Inland waterways

Residents know about floods. They know how to prepare. The March 1 flood blew them and their homes out of the water as the Richmond River rose way above what anyone had predicted or ever expected. It has led some residents to question how and where the water was trapped and why it took longer to recede than previous floods.

Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party have affirmed their decision to remove another 450 gigalitres of water, in addition to the 2750 gigalitres already removed via the Basin Plan, from productive use in NSW and Victoria. Most, if not all, of this water will be sourced from The Riverina and northern Victoria.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has warned that jobs across regional Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia will be lost if Anthony Albanese’s policy for water recovery is implemented under the Murray Darling Basin Plan. VFF President Emma Germano said Federal Labor’s five-point policy showed a total misunderstanding of the Basin Plan and a total disregard for jobs in regional communities.

Alison Bennett Taylor. Waterways producer/director Nari Lees says everyone has a story to tell about their connection to Denmark’s waterways – the river, the inlet and the sea. She hopes to capture as many of them on film as she can during the still days of autumn. Waterways, Love Stories of Place, will share stories of connection to place through an interactive walk featuring QR codes that link directly to the recordings.

“After the first flood in late February there was no oxygen in the river between Ballina and Coraki. That’s around 60 kilometres of river and estuary with no oxygen and therefore no fish. A lot of the dead fish were washed out to sea during this event due to the magnitude and duration of the flood”: Professor Damien Maher, Southern Cross University.

Narrandera Shire Council's plans to construct a skywalk at Lake Talbot may literally be ‘up in the air’ following Tuesday night’s public meeting at which some members of the community voiced their disapproval of the project ... “We’ll take what has happened at this meeting on board and it will give us something to think about": Mayor Kschenka.

The rain keeps falling, the rivers keep rising. There is disbelief that we are flooding again, one month on from the worst floods people in the region had ever seen. Sandra Aarts at the Woodburn Bakery has had to move the shop equipment again. The bakery had only been open for a week and a half.

“Increasing the capacity of the existing channel escapes will mean environmental water can fill wetlands and creeks that would otherwise only get wet during large over bank flows ... We put an end to buybacks because of the damage they have done to regions like this – stretching beyond the individual farmgate and impacting on the efficiency or whole irrigation networks”: Keith Pitt, Minister for Resources and Water.

“They refused to vote down dodgy National Party law changes that allowed for excessive water take in the Northern Basin. These law changes really disadvantaged Lower Darling communities and Murray River irrigators” : Helen Dalton ... “This disallowance motion is a political game from a green Independent looking for relevance that undermines years of hard work by the SFF to see floodplain harvesting regulated”: Mark Banasiak, SFF MLC and Deputy Chair of the Select Committee on Floodplain Harvesting.

Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has announced that new light will be shed on the potential for additional groundwater resources in the upper Darling River region ... Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the NSW Government, will commence an airborne electromagnetic survey across this section of north-west NSW to better understand the location of groundwater resources and their movement beneath the floodplain and its surrounds.

Moves by Water Minister Kevin Anderson to pave the way for the handing out of licences for floodplain harvesting as early as this week are likely in breach of the Commonwealth Water Act and could set up a future government to have to fork out billions of dollars in compensation, says Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and water spokesperson and chair of the recent NSW Upper House Committee into Floodplain Harvesting.

After being nearly empty in early 2020, there’s been a remarkable turnaround in Murray–Darling Basin water storages following widespread rain throughout 2021, resulting in better water availability for towns, industries and the environment, and good cropping prospects in 2022.

Responding to the oil spill at the Port of Devonport has been a mammoth task, but years of planning and preparation meant multiple agencies were able to act quickly to contain the spill. The Environment Protection Authority, TasPorts, BridgePro, Tasmanian Divers Group, Marine and Safety Tasmania, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have all have worked in unison since a commercial vessel collided with two tugboats on January 28, causing fuel and oil to spill into the Mersey River.

Geographical location is no barrier in experiencing the sounds of the Murrumbidgee wetlands, thanks to Charles Sturt University researchers ... To celebrate World Wetlands Day on Wednesday 2 February, researchers are presenting the public with the opportunity to eavesdrop on the sounds of the Murrumbidgee wetlands.

Hundreds of fish died including Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Bony Herring and Australian Smelt as well as Murray Crayfish in a disastrous black water event in Bundidgerry Creek near Narrandera late last week.

Australia’s history is populated with maritime related stories. With over 1,000 rivers and a coast that stretches for more than 36,000 kilometres, it is no surprise that Australia abounds with stories of people who have lived and worked on the water. This exhibition presents some of those stories, exploring the remarkable connections between people and their boats.

A Parliamentary Committee has detailed a number of ways to reform floodplain harvesting in NSW. NSW Farmers President James Jackson said even small steps towards evidence-based regulation of floodplain harvesting were better than the uncertainty surrounding the issue at present.

It's worth reflecting on what-just-was: wave after wave of pandemania. Snap lockdowns and travel restrictions were for some, a form of forced minimalism ... The antidote of course is to find our social focus again, re-acquaint ourselves with community activities, get out of forced hibernation and meet the real world ... ranked up there with hidden Hinterland beauty spots is the spring fed waterhole of the old Bexhill Quarry.

The Museum of the Riverina is showcasing the link between artists and regenerative farmers in a new exhibition at the Museum’s Historic Council Chambers site. Earth Canvas touring exhibition explores the creative experiences of both regenerative farmers and artists, their respective engagement with the land, and their vision for a healthier world.

Kirstin Nicholson. The Leitchville Bunyip Sporting Club Inc (LBSC) has been active over the weekend with its annual cod opening weekend and the North Central Catchment Management Authority’s ‘Catch a Carp’ day.

Moulamein was graced by fishing royalty at the weekend. Merv Hughes, former Australian cricketer and host of Merv’s Fishing, accompanied by Squizzy Taylor, was on the water filming in the region with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Department of Primary Industry and Investment to showcase the benefits of environmental water.

Victorian Minister for Water Lisa Neville has released the Barre Warre Yulluk Action Plan, identifying seven directions and 30 actions to protect the region’s waterways ... Barre Warre Yulluk – the Rivers of Barwon – includes the whole network of creeks and rivers from the Barwon (Parwan), Moorabool (Murrabul), Yarrowee (Yarowee) and Leigh (Waywatcurtan) rivers and their tributaries.