2013 Report Card for South East Queensland’s waterways released

 community, government, waterways/wetlands
Oct 232013
 

Healthy WaterwaysMedia release from Healthy Waterways

Healthy Waterways launched the 2013 Ecosystem Health Report Card today, providing insight into the health of South East Queensland’s waterways and Moreton Bay.

Healthy Waterways - Southeast QueenslandThe Report Card revealed the overall health grade for Moreton Bay declined from B- to C, mainly due to reduced water clarity and increased algae. However, there have been small improvements in freshwater and estuarine grades across the region.

The annual Report Card was released today at four launch events across the region, presenting ‘A to F’ waterway health grades based on data collected through an intensive, ongoing Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program coordinated by Healthy Waterways.

At the launch event in Brisbane, Ms Leith Boully, Chairman of Healthy Waterways, stated that our waterways provide over $5 billion per year to South East Queensland’s economy through industry, tourism, recreation and fishing.

“Investing in waterway health supports the region’s economic growth by protecting agricultural land and infrastructure, ensuring the security of drinking water and supporting our tourism industry,” Ms Boully said.

“The investment in wastewater treatment plant upgrades has been effective in lowering the nutrient loads in many estuaries. However, to further protect waterway health and improve Report Card results, we must address diffuse source pollution by reducing the amount of mud and nutrients washing off the land into our waterways.

Healthy Waterways“Healthy Waterways’ members are working together to plant native vegetation along riverbanks, improve stormwater runoff, support best practice agriculture and restore floodplains,” she said. A representative of the Healthy Waterways Scientific Expert Panel, Professor Jon Olley, presented the 2013 Report Card results to the Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, the Hon. Andrew Powell MP.

Professor Olley said the 2013 Report Card results show the mud and nutrients deposited into Moreton Bay during the 2011 and 2013 floods continues to reduce water clarity and stimulate the growth of algae.

“There was a slight overall decline in Moreton Bay (B- to C), with Central Bay (A- to C+) showing the greatest decline,” Professor Olley said.

“Last year, the health of seagrass beds and corals appeared to improve slightly. However, this year corals and seagrasses are showing signs of ongoing stress and decline due to the large amount of mud and nutrients deposited into Moreton Bay during the 2011 and 2013 floods.

“On a positive note, most of Moreton Bay showed an improvement in the sewage indicator, which led to improvements in Broadwater (C- to B-) and Pumicestone Passage (C- to C+).

“Noosa, Bremer, Tingalpa, Eprapah and Albert estuaries all improved, receiving some of the highest grades on record for these estuaries, with the Bremer River improving above an F,” he said.

Minister Andrew Powell said the Newman Government will continue to contribute $4.6 million of cash and in-kind investment to protect South East Queensland’s waterways.

“This includes $950,000 funding for Healthy Waterways to work with local governments and the development industry to reduce the amount of sediment running off construction sites and into our waterways,” Mr Powell said.

Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the Lower Brisbane (D+ to D-) and Oxley Creek (D- to D-) had maintained grades above an F for the second year in a row, but Council was continuing to work on improving sediment and erosion control.

“Brisbane City Council’s vision is to become Australia’s most clean, green and water-smart city and this financial year we are investing more than $16 million to improve the health of our waterways,” Cr Quirk said.

“This year we have undertaken a number of key waterway projects to help achieve this, such as installing creek filtration systems, tree plantings within creek catchments, litter removal and stabilisation works to decrease erosion.

“Today’s results are reflective of the circumstances we’ve endured from the 2011 floods and this year’s Australia Day storms, and our aim is to continually work on improving sediment and erosion control in our waterways to improve their overall health,” Cr Quirk said.

Healthy Waterways has released a free Report Card iPhone App providing a quick reference tool to access the Report Card grades. Search for ‘2013 Report Card’ in the App Store. For more information, visit www.healthywaterways.org.

QFAS first ever MARKET DAY!

 aquarium, Club News
Oct 232013
 

QFASThis Saturday (October 26th) at the Bar Jai Hall (178 Alexandra Road Clayfield) QFAS, the Queensland Federation of Aquarium Societies, is holding its first ever Market Day.

QFAS has been running combined clubs fish auctions for as long as most of us can remember, and while the fast pace of the auctions is tons of fun, most of us that have been to a few can remember back to at least one purchase that makes us question what we were thinking when we put up our hand to bid – and I know I usually have a pretty slow Sunday after an auction that’s run into the wee small hours of the morning.

So for the first time QFAS is slowing down the pace and not keeping us up all night. At this Saturday’s market day you’ll be able to take your time to peruse the fish and aquarium wares on offer, and meet the sellers – most of whom are breeders, hobbyists, and/or suppliers. It shaping up to be a great day out for novices and seasoned aquarists alike – and for a change it’s an event that’s family friendly, so bring the kids along.

Click here for the QFAS calendar

Bundaberg and climate change

 community, environment, waterways/wetlands
Oct 222013
 

Original story at the Gladstone Observer

BUNDABERG’s record floods will feature in a climate change documentary, 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon. Photo: Alistair Brightman

BUNDABERG’s record floods will feature in a climate change documentary, 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon. Photo: Alistair Brightman

BUNDABERG’s record floods will feature in a climate change documentary, 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon which screens online today and tomorrow.

Members of Al Gore’s climate advocacy group The Climate Reality Project, visited Bundaberg last month during the flood forums to film footage for the documentary.

Australia is one of six continents featured in the project and Bundaberg will feature in the Australian segment which looks at how human health threats are exacerbated by climate change.

To view the Australian section featuring the Bundaberg floods visit www.24hoursofreality.org at 6pm or midnight tonight or 6am and noon tomorrow.

Before 24 Hours of Reality screens, we asked The Climate Reality Project CEO Maggie L. Fox what you need to know about climate change.

Why was 24 Hours of Reality and The Climate Reality Project started and what does it hope to achieve?

For years we have known that climate change is real, it’s happening now, and we’re causing it. We also know that carbon pollution from fossil fuel emissions is the culprit. After all, the overwhelming majority of the world’s leading climate scientists agree on this fact and have consistently spoken out to policymakers about exactly what’s happening and why we need to act soon. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which reflects the consensus of 800 experts and 195 governments around the world, just released a report stating scientists are 95% certain we’re causing climate change.

But the truth is, we don’t even have to look at scientific reports to see the truth about climate change. We can just look out our windows or turn on the television to see the many ways that climate change has become a daily reality for all of us, from the Angry Summer you just experienced in Australia to the biblical rains and flooding we’ve just had in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado. And despite the fact these dirty weather events are happening more and more frequently and at greater and greater cost to our lives and livelihoods, many world leaders haven’t taken the steps necessary to confront the problem. And even when they have, as in Australia, citizens have to keep standing up to ensure political developments don’t undermine the important progress that’s been made.

Back in 2006, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore saw that despite the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, the international community lacked the resolve to implement real solutions. In response, he started The Climate Reality Project to launch and power a social revolution for climate action. We tell the story of climate change to people around the world and how it affects all of us directly now in our daily lives. Because when people understand what’s really at stake and that this isn’t just some problem for the future in far-off countries, they speak up and they start demanding real action from their leaders. The effects of climate change are as much a part of our daily reality as the price of milk, and so we use contemporary culture to connect the dots between dirty weather events and the costs we’re all already paying for carbon pollution.

Of course, it’s one thing to know man-made climate change is a reality. The question that remains, though, is what can we do to solve it? We knew that we could only address a problem that affects the entire world when the entire world comes together to work on a solution. And to solve a problem, first you have to talk about it. The idea for 24 Hours of Reality came from a desire to create a major event that would truly bring the world together and tell the many stories of what climate change means for communities from Alaska to Zimbabwe. Our goal was to share these stories with the world and use the incredible media presence and visibility of an online broadcast format to get millions talking about this problem and working together on solutions.

This year’s 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon is the third-annual event in this series and was designed to be the world’s largest conversation about the cost of carbon pollution.

This year’s theme, The Cost of Carbon, explores the reality that we are all paying the price for carbon pollution today in the form of tax dollars diverted for disaster relief, lost land and produce from droughts, and the intangible costs of lives displaced by flooding and wildfires.

By exploring these costs we hope to galvanize all of our leaders to shake off climate denial and do what Australia has done in putting a price on carbon.
What are the most concerning things you have seen around the world since working on this project?

It’s a two-part answer. In the field we’re seeing how climate change transforms lives in places like Bundaberg, which was hit by horrific flooding. There’s the immediate devastation of the event itself, but then the most concerning aspect is seeing how people are left trying to rebuild their lives and live with this new reality long after the news cameras have gone and the rest of the world moves on.

We see this over and over again with extreme weather events, and it’s a reality we’re facing now in Colorado after being hit with record rains and flooding just last month. The second deeply concerning part is that our world leaders are seeing these devastating weather events happen more and more frequently, and they’re seeing the immense economic and social costs mount, but they still aren’t willing to take the action necessary.
How will Bundaberg feature it this year’s project and what do you think is the most significant thing about the Bundaberg floods from a climate change point of view? 

This year, Sarah Backhouse will host an hour dedicated to the Australian continent, during that time we’ll share mini-documentaries on how climate change has impacted Australia – from severe wildfires in New South Wales to this summer’s record-setting heat and, of course, the deadly floods in Queensland and along the Gold Coast. As part of our video coverage, we’ll speak to local residents who experienced these dirty weather events firsthand.

Bundaberg is an essential part of this story. Although we can’t say unequivocally that climate change alone caused the floods, what happened in Bundaberg is happening over and over all around the world where an extreme weather event strikes and shatters all kinds of records. Unfortunately, these 1-in-100 and even 1-in-1000 events keep happening. What climate change does is to, in effect, load the dice for our natural systems so these kinds of events become more likely, frequent, and intense.
What is the most important thing you think the world needs to know about climate change? 

The most important thing people should know is that we can still stop climate change before the worst impacts hit. Solutions are out there and stopping climate change starts with a price on carbon pollution. The situation is far from hopeless – Australia has certainly proven that where there is political will, we can put a price on carbon pollution. The rest of our world leaders need to act to put these solutions into place now, while we can still avoid the worst.
Why do you think some sections of the community won’t accept climate change? I think some people won’t accept climate change because they don’t know how it affects them directly and so they don’t worry about it. Once you understand what climate change means for you – particularly if you’ve experienced one of its severe impacts firsthand – it becomes pretty hard to deny. Just ask the firefighters out in the American West or people who were living on Staten Island when Superstorm Sandy came through. With others, it’s a conscious choice.

After all, if 97% of doctors told these same people that their son or daughter needed to have an operation to live, they listen to the experts and get the operation.

But when 97% of climate scientists are telling them man-made climate change is a reality, they ignore the experts and seize on some myth to explain their beliefs. That’s a choice. And the fossil fuel industry and climate deniers perpetuate this process by publicly repeating things they know aren’t true and have been disproven countless times to confuse people and protect their bottom line.

What is the most important piece of information you hope to convey with 24 Hours of Reality and The Climate Reality Project?

 Carbon pollution is costing us right now – in tax dollars for disaster relief, in rising food prices, in lost livelihoods and ways of life. We need our leaders to step up, confront denial head on, and put a price on carbon pollution. We can still solve climate change before we cross the point of no return. And we have to – what’s at stake here is everything.

Tiny sea creatures heading for extinction could take fisheries with them

 environment, fisheries, threatened species, waterways/wetlands
Oct 212013
 

News release from Deakin University

Calanoid copepods are a plankton species that are a vital food source for fish larvae and therefore important for all commercial fisheries. Photo: Paul Jones, Deakin University.

Calanoid copepods are a plankton species that are a vital food source for fish larvae and therefore important for all commercial fisheries. Photo: Paul Jones, Deakin University.

A species of one of the world’s tiniest creatures, ocean plankton, is heading for extinction as it struggles to adapt to changes in sea temperature. And it may take local fisheries with it.

Research led by Deakin University (Warrnambool, Australia) and Swansea University (UK) has found that a species of cold water plankton in the North Atlantic, that is a vital food source for fish such as cod and hake, is in decline as the oceans warm. This will put pressure on the fisheries that rely on abundant supplies of these fish.

“There is overwhelming evidence that the oceans are warming and it will be the response of animals and plants to this warming that will shape how the oceans look in future years and the nature of global fisheries,” explained Deakin’s professor of marine science, Graeme Hays.

“We know that warm water species are expanding their ranges as warming occurs, and vice versa. What is not known is whether species are able to adapt to new temperatures. Will, for example, cold water species gradually adapt so they can withstand warming seas and not continually contract their ranges. From the results of our study, it is looking like the answer is no.”

Answering the question of adaptation is not easy as it requires long-term observations spanning multiple generations. For this study, the research team examined a 50-year time series from the North Atlantic on the distribution and abundance of two very common but contrasting species of ocean plankton, Calanus helgolandicus that lives in warmer water and Calanus finmarchicus that lives in cold water. These crustaceans are vital food for fish and underpin many commercial fisheries in the North Atlantic region.

The researchers were surprised to find that the cold waterC. finmarchicus has continued to contract its range over 50 years of warming.

“In other words, even over 50 generations (each plankton lives for one year or less) there is no evidence of adaptation to the warmer water,” Professor Hays said.

“The consequences of this study are profound. It suggests that cold water plankton will continue to become scarcer as their ranges contract to the poles, and ultimately disappear. So certainly for these animals, thermal adaptation appears unlikely to limit the impact of climate change.

“C. finmarchicus is a key food source for fish such as cod and hake. So continued declines in abundance will have a negative impact on the long-term viability of cold water fisheries in the North Sea and other areas in the southern part of their range. At the same time the continued increase in abundance of the warm water plankton, C. helgolandicus, will likely play a role in the emergence of new fisheries for warm water species.”

Professor Hays said that the impact of ocean warming was not confined to the North Atlantic region.

“Ocean warming is occurring globally and so these findings are likely to apply to other areas around the world including southern hemisphere locations such as Australia, South Africa and South America that support important fisheries dependant on plankton,” Professor Hays said.

“Plankton recorders deployed in the southern hemisphere, for example as part of the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder Project (a joint project of CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and the Australian Antarctic Division), will continue to document these changes.”

The results of the study will be published in the journal Global Change Biology.

Study Puts Freshwater Biodiversity on the Map for Planners and Policymakers

 government, waterways/wetlands
Oct 212013
 

News release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

When it comes to economic growth and environmental impacts, it can seem like Newton’s third law of motion is the rule — for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction — and that in most cases, the economy prospers and the environment suffers.

A team of UW-Madison researchers is hoping to help change that narrative and add a little ecology to economic decision making by forecasting how future policies regarding urban development and agricultural cultivation may impact aquatic ecosystems, which harbor astounding amounts of biodiversity and provide humans with vital goods and services.

“The idea is to see what future land use changes may look like under different policies, and think about where potential threats to freshwater would be most severe,” says Sebastián Martinuzzi, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We are not trying to predict the ‘true’ future, but rather to visualize potential economic trends and their environmental consequences.”

Martinuzzi, who works in Professor Volker Radeloff’s lab in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, is lead author of a report entitled “Land Use Change and Freshwater Conservation,” published Oct. 15 in the journal “Global Change Biology.” In the study, a team of UW ecologists and collaborating economists mapped out various economic development scenarios and connected them to impacts on freshwater species diversity across the United States.

Every acre of crops put into production and each paved cul-de-sac in a new subdivision can change how water moves across the land, its temperature, and the levels of sediment and pollutants flowing into downstream freshwater ecosystems.

Using computer modeling and GIS mapping, Martinuzzi and the team developed four different scenarios to help illustrate future human endeavors. In their models, the researchers found that the news isn’t all bad. Crop cover is actually projected to go down under certain policy scenarios in the Midwest, which could signal an opportunity to purchase fallow fields for conservation purposes. However, in places like California and the southeastern U.S., urbanization is likely going to be a big stressor that could portend a tough future for fishes and amphibians.

The study was also able to put a number on the give-and-take of economic and ecological considerations. For example, under a “business as usual” scenario where policies remain as they are today, 34 percent of watersheds are expected to be impacted by urban development while, in an “urban containment” scenario, only 13 percent of watersheds would be affected as the spread of urban areas is minimized.

“At a minimum, we hope this can help policy makers or planners think about ways we could minimize the impact from future land development,” says Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley, from UW-Madison’s Center for Limnology and a contributing author of the paper. “If a certain amount [of urban development or crop cover] is going to push 10 or 20 percent of freshwater ecosystems beyond a healthy threshold, then we, as a society, have to start asking ourselves if that is something that we’re all willing to live with.”

Stradbroke Island sand mine extension is reckless

 community, government, waterways/wetlands
Oct 202013
 
Sand mine on Stradbroke Island. Photo: Robert Rough/Brisbane Times

Sand mine on Stradbroke Island. Photo: Robert Rough/Brisbane Times

Media release from ACF

The Queensland Government is being reckless by announcing it will allow the extension of sand mining on Stradbroke Island when current mining does not even have proper environmental approval, the Australian Conservation Foundation said today.

The massive Enterprise sand mine, which is destroying sensitive sand dunes within metres of an internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland,  does not have federal approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

“The last thing the Newman government should be doing is extending the Enterprise sand mine while the federal environment department is currently investigating the lack of approval or any formal exemption for the current mine under the EPBC Act,” said ACF healthy ecosystems campaigner Jess Abrahams.

“Today’s irresponsible move to extend mining on Stradbroke Island for a further two decades amply illustrates why environmental approval powers should not be handed to the states; they can’t be trusted to make decisions that look after the national interest.

“The state Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Andrew Cripps, says an extension of mining will not occur within environmentally sensitive areas, yet much of the island, which is the world’s second largest sand island and is home to a number of threatened and endangered species, is environmentally sensitive and significant.

“Minister Cripps also claims mining will not impact the Quandamooka people’s Indigenous Land Use Agreement, but any extension of mining leases requires a further suppression of the Quandamooka people’s native title rights and interests. The Quandamooka people must be properly consulted and given the opportunity to give or withhold their consent before this occurs.

“Federal and state governments should not extend or expand the Enterprise sand mine’s operations – and federal approval powers should not be handed over to this reckless government,” Mr Abrahams said.

Secret giant worm behind mystery of vanishing aquarium fish

 aquarium
Oct 202013
 

Original story at The Telegraph

Aquarium shop workers investigating the disappearance of dozens of fish found the culprit – a terrifying three-and-a-half-foot sea worm hidden in a tank for ten years.
The sea worm is thought to have arrived as a stowaway around ten years ago in a rock, and buried itself in the floor of the tank. Photo: BPM MEDIA

The sea worm is thought to have arrived as a stowaway around ten years ago in a rock, and buried itself in the floor of the tank. Photo: BPM MEDIA

The creepy Bobbit Worm – usually found at in the ocean at depths up to 150ft – was discovered preying on fish in the 200 gallon tank.

Staff at Maidenhead Aquatics in Woking, Surrey, had noticed many of its fish going missing.

But they only found the culprit when they emptied a massive leaky tank – and found the Bobbit Worm.

The sea worm is thought to have arrived as a stowaway around ten years ago in a rock, and buried itself in the floor of the tank.

Store manager John Penny said: “The worm was found when we were breaking down our big display, because it was leaking.

“The worm was three-and-a-half feet long, we really struggled to get the rock out of there, because it was so heavy. It was so creepy.

“It split into three sections. The tail end died within a few days. The other two sections are still alive.

“They are from tropical waters and do have very large pincers that can nip, especially if you touch them.”

The worm, which is a couple of inches thick, was discovered on October 7, when the 12-year-old tank was emptied to carry out essential maintenance.

“We have been trying to do some research on them,” Mr Penny said. “It has been reported that they can get up to four metres in length. They are from tropical waters.

“They do have very large pincers that can nip, especially if you touch them. They also release a slime that can irritate the skin.

“I have had one in my home aquarium. This is the first time we have had one of three-and-a-half-feet in the shop.

“They are not common, to be honest. They come through now and again. Only in an established tank would you find one getting up to this size.”

The Bobbit worm, which is in two pieces, is currently in a tank on the counter at Maidenhead Aquatics Woking, where staff are keeping a close eye on it.

The Bobbit Worm. Photo: BPM MEDIA

The Bobbit Worm. Photo: BPM MEDIA

Mr Penny, from Maybury Hill, said the ends of the section that broke off have healed over and they are waiting to see if a new head grows.

“We are just waiting to see what happens,” he added.

“A lot of people are like, ‘Eww…! Where did that come from?’ Marine customers are more likely to say, ‘Wow that’s amazing’.”

Weather threatening Christmas Island red crabs

 environment, wildlife
Oct 202013
 

 

RISING temperatures are threatening Christmas Island’s iconic red crabs, according to a new study.
The Christmas Island red crabs make a lengthy annual journey across the island to the Indian Ocean to mate and lay their eggs.

The Christmas Island red crabs make a lengthy annual journey across the island to the Indian Ocean to mate and lay their eggs.

The red crabs make a lengthy annual journey across the island to the Indian Ocean to mate and lay their eggs.

The study  published in the latest Global Change Biology journal – found that a lack, or delay, of rain can throw the crabs’ migration habits into chaos.

Lead author Allison Shaw, from the Australian National University, said most crabs could only migrate if there was at least 22mm of rain. Their reproduction relied on a successful migration.

“We found that the crab migration is closely linked to the amount of rain falling and that rainfall is in turn linked to El Nino Southern Oscillation,” Dr Shaw said.

Lead researcher Allison Shaw in among the crabs.

Lead researcher Allison Shaw in among the crabs.

The El Nino warm-water climate pattern creates dry conditions in the Indian Ocean, resulting in low rainfall on Christmas Island.

Dr Shaw said global climate change models suggested El Nino would become more common as the planet got hotter.

“Our study shows that more really dry years will mean more years in which the red crabs cannot migrate, which will be pretty detrimental for them,” Dr Shaw said.

“If fluctuations in rainfall become more extreme and frequent with climate change then scores of animals could be in trouble  not just the migrators themselves, but also the creatures reliant on them for food. The red crabs play a key role in the both terrestrial and marine areas of Christmas Island.”

Red crabs on Christmas Island.

Red crabs on Christmas Island.

The study, funded by National Geographic, is part of Dr Shaw’s work as a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University in the US.

Banrock Station wetlands wildlife thriving again after drought

 waterways/wetlands, wildlife
Oct 202013
 

Original story at news.com.au

THE frogs are freaking, the birds are going ballistic, gorged goannas are resting, thirsty river red gums are giving thanks and the yabbies are, well, yabbying.
Chrisophe Tourenq, the wetlands manager at the Banrock Station wetlands. Photo: Simon Cross/News Limited

Chrisophe Tourenq, the wetlands manager at the Banrock Station wetlands. Photo: Simon Cross/News Limited

Days after a sluice gate opened to allow a life-giving flow of Murray River water into a parched wetland in South Australia’s Riverland, the sound of breeding and feeding is deafening. Banjo frogs, Pearson’s tree frogs and spotted grass frogs battle with distinctive croaks in suddenly lush lagoons. Red gums, black box, lignum and more are drinking deeply and creatures with feather, fur and scales are romancing.

The ancient cycle of life is being played out with human help at the 1000ha of internationally Ramsar-listed floodplains and wetlands at Banrock Station at Kingston-on-Murray.

Locks that now regulate the Murray into a tamed series of pools also cut off the natural cycle of wetting and drying, which wetland flora and fauna have adapted to over millennia of flood and drought.

Banrock’s wetlands were flooded for 68 years, drowning plants that liked water but also relied on the occasional dry spell. Germination and mating signals were rudely put on hold.

In 1993 the wetlands were dried and 60 tonnes of carp were stranded. Now a winery with 250ha of vines on the overall 1800ha property and an environmental focus giving the brand international green clout, Banrock was last fully dried then artificially flooded from the Murray in 2008.

Banrock Station wetlands the day after the Murray River floodgates were opened. Photo: Simon Cross/News Limited

Banrock Station wetlands the day after the Murray River floodgates were opened. Photo: Simon Cross/News Limited

A natural flood in 2011 bathed the wetland but this year it was parched, which saw
5 tonnes of carp gorged on by tree goannas, and dormant native flora and fauna bracing for action. That started on September 4 when a sluice gate was opened to allow flow from the Murray to gradually flood the land, under an environmental licence.

The slow flow of the Murray and the vast area of flatlands means it was a creeping flow that took almost a month to cover the floodplain. As it does, the spreading noise of breeding and feeding signals the plants and animals are alert to the ancient cycle of life. There is now a frenzy of breeding under way.

Visitors to the Wine and Wetlands Centre sited high on the ridge line overlooking the wetlands and river have grand views of the natural phenomenon, and can easily hear the symphony of life under way.

The centre does a brisk trade in wine tasting and merchandise as well as having plenty of information about the local environment, drawing about 85,000 visitors a year. Its deck area is fabulous to take in the views and enjoy coffee and cake or or a long lunchsavour plenty of local produce matched to Banrock wines.

However, the views soon prompt itchy feet.

There are kilometres of boardwalks winding through and over the region’s wetlands, offering four walks ranging from a quick stickybeak to several hours of strolls.

Bird hides hidden in the trees give great views of many of the 161 local species. And you can’t miss the noise of the frogs from the once- dormant frogs which creatures now can be heard from the distant visitor centre.

In billabongs, native fish and invertebrates are revelling in the floods, as are the many plants and trees which like both the dry and a drink.

Banrock Station wetlands after the Murray River floodgates were opened. Photo: Simon Cross/News Limited

Banrock Station wetlands after the Murray River floodgates were opened. Photo: Simon Cross/News Limited

The sluice gate has a carp trap stopping larger fish from entering from the Murray, giving the natives a break. When the next dry comes, the natives will naturally head back to the river via a second exit while any baby carp that slipped through the trap and grew will congregate in ever shrinking ponds and die.

Wetlands manager Christophe Tourenq says the flood is timed to coincide with the natural cycle when snow melting from the Australian Alps would swell the Murray’s floodplains in wet years.

“We are mimicking the cycle of drying and wetting that this land relies on,” he says. “The wetlands have to dry, then be flooded again. We are seeing all sorts of species in a healthy ecosystem.” From plants such as pigface to slender knotweed, from banjo frogs to pelicans, wetland residents are drinking in a good time.

Banrock Station does not have visitor accommodation, but the lure of the Murray made the choice for an overnight stay easy. We headed upriver to Berri where Houseboat Adventures have five luxurious craft berthed at the marina.

Flagship Sensational Spirit has five bedrooms, each with an ensuite, and facilities from a large spa and bar on the shaded sundeck through to full kitchen for your home on the water. And you only need a car licence to drive it.

After a day seeing the Murray give life to wetlands, it was easy to cruise into the sunset with a cold drink, just rolling on the river.

The writer was a guest of Banrock Station.

GO2 BANROCK STATION
Getting there

Banrock Station is just over two hours’ drive northeast of Adelaide at Kingston-on-Murray in the Riverland.

Doing there

Banrock Station is open 9am-4pm weekdays, 9am-5pm weekends. Closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Cafe opens from 9am, grazing plates available from 10am, lunch from noon to 3pm. Free entry. Guided walks available on public holidays.

More info

banrockstation.com.au

houseboatadventure.com.au

 Older Entries  Newer Entries