Lockyer Creek

File:Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Clarendon) (2008) 01.jpg in 2008]]

Draining parts of the western Scenic Rim, the creek's headwaters are in the Main Range National Park, a small sub-section of the Great Dividing Range. Its tributaries drain the slopes east of Toowoomba and areas to the north of {{QLDcity|Gatton}}. The total stream length of the Lockyer Creek network is {{convert|6056|km}}.{{cite web |title=Lockyer Creek Catchment |date=2010 |url=http://www.healthywaterways.org/EcosystemHealthMonitoringProgram/2010ReportCardResults/CatchmentResults/WesternCatchments/LockyerCreekCatchment.aspx |work=Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program |publisher=Healthy Waterways |access-date=19 May 2011 }}

The total catchment area is {{convert|3032|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},{{cite web |url=http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/overview/qld/swma-lockyer-river.html |title=Surface Water Management Area: Lockyer River |access-date=28 April 2008 |date=16 November 2007 |work=Australian Natural Resources Atlas |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080729051009/http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/overview/qld/swma-lockyer-river.html |archive-date=29 July 2008 |df=dmy-all }} and covers nearly one quarter of the total catchment area of the Brisbane River.{{cite web |url=http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/science/state_of_rivers/lockyer.html |title=Lockyer Creek |date=28 September 2009 |publisher=(Department of Environment and Resource Management |access-date=19 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108112933/http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/science/state_of_rivers/lockyer.html |archive-date=8 January 2010 |url-status=dead }} O'Reillys Weir is located about {{convert|1|km}} upstream from the creek's confluence with the Brisbane River. Approximately {{convert|5|km}} upstream from the junction of Lockyer Creek and the Brisbane River is the Wivenhoe Dam. Tributaries flowing into Lockyer Creek include Flagstone Creek, Sandy Creek, Alice Creek, Laidley Creek, Tenthill Creek, Murphys Creek and Ma Ma Creek.

Lower areas of the catchment have been cleared for intensive agriculture. Upper parts of the catchment remain mostly forested, partially protected within Lockyer National Park formerly known as White Mountain State Forest. Bushfires, soil protection, water quality and flood management are the main resource management issues for the waterway.South East Queensland Regional Strategy Group, Strategic Guide to Resource Management in South East Queensland, November 2000. p 102. The creek is significantly degraded. The poor conditions have resulted in unstable stream banks and gully erosion from the removal of riparian vegetation.{{cite web |url=http://healthywaterways.org/u/lib/mob/20150122145314_40b4c72c5d7df7a91/lockyer_simple-model-2014.pdf |title=Lockyer Catchment |publisher=Healthy Waterways |date=2014 |access-date=24 September 2015}}

File:Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Guinn Park), from SW (2009).jpg

There are a total of nine major private and public water storages within this drainage system, including Atkinson Dam, Bill Gunn Dam and Lake Clarendon. The Lockyer Creek valley had been one of the driest catchments in Queensland during the recent droughts in Australia.

During the 2011 Queensland floods, on 10 and 11 January the creek experienced severe flash flooding from overnight and daytime heavy rain in a catchment of about {{convert|2000|km2}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/toowoomba-and-lockyer-valley-flash-floods-claim-at-least-four-lives-leave-up-to-50-missing/story-e6freon6-1225985290369 |title=Lockyer Valley flash floods death toll now at 13, after five more bodies found, dozens still missing |access-date=11 January 2011|date=11 January 2011|work=The Courier Mail |publisher=Queensland Newspapers }} During the floods the creek reached {{convert|18|m}} deep, a record that was higher than what was experienced during the 1974 Brisbane flood.{{Cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/queensland-floods/lockyer-creek-became-a-raging-torrent/story-fn7iwx3v-1225985873017 |title=Lockyer Creek became a raging torrent |author=Koch, Tony |access-date=19 May 2011 |date=12 January 2011 |newspaper=The Australian |publisher=News Limited }}

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a rise of {{convert|8|m}} in 23 minutes during the flash flood but initially dismissed the reading as a fault.{{Cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/the-day-a-deadly-torrent-struck-without-warning-20110430-1e1zo.html |title=The day a deadly torrent struck without warning |author=Marriner, Cosima |access-date=19 May 2011 |date=1 May 2011 |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media }} It was estimated that 4,000 tonnes or {{convert|4000|ML|e6USgal}} of water per second flowed through Lockyer Creek, leading to the use of descriptive phrases such as "wall of water", or even "inland tsunami". Water rose approximately {{convert|9|ft|m}} above the 1893 flood level recorded at the Lockyer Creek Railway bridge (see below). Dozens of homes were destroyed and 19 people died in the floods.{{cite news |last1=Daly |first1=Jon |last2=Hewson |first2=Georgie |last3=Moodie |first3=Anthea |date=26 February 2022 |title=Heartbroken Lockyer Valley residents relive trauma of 2011 floods as homes, businesses go under again |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-26/lockyer-valley-relieves-trauma-of-devastating-2011-floods/100863942 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=15 May 2023}} The town of Grantham was particularly hard hit.{{cite news |last=Haffenden |first=Damien |date=11 January 2020 |title=Queensland floods of 2011: The crisis that killed 33 people and devastated communities |url=https://7news.com.au/news/qld/queensland-floods-of-2011-the-crisis-that-killed-33-people-and-devastated-communities-c-634419 |work=7news |access-date=15 May 2023}}

A report by GHD Group for the Brisbane City Council suggested that flood mitigating dams on Lockyer Creek and Bremer River could be a useful measure for flood proofing Brisbane.{{Cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/weather/dams-mooted-for-bremer-river-lockyer-creek/story-e6frep3x-1226049229798 |title=Dams mooted for Bremer River, Lockyer Creek |author=Vogler, Sarah |access-date=19 May 2011 |date=3 May 2011 |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |publisher=News Queensland }}

File:Gatton Railway Bridge.JPG

The Lockyer Creek Bridge at Bageli Park, designed by William Pagan, is one of the largest of its type in Queensland and one of Australia's first reinforced concrete arch rail bridges.{{cite QHR|15290|Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Guinn Park)|600515|access-date=13 January 2011}} The bridge, built in 1910/1911, features three spans, each supported by two arches, and appeared on a stamp that was part of a series featuring landmark bridges.{{cite web |url=https://www.auspost.com.au/philatelic/stamps/index.asp?link_id=2.758 |title=Australia Post Stamps: Landmark Bridges |access-date=27 January 2008 |publisher=Australia Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911121352/http://www.auspost.com.au/philatelic/stamps/index.asp?link_id=2.758 |archive-date=11 September 2007 |url-status=dead }} A model of the bridge was featured in the April 2011 edition of the Australian Model Railway Magazine.{{cite web|url=http://www.qldrail.net/lockyercreekbridge1.htm |title=Lockyer Creek Bridge 1 |publisher=Qldrail.net |date=19 January 2011 |access-date=26 March 2011}} The bridge is still used for very heavy Brisbane bound coal and grain traffic. Another single arch bridge on the same line, but over a side gully, with the same name, is closer to {{QLDcity|Gatton}} and was built in 1903.Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, Heritage Trails of the Great South East, State of Queensland, 2000 p.60. {{ISBN|0-7345-1008-X}} Further downstream in the district of Clarendon, an earlier railway structure (1885) built of timber piles with a deck of iron trusses, is possibly as spectacular. This bridge is no longer used by rail traffic.{{cite web |url=http://lowood.qld.au/historic-sites/lockyer-creek-rail-bridge-1886 |title=Community Directory – Lowood District Community Website |publisher=Lowood District Community |access-date=26 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820075505/http://lowood.qld.au/historic-sites/lockyer-creek-rail-bridge-1886 |archive-date=20 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Lockyer Creek has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Toowoomba – Helidon Line: Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Lockyer){{cite QHR|15288|Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Lockyer)|600513|access-date=10 July 2013}}
• Toowoomba – Helidon Line: Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Murphys Creek)
• Brisbane Valley railway line: Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Clarendon){{cite QHR|15270|Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge (Clarendon)|600495|access-date=1 August 2014}}

{{stack|{{Portal|Water|Environment|Queensland}}}}

• {{Section link|List of rivers of Australia|Queensland}}

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{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite map |url=http://healthywaterways.org/u/lib/mob/20141013103526_df4b267b5c8e01521/lvl2_lockyer.pdf |title=Lockyer Creek catchment map |publisher=Healthy Waterways |date=August 2005 }}

{{Waterways of Brisbane |state=collapsed}}

{{Rivers of Queensland}}

Category:Tributaries of the Brisbane River

Category:Floods in Queensland

Category:Lockyer Valley Region