Laura River
Originally named the Hearn (his wife's maiden name) by William Hann in October 1872, and renamed after his wife by surveyor Archibald Macmillan, the Laura River rises on the Great Dividing Range's eastern slopes and flows northwest past Lakeland before turning north and passing through Laura and forming the Rinyirru National Park's western border before emptying into the Normanby River south of Hope Vale. The river's sixteen tributaries include the Deighton, Little Laura and Mosman rivers.
The unused railway bridge across the river was the effective terminus of the uncompleted railway line from Cooktown to Maytown.
Railway bridge at Laura, ca. 1892 (John Oxley Library: https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE389713, State Library of Queensland; out of copyright)
Sources:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_River_(Queensland)
