page_title: Pioneer River
section_title: Location and features
hierarchical_section_title: Pioneer River / Location and features
caption_attribution_description: English: Weir west of Mackay, QLD.
context_page_description: The Pioneer River is a river located in North Queensland, Australia. The 120-kilometre long river flows through the city of Mackay.
context_section_description: The river rises in the Pinnacle Ranges below Mount McBryde near Pinevale, 63 kilometres (39 mi) southwest of Mackay.  The river flows in a northerly direction into the Pioneer Valley, one of Australia's richest sugar cane areas. At Mirani the river flows to the east before reaching its mouth and emptying into the Coral Sea at Mackay. The river is joined by ten tributaries including Cattle Creek, with the other major tributary being Blacks Creek. The river is too shallow for navigation, drying sandbanks encountered only a few kilometres upstream of the river mouth. During king tides the Pioneer River may experience a tidal range of up to 6.4 metres (21 ft).
  The catchment covers an area of 1,550 square kilometres (600 sq mi). Upper parts of the catchment are too steep for agriculture and remain covered by rainforests and open woodlands. In 2002, a Queensland Government report found that the local sugar industry had allowed five pesticides to enter the river, exceeding acceptable standards.  
  The river has a number of water storage facilities built along its course including Teemburra Dam, Dumbleton Weir, Mirani Weir and Marian Weir. It is crossed by the Bruce Highway and the North Coast railway line in Mackay.
  The river is crossed by the 485-metre (1,591 ft) Forgan Bridge at Mackay.
caption: Dumbleton Weir located upstream of Mackay on the Pioneer River
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