Bynoe River Explained

The Bynoe River, also called the Little Bynoe River, is an arm of the Flinders River delta in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is of significant historical interest as the point where the Burke and Wills expedition, an expedition seeking to cross Australia from south to north and return, reached salt water in 1861. The mouth of the river was the explorers’ Burke and Wills Camp B/CXIX, with ‘CXIX’ being the Roman numerals for 119.[1]

The river was named for Benjamin Bynoe, a surgeon and naturalist on HMS Beagle.[2] The river’s mouth is adjacent to Normanton, Queensland. The river and mouth should not be confused with Bynoe Harbour in the Northern Territory.

References

-17.5°N 184°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Burke's trees at Burke's camp 119 . . 1935 . nla.gov.au . . 23 December 2017 . Burke's trees at Burke's camp 119 at the junction of Billy Creek and the Bynoe River where in 1861 his expedition discovered the salt waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland..
  2. Web site: Bynoe, Benjamin - botanical collector . www.anbg.gov.au . citing Alex George, 2009.