The 'Bremer River' is a sub-catchment of the
Brisbane River. The
river drains several
Scenic Rim valleys in south-east
Queensland, including
Fassifern Valley. The river was discovered in
1824 by
John Oxley and
Allan Cunningham.
This river and its
tributaries cover an area of approximately 2032 km². Most valleys within the
catchment have extensive
alluvial terraces.
The Bremer passes close to the town of
Rosewood and winds through the city of
Ipswich. The catchment area is bordered by the
Little Liverpool Range to the west, with the
Great Dividing Range lying to the south and south-west. Towards the east is the
Flinders Peak and the
Teviot Range. The river has a number of tributaries such as Bundamba Creek, Purga Creek, Reynolds Creek, Warrill Creek and Western Creek.
The river system is known to
flood and is considered to be heavily
polluted, suffering from poor
water quality. The Bremer does not receive enough water in its catchment to meet both human requirements and the need to flush out impurities. This results in poor water quality with and high levels of
turbidity, high nutrient levels and high levels of
bacteria, especially where
sewerage and drain runoff from the city of Ipswich is discharged into the river.
Moogerah Dam was built in the upper reaches of the river. The dam is currently providing drinking water for towns such as
Boonah and is an
irrigation source for crop farmers and those grazing
cattle.
References
★ South East Queensland Regional Strategic Group, ''Strategic Guide to Natural Resource Management in South East Queensland'', November
2000, ISBN 0-7345-1740-8