[5][6] The river rises in the Hervey Range below Pepper Pot Mountain and flows generally north through Lake Ross, across a flat coastal plain and east around Mount Stuart into Townsville city.

The Ross River flows across the Townsville suburbs of Aitkenvale, Annandale, Condon, Kelso, Mundingburra, Murray and Rasmussen.

The river is joined by three minor tributaries including Ross Creek, before reaching its mouth south east of Townsville.

[12] During World War II the large influxes of population as a result of Townsville's heavy military presence necessitated the provision of more water.

In 1940 a galvanized iron wall was erected atop Black Weir to provide additional storage capacity to supplement the town's water supply.

Built downstream of Gleeson's Farm, its namesake, the weir was completed in 1908 as part of the damming process to secure and stabilise water supply for local residents.

The original stop weir consisted of a curtain of sheet steel which was driven into the sand to the clay bed.

In the late 1990s a bridge connecting the suburbs of Mundingburra and Annandale was built, using the footings of Aplin's Weir for support.

Every year the Townsville Open Water Association holds the Liz Birch memorial King and Queen of the river swim.

This is a 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) swim that starts at Aplins weir and proceeds to the Barton bridge and back to Rossiter park pontoon.

Aquatic weed issues in the river in recent years seem to have prevented this event from occurring as regularly as in the past (at least in this location).