Formed by the confluence of the Broken River and the Little Bowen River near Tent Hill in the Normanby Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, the Bowen River flows in a north-westerly direction along the base of the range then flows west across Emu Plains and is crossed by the Bowen Developmental Road just north of Havilah.

[3] The catchment is in poor condition with much of the riparian habitat having been cleared and prone to erosion.

[4] The Bowen River Weir supplies water to a coal mine, power station and the township of Collinsville.

[6] Daintree made the first systematic examination of the Bowen River coal seams near Collinsville.

The A$6.5 million project is situated approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Collinsville and delivers water to the Newlands Coal Mine.