The headwaters of the mighty Star River, with a catchment area of approximately 1,994.0 km² and close to 100 kilometres in length, begin to form south of the Paluma Village at an elevation of over 900 metres above sea level.
As you follow the “H Track” near the village, you will cross a tiny seasonal stream or two (depending on the time of year). This is where the mighty Star River system begins!
The headwaters of the Star quickly gain momentum, and are visible as you hike the “Blue Gum/Mine Creek Trail” just south of the Paluma Village. Losing elevation and dropping into the Star Valley, the adventurer visits points of interest along the way close to the trail such as “Triple Falls” and “Mine Creek Falls”. You can find detailed maps and information on these trails at www.paluma.org.
The Star quickly grows into a mammoth river system, flowing in a general south/south westerly direction as it makes its way towards and flows into the Burdekin River near Mount Lollypop (461m) and the Gregory Developmental Road, north west of Charters Towers.
Some notable systems which flow into the Star River are Hellhole Creek, Little Star River, Running Creek & Boundary Creek
Research shows there was also some significant mining activity in and around the Star River in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s, although it appears that the efforts of the miners in most cases, were in vain with no notable discoveries made.
The following is taken from “Ravenswood 1868 – 1917, Mr. D.C. Roderick”
Gold had been the key to the development of Victoria and New South
Wales and the citizens of Townsville with great enterprise, and in a bid
to safe guard their investments in their new town , offered a premium of
1,000 pounds to the finder of payable gold in the Northern Region.
The first gold was discovered at the Star River – it did not prove to
be payable, but the Townsville Committee, obviously delighted with even
this find, agreed to pay the finder 500 pounds; it was obviously a
promising start. Subsequent finds were also small until the discovery at
the Cape River where a sizable community of miners established themselves
at Capeville to win the alluvial deposits and to sink shallow shafts into
the caps of the reefs which provided the alluvial gold.
The following is taken from “A Short History of Thuringowa, Peter Bell”
By November 1865, traces of gold had
certainly been found over a large area. A Brisbane
newspaper reported: “The field is supposed to be of
very large extent, namely, from the head of the
Fanning River to that of the Star River; a distance
taken north and south of fifty miles, and east and
west between the Coast Range and the Burdekin.”
(Brisbane Courier 4 November 1865)
