The Pioneer River is a river system in Queensland, Australia that flows through the city of Mackay. 120 km in length, the river rises in the Pinnacle Ranges near Epsom, 63 km south-west of Mackay. The river flows in a northerly direction into the Pioneer Valley, one of Australia's richest sugar cane areas. At Mirani, the river swings around to the east before flowing into the Pacific Ocean at Mackay.
The catchment covers an area of 1500 km². Upper parts of the catchment are too steep for agriculture and remain covered by rainforests and open woodlands. In 2002, a Queensland Government report found that the local sugar industry had allowed five pesticides to enter the river, exceeding acceptable standards.
The longest tributary of the Pioneer River is Cattle Creek with the other major tributary being Blacks Creek. The river is too shallow for navigation, drying sandbanks encountered only a few kilometres upstream of the river mouth. During king tides the Pioneer River may experience a tidal range of up to 6.4 metres.
The river has a number of water storage facilities built along its course including Teemburra Dam, Dumbleton Weir, Mirani Weir and Marian Weir. It is crossed by the Bruce Highway and the North Coast railway line in Mackay.
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