Daly River (Northern Territory)
# Daly River (Northern Territory)

The Daly River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia. Settlement on the river is centred on the Aboriginal community of Nauiyu, originally the site of a Catholic mission, as well as the town of Daly River itself, at the river crossing a few kilometres to the south. The Daly River is part of the Daly Catchment that flows from northern Northern Territory to central Northern Territory.

The Daly River flows 354 kilometres (220 mi) from the confluence of the Flora River and Katherine River to its mouth on the Timor Sea.

## History

The traditional owners of the area are the Mulluk-Mulluk people.

Boyle Travers Finniss named the river after Sir Dominick Daly, the Governor of South Australia, as the Northern Territory was at that time part of South Australia. The region then lay untouched by Europeans until 1882 when copper was discovered.

### Floods

Like other rivers of the top end, the Daly is prone to seasonal flooding. Major flood events devastated the town of Daly River in 1899 and 1957, causing widespread property damage. In 1998, The floodwaters were fed by heavy rainfall in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Les and continued to rise until 3 February, reaching a peak of 16.8 m (55 ft), the highest level recorded to date.

## Attractions

The Daly River is famed for its large barramundi and is one of the more popular waterways for recreational fishing. It hosts two major fishing competitions annually, the "Barra Classic" and the "Barra Nationals". The best barramundi fishing is generally just after the wet season when the flooded river is falling fast and clear water is pouring in off the floodplains. The floodwater carries baitfish which in turn attracts predatory barramundi.

The Daly River is home to more freshwater turtle species than anywhere else in Australia.

## Discharge

Mean annual discharge of the Daly River at Mount Nancar (period from 1971 to 2021) and Dorisvale Crossing (period from 1966 to 2021):

| Year | Mean annual discharge | Mean annual discharge | Mean annual discharge | Mean annual discharge |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Year | Mount Nancar | Mount Nancar | Dorisvale Crossing | Dorisvale Crossing |
| Year | (GL/yr) | $(m^3/s)$ | (GL/yr) | $(m^3/s)$ |
| 1966 | | | 3,953.86 | 125.4 |
| 1967 | | | 4,183.33 | 132.7 |
| 1968 | | | 7,990.78 | 253.4 |
| 1969 | | | 6,112.79 | 193.8 |
| 1970 | | | 929.54 | 29.5 |
| 1971 | 3,055.7 | 96.9 | 3,073.52 | 97.5 |
| 1972 | 5,687.83 | 180.4 | 3,632.47 | 115.2 |
| 1973 | 7,839.22 | 248.6 | 3,887.4 | 123.3 |
| 1974 | 20,253.44 | 642.2 | 12,401.14 | 393.2 |
| 1975 | 7,484.03 | 237.3 | 4,286.37 | 135.9 |
| 1976 | 17,002.91 | 539.2 | 12,267.05 | 389 |
| 1977 | 6,421.06 | 203.6 | 8,090.05 | 256.5 |
| 1978 | 4,132.81 | 131.1 | 4,190.23 | 132.9 |
| 1979 | 4,177.21 | 132.5 | 3,322.47 | 105.4 |
| 1980 | 8,560.55 | 271.5 | 5,620.36 | 178.2 |
| 1981 | 7,574.83 | 240.2 | 5,143.17 | 163.1 |
| 1982 | 4,301.86 | 136.4 | 3,422.13 | 108.5 |
| 1983 | 2,311.66 | 73.3 | 1,590.18 | 50.4 |
| 1984 | 10,906.22 | 345.8 | 8,151.43 | 258.5 |
| 1985 | 4,565.57 | 144.8 | 2,117.47 | 67.2 |
| 1986 | 1,339.5 | 42.5 | 1,051.33 | 33.3 |
| 1987 | 6,114.56 | 193.9 | 5,165.54 | 163.8 |
| 1988 | 1,516.71 | 48.1 | 1,181.76 | 37.5 |
| 1989 | 5,696.05 | 180.6 | 2,710.78 | 86 |
| 1990 | 1,054.51 | 33.4 | 694.37 | 22 |
| 1991 | 9,506.28 | 301.4 | 6,508.84 | 206.4 |
| 1992 | 2,003.16 | 63.5 | 1,371.8 | 43.5 |
| 1993 | 7,062.55 | 224 | 4,457.08 | 141.3 |
| 1994 | 6,562.66 | 208.1 | 5,077.1 | 161 |
| 1995 | 8,354.25 | 264.9 | 4,596.53 | 145.8 |
| 1996 | 2,199.76 | 69.8 | 1,517.22 | 48.1 |
| 1997 | 15,952.31 | 505.8 | 10,723.82 | 339.4 |
| 1998 | 13,449.46 | 426.5 | 10,096.29 | 320.2 |
| 1999 | 10,307.06 | 326.8 | 7,188.43 | 227.9 |
| 2000 | 14,335.51 | 454.6 | 9,454.27 | 299.8 |
| 2001 | 14,418.61 | 457.2 | 10,884.56 | 345.2 |
| 2002 | 7,672.74 | 243.3 | 4,918.2 | 156 |
| 2003 | 6,827.31 | 216.5 | 6,738.52 | 213.7 |
| 2004 | 20,593.86 | 653 | 16,682.53 | 529 |
| 2005 | 3,987.72 | 126.5 | 2,995.99 | 95 |
| 2006 | 12,806.45 | 406.1 | 9,772.37 | 309.9 |
| 2007 | 6,547.18 | 207.6 | 5,001.04 | 158.6 |
| 2008 | 14,953.96 | 474.2 | 9,298.98 | 294.9 |
| 2009 | 13,365.59 | 423.8 | 10,078.81 | 319.6 |
| 2010 | 6,212.97 | 197 | 4,630.84 | 146.8 |
| 2011 | 23,694.11 | 751.3 | 14,168.17 | 449.3 |
| 2012 | 9,189.34 | 291.4 | 5,610.28 | 177.9 |
| 2013 | 5,863.01 | 185.9 | 3,739.89 | 118.6 |
| 2014 | 9,246.1 | 293.2 | 5,027.72 | 159.4 |
| 2015 | 3,739.96 | 118.6 | 2,714.27 | 86.1 |
| 2016 | 9,234.43 | 292.8 | 5,722.1 | 181.5 |
| 2017 | 10,920.68 | 346.3 | 6,580.47 | 208.7 |
| 2018 | 11,352.47 | 360 | 5,925.41 | 187.9 |
| 2019 | 1,843.01 | 58.4 | 1,126.49 | 35.7 |
| 2020 | 2,260.75 | 71.7 | 1,002.67 | 31.8 |
| 2021 | 9,704.87 | 307.7 | 7,152.42 | 226.8 |
| Average | 8,316.95 | 263.7 | 5,642 | 178.9 |

## Tributaries

* Katherine River
* Fish River
* King River

### List of major tributaries

The largest tributaries of the Daly River:

| Left tributary | Right tributary | Length (km) | Basin size $(km^2)$ | Average discharge $(m^3/s)$ |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Daly | Daly | $354^*$ | 53,708 | 369.7 |
| Hermit C. | | 62.4 | 2,456.3 | 30.2 |
| | Elliot C. | 24.2 | | 2.9 |
| | Kilfoyle C. | 15.9 | 455.4 | 6.5 |
| Chilling C. | | 69.9 | 1,241 | 12.4 |
| | Hayward Creek | 29.6 | 472 | 5.8 |
| Austral C. | | 16 | | 1 |
| Survey C. | | 15.6 | 200.2 | 1.7 |
| Fish | | 89.1 | 1,748 | 20.5 |
| Bamboo C. | | 10.6 | 627.4 | 6.1 |
| | Green Ant Creek | 48.8 | 914 | 15 |
| | Douglas | 83.4 | 1,964 | 21.8 |
| Cattle C. | | 17.5 | 122.5 | 1.2 |
| Jinduckin Creek | | 35.2 | 348.3 | 2.7 |
| | Stray C. | 64 | 1,216 | 8.2 |
| Brandshaw Creek | | 63.5 | 1,181 | 6.5 |
| | Dead Horse C. | 41.4 | | 1.4 |
| | Fergusson | 144 | 4,833.6 | 30.6 |
| | Yuwaiyunn Creek | | | 1.3 |
| | Yujullowan Creek | 29.1 | 191.4 | 0.7 |
| | Mullers C. | 8.7 | | 0.06 |
| Flora | | 139 | 6,876 | 27.2 |
| | Katherine | 328 | 24,363.3 | 109.8 |

$^*Daly$ River 354 km (220 mi) with Flora River (139 km (86 mi) is 493 km (306 mi) long; Daly River with the Katherine (328 km (204 mi) is 682 km (424 mi) long;

