| Alice River | |
| Map: | Lake eyre basin map.png |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Australia |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Queensland |
| Length: | 303km (188miles) |
| Source1: | Great Dividing Range |
| Source1 Location: | east of Aramac, Central Queensland |
| Mouth: | confluence with the Barcoo River |
| Mouth Location: | north-east of Isisford |
| Mouth Elevation: | 225m (738feet) |
| River System: | Barcoo River, Lake Eyre basin |
The Alice River in central Queensland, Australia rises on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. The river bisects the Shire of Barcaldine, flowing in a south-westerly direction towards Isisford and its confluence with the Barcoo River. The town of Barcaldine is located on the Alice River. The Alice River's tributaries include Jordan Creek and Lagoon Creek. The Alice River is often dry, except after the annual summer rains.
The Barcoo River forms the boundary of outback Australia with little in the way of civilization west of the Barcoo. Waters from the Barcoo and Alice Rivers flow towards Lake Eyre in Central Australia, while rivers further east join the Murray-Darling basin and reach the sea in South Australia.
The traditional owners of the area are the Iningai people. Iningai (also known as Yiningay, Muttaburra, Tateburra, Yinangay, Yinangi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Iningai people. The Iningai language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Longreach Region and Barcaldine Region, particularly the towns of Longreach, Barcaldine, Muttaburra and Aramac as well as the properties of Bowen Downs and catchments of Cornish Creek and Alice River.[1]
In 1846, Thomas Mitchell became the first European to see the Barcoo and Alice Rivers. The Alice River was named by Mitchell and Mitchell's name was adopted for the pastoral district and for its grass, Mitchell grass.[2] In October 1863, Donald Cameron, his son John, together with James and William Crombie walked sheep from the New England district of New South Wales and grazed them along a 40-mile frontage of the Alice River. They named their property Barcaldine after a family farm in Scotland.[3]
In 1891 the Alice River had a record flood that stopped traffic for a week. On 20 March 1910 the Alice River flooded all the low-lying country and the railway line was blocked.[4]