Plane Catchment Story - Rocky Dam Creek subcatchment

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• Overview
• Physical features
• Natural values
• Subcatchment key messages
• Sandy subcatchment
• Sandringham Lagoon subcatchment
• Rocky Dam Creek subcatchment
• Acknowledgements

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Transcript

Rocky Dam Creek subcatchment

Large parts of the Rocky Dam Creek subcatchment are used for cattle grazing and irrigated sugar cane, which are important to the local economy and community. Ponded pastures are used to feed the cattle and while these barriers can interfere with water flow and fish passage, they can also provide habitat for a range of fishes and water birds, and trap potential contaminants such as sediment and nutrients. 

Main image. Rocky Dam Creek - provided by Reef Catchments.

Table of contents

1. Upper Rocky Dam Creek key messages
2. Mid Rocky Dam Creek key messages
3. Tedlands Creek key messages
4. Cherry Tree Creek key messages
5. Cab Creek key message
6. Elizabeth Creek key messages
7. Cattle grazing
8. Ponded pastures

Main image. Cattle grazing - provided by Reef Catchments.

Upper Rocky Dam Creek key messages

• The Upper Rocky Dam Creek subunit is mostly mafites and felsites with some granitoid (including areas of decomposed granite) and limited alluvial development along lower waterways.
• Headwaters are steep, from 400 metres above sea level (ASL) down to 30 metres ASL.
• Mostly grazing on native pastures with conservation areas in the headwaters and extensive cane (supplementary irrigation) lower in the subunit.
• Channels tend to be ill-defined in upper catchment, becoming more well-defined lower in the landscape.
• Generally little riparian vegetation, particularly through cane farming areas, with relatively shallow soil and creeks prone to erosion when cleared.
• Riparian vegetation is better in some areas, such as Arrowroot Creek and the lower parts of this section of Rocky Dam Creek.
• Limited groundwater in the southern parts but several, higher yielding bores in the northern parts.
• Several farm dams but no in-stream dams or weirs, however there is a natural rock weir at the downstream extent of this subunit (which gives Rocky Dam Creek its name).

Main image. Arrowroot Creek - provided by Matthew Moore.

Mid Rocky Dam Creek key messages

• The Mid Rocky Dam Creek subunit is mostly alluvium with some mixed volcanic (felsites and granitoid) and sedimentary geologies.
• This subunit is steep to undulating, ranging from 300 metres to 20 metres ASL.
• Mostly conservation and natural environments with large areas of grazing (ponded pastures) and limited cropping (sugar cane).
• The channel becomes deep, relatively wide and well defined.
• Natural rock weir on main channel at top of this subunit and another substantial natural barrier on Waterfall Creek, which are likely barriers for fish migration.
• Good riparian vegetation along main channel.
• Deep pools on the main channel with fringing vegetation and associated snags and instream structure providing good fish habitat.
• Limited groundwater extraction through a small number of registered bores.
• Some large farm dams and numerous smaller dams on tributaries.
• Some weeds (sickle pod, itch grass, lantana and giant rat's tail grass) and pest animals (pigs and horses).

Natural rock dam on Rocky Dam Creek - provided by Matthew Moore.

Main image. Mid Rocky Dam Creek - provided by Matthew Moore.

Tedlands Creek key messages

• The Tedlands Creek subunit is mostly alluvium with some mixed volcanics in the headwaters and marine sediments at the coast.
• Mostly flat to undulating (0 to 30 metres ASL) with some hills up to 250 m ASL in the headwaters.
• Modified subunit with large areas of cropping and grazing, and large ponded pasture (bunded) to improve grazing productivity.
• Relatively shallow, narrow channels broadening out to ponded pasture low in the landscape.
• Some deep pools provide permanent waterholes, which are refugia for aquatic species during the dry season and times of drought.
• Extensive bund walls retain freshwater to create ponded pastures, which can result in hymenachne chokes that can create physical barrier to fish passage.
• Fishways have been installed on bunds and ponded pastures can provide valuable fish habitat when connected to upstream freshwaters and downstream tidal waters.
• Hymenachne chokes can also lower dissolved oxygen (DO) levels creating chemical barriers to fish passage and work is underway to manage ponded pastures and hymenachne to improve DO levels.
• Ponded pasture are likely providing valuable water treatment outcomes including sediment capture, denitrification and herbicide treatment.
• Ponded pastures can also provide valuable habitat for water birds.
• Good riparian vegetation with relatively limited weeds due to the self-contained nature of the subunit.
• Good quantity and quality of groundwater west of Bruce Highway, with groundwater becoming more brackish east of the highway approaching the coast.

Estuarine crocodile tracks, Tedlands - provided by Reef Catchments.

Main image. Ponded pastures - provided by Reef Catchments.

Cherry Tree Creek key messages

• The Cherry Tree Creek subunit is mostly alluvium with mixed volcanics in the headwaters and tidal flats and beaches at the coast.
• The headwaters are mostly felsites (lavas, clastics & high-level intrusives), mafites (lavas, clastics & high-level intrusives) and granitoids.
• The subunit is mostly undulating with steep headwaters up to 650 metres ASL.
• Some conservation and natural environments on high slopes in the headwaters.
• Extensive area of cropping (mostly cane) with some grazing.
• Channels are relatively shallow in the headwaters, becoming progressively deeper and more well defined lower in the system.
• Some deep pools lower in the system provide permanent waterholes, which are critical refugia for aquatic species during the dry season and times of drought.
• Riparian vegetation is patchy but there has been substantial re-vegetation work.
• Areas without good riparian vegetation are prone to erosion.
• Weed infestations (e.g. sickle pod).
• The creek line (including deep pools) is becoming choked with sediment and gravel.
• Good groundwater quantity and quality west of highway, with groundwater becoming brackish to the east.

Cab Creek key message

• The Cab Creek subunit is mostly alluvium with mixed volcanics and metamorphics in the headwaters and tidal flats and beaches at the coast.
• The catchment is flat at the coast and rising steeply to 450 metres ASL at the headwaters.
• Extensive area of cropping (mostly cane) with some intensive grazing (ponded pastures) lower in the system.
• Channels are relatively shallow in the headwaters, becoming progressively deeper and more well defined lower in the system.
• Limited riparian vegetation (particularly in the cropping area) with weeds.
• Creek (including deep pools) becoming choked with sediment and gravel.
• More groundwater and better quality west of highway but becoming brackish to the east.
• Extensive network of ponded pastures at bottom of catchment to improve grazing productivity.
• Ponded pasture may provide valuable water treatment outcomes (i.e. sediment capture, denitrification and herbicide treatment).
• Ponded pastures can provide high value in terms of habitat for water birds and fishes (fishways have been installed on bund walls).

Main image. Running Creek - provided by Reef Catchments.

Elizabeth Creek key messages

• The Elizabeth (Willy) Creek subunit is mostly alluvium with mixed volcanics and sedimentary rocks in the headwaters and marine sediments in the estuary.
• The catchment is flat at the coast and rising to 180 metres ASL at the headwaters.
• Land use includes nature conservation on the higher elevations and a mix of irrigated cropping and grazing native vegetation lower in the subunit.
• Channels are relatively ill-defined and have been realigned in the past.
• Riparian vegetation is relatively narrow until the estuary where there are extensive mangrove forests.
• More groundwater and better quality west of highway, but becoming brackish to the east.
• Large estuarine area adjacent to important wetlands and conservation areas, including the Sarina Inlet – Ince Bay Directory of Important Wetlands (DIWA), Cape Palmerston – Rocky Dam declared Fish Habitat Area (FHA), Llewellyn Bay Dugong Protection Area, and the Great Barrier Reef Marina Park (GBRMP) and World Heritage Area (WHA).

Cattle grazing

The Rocky Dam Creek subcatchment is dominated by agriculture with approximately 60 per cent of the land supporting grazing and approximately 25 per cent under sugar cane production.

Brahman and Droughtmaster cattle, and their crosses, are popular in the region. Heavy cattle such as cull cows* and bullocks** are sold primarily through export abattoirs at Bakers Creek or Rockhampton. Growing cattle are sold through sale yards at Sarina and Nebo or to graziers from areas as widespread as the Burnett and Clermont districts.

The cane and cattle industries are closely linked with more than 50 per cent of the region’s beef cattle owned and managed by integrated cane and beef enterprises.

*Cull cows are adult female cows that have been removed from the main herd (i.e. culled), typically due to poor reproductive performance.

**Bullocks are adult male cows used for draught, which are typically (but not always) castrated.

Ponded pastures

Within the Rocky Dam Creek subcatchment there are a number of ponded pasture wetlands used for grazing. These ponded pastures have been established by bunding coastal waterways to limit tidal intrusion and encourage the growth of pasture species. These pasture species are generally exotic grasses such as hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis), para grass (Brachiaria mutica), and aleman grass (Echinochloa polystachya). Hymenachne, despite being a popular pasture species, is a Weed of National Significance (WoNS).

Ponded pastures often provide for high quality year-round grazing with good dry matter yields, which allows for higher stocking rates.* In 1991, a moratorium was established on the construction of ponded pasture banks, though repair and maintenance works are permitted on existing bund walls and banks.

The Tedlands Station wetlands, east of Koumala township, is a large ponded pasture wetland. The Tedlands wetlands include a complex of natural and modified wetland habitat types including riparian vegetated stream channels, channel-hosted (instream) lagoons, melaleuca and palm swamp forests, and bunded intertidal areas that were once mangrove forests and salt couch grasslands. Most of the site is used for pastoral production with the western margin of the subcatchment dominated by sugar cane.

Loss of freshwater wetland connectivity with downstream estuarine habitats is a threat to fish habitat values**, particularly for marine breeding species such as barramundi, mangrove jack and tarpon. The main impediments to connectivity within the Tedlands Station wetland complex are physical water quality barriers such as dissolved oxygen due to extensive exotic grass growth, and road crossing culverts associated with the tidal bunds.***

Main image. Ponded pastures, Rocky Dam Creek - provided by Reef Catchments.

See the links at the end of this map journal for further information on the following literature.

*Mackay Whitsunday Region Sustainable Grazing Guide (Reef Catchments undated)

**Fisheries Guidelines for Managing Ponded Pastures (Challen and Long 2004)

***Tedlands Wetland Rehabilitation (WetlandInfo 2015)

Last updated: 18 November 2025