As part of the UN’s Decade on Nutrition, Western Murray Land Improvement Group (WMLIG) with Forestry Corporation, hosted a field trip to the Pollack Wetlands, food and fibre displays and a barbecue for 40 community members.

The visit to the Pollack Swamp Wetlands allowed the community to see first-hand the amazing transformation and rehabilitation of the area from recent watering events, whilst learning about its natural resources.

Environmental Consultants Dr John Conallin and Dan Hutton lead the group showcasing the food and provisions of the Pollack Wetlands. Contributors to the day also included bio-anthropologist and archaeologist, Colin Pardoe, and Luke Pearce, fisheries manager for the Greater Murray region with the Aquatic Ecosystems Unit.

Indigenous food sources the group encountered were varied and included water ribbon seeds, native gudgeon, turtles and yabbies.

The hour and a half field trip was followed by a barbecue at Murray Connect, giving attendees the chance to view food and fibre displays and discuss with exhibitors, Roseanne Farrant and Sonia Robertson. Murray Local Land Services also provided a display to provide some Indigenous and cultural information on the area.

The Murray Connect lunch also gave the group the opportunity to sample some of the Indigenous foods. Cooked yabbies, fried battered gudgeon, and water ribbon seeds were on the menu, along with standard barbecue fare.

Luke Pearce also showed the group how to prepare the infamous European Carp for the table, with many pleasantly surprised with the eating quality. The video of his presentation can be found on the WMLIG website www.westernmurraylig.org along with images of the day.

Another native food source on the day was ‘Murnong’. These tubers from the native yam daisy were grown from seed by Luke and brought along to sample. 

WMLIG will be hosting similar events in the near future, to allow the community to explore the natural resources our region has to offer and also see first-hand the regenerative local environment work and it’s positive, rewarding results.

WMLIG Agri-System Development Coordinator & Environmental Project Officer, Leigh Fletcher, said, “I received great feedback regarding the day from those that attended. We will be creating more events in the future to engage our community members with our local environment and the work WMLIG and its partners do.

The workshops are great social events too while being informative and sometimes hands on. Events like this really spark interest and enables WMLIG to inform and engage with people outside of the organisation.”

The continual evolution of Western Murray Land Improvement Group and its programs make it more than simply a landcare group. WMLIG helps build a stronger local community and includes, but is not limited to:

• Regenerating eco-systems and creating eco-tourism opportunities through wetland enhancement
• Protecting and enhancing local endangered species populations
• Assisting local farmers to grow agricultural productivity and implement innovation.
• Local community workshops to assist local business, community groups and the wellbeing of our community.

WMLIG is always welcoming new members. Details on how to become a member can be found at www.westernmurraylig.org along with subscribing to our newsletters and other emails.

To stay up to date on upcoming events and workshops, find Western Murray Land Improvement Group on Facebook and Twitter. Alternatively, call into Murray Connect at 27 Thule Street, Barham, or call (03) 5453 1577 for more information.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 23 December 2021.