Harbour Team (Mooloolaba)	boatharbours@tmr.qld.gov.au
Enforces fisheries and boating safety laws through surveillance and inspection, as well as undertaking related education with industry and community groups Implements and enforces compliance to Queensland's fishing rules and regulations Managing compliance in Queensland's fisheries (PDF 1.3MB) outlines how they achieve optimal compliance	QLD Boating & Fisheries Patrol	Tewantin office (07) 5449 7555
Commercial Jetty Leases/Renewals	Department of Natural Resources, Mines & Energy	State Land Asset Management (07) 5451 2245
Note: If logging a complaint please provide sufficient details of the offence for the relevant management agency to take appropriate action. This includes the registration number of boat or trailer, date, time, location and photographic evidence.