Mitchell River

Mitchell River

River, northern Queensland, Australia. Rising in the Eastern Highlands, it flows for 350 mi (560 km) northwest across Cape York Peninsula to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Fed by several rivers, it varies seasonally and may be dry for three months each year. It was explored in 1845 by Ludwig Leichhardt and was named for Thomas Mitchell, surveyor general for New South Wales. Crocodiles abound along its banks.