Cooper's Creek Flowing Entire Length of Catchment

Desert Channels Queensland has released this great footage to celebrate a landmark event. Cooper's Creek currently has water flowing along the entire length of the catchment. This last time water flowed from the headwaters in North Queensland, through to Lake Eyre was in either 1956 or 1974.

Check out this marvellous story, courtesy of mother nature here.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DesertChannels?feature=mhum

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2011! May the promise and legacy of this amazing season continue to serve us well in the coming twelve months.

Wild Rivers and Indigenous Activities

For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal people have had a strong connection and kinship with Cooper's Creek and its surrounding areas. Indeed, it is their great care and custodianship that has seen this magical piece of arid countryside preserved in its current state. We thank our indigenous people, past and present for this care!

Does a Wild River declaration prevent traditional owners from being on country? Not at all - ochre can still be ground and wood or vegetable matter can still be collected for the making of traditional objects. There are no regulations or restrictions on camping, fishing, conducting traditional ceremonies, hunting or undertaking fire management practices under the proposed Wild Rivers legislation.

Where is the Proposed Wild Rivers Area for Cooper's Creek?

The proposed Wild Rivers area for Cooper's Creek will cover approximately 244 000 square kilometres of the basin in Central and Western Queensland. Cooper's Creek is the largest river in the Lake Eyre Basin, and it is appropriate that it is the first to be considered for Wild Rivers listing.

The proposed area contains the names of many legendary and iconic rivers, including the Barcoo and Thompson Rivers. These two rivers converge together north of Windorah to form Cooper's Creek. The Wilson River and Kyabra Creek also flow into Cooper's Creek in the Southern part of the Queensland catchment.

In late 2010, Cooper's Creek has an extraordinary flow of water running through it - in all parts of the catchment. The animal and plant life is at its best at the moment, and all parts of the catchment hold many surprises.

Please do consider planning to come and visit this magical part of Western Queensland in the autumn or winter of 2011. You will be constantly amazed at beauty of this semi-arid and arid part of Australia.

Have Your Say on Wild Rivers

Members of the public are invited to let the Minister know what they think about Wild Rivers. What is great about it? What could be improved? What is not so great?

The Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy is keen to hear views about the proposal to declare the Cooper Catchment a Wild River area. There are a few ways this can happen.

* Formal submission - Written submissions will be accepted up until 5 pm on 29th April 2010.

* Face to face consultation - these will be organised by DERM, and dates will be circulated by this department in the future. Alternatively, members of the public are invited to request a meeting with DERM officers.

What will happen with the information that is gathered as a result of the consultation process?

The Minister is obliged to consider all properly made submissions and information that is gathered in the consultation process. A decision will then be made to continue / not to continue with the declaration. This will be made available in a publically available consultation report. The report will outline the feedback provided during the consultation, and how these issues will be dealt with.

Make sure you have your say on Wild Rivers in the Cooper Catchment!

Moratorium

Now that a Wild River proposal has been made over the catchment area of Cooper's Creek, a moratorium has been declared over any new developments happening in this area.

The moratorium retains the status quo i.e. the natural values of the area will remain as they are until a decision is made to declare/not declare the Cooper as a Wild River area. It is at this point, that the moratorium will cease to be.

The acts impacted by this moratorium include the Water Act, the Mineral Resources Act and the Vegetation Management Act. In particular, (but not limited to) the moratorium impacts on the taking of overland water flow works; the clearing of certain vegetation and the granting and renewal of mining tenements. However there are exemptions to the moratoriums, so it is worth checking with the local DERM office if landholders/developers are planning any works - especially vegetation clearing applications.

Cooper's Creek Proposed as a Wild River Area

The Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, The Hon Stephen Robertson has today proposed to declare Cooper's Creek as a Wild River area. Interested persons are able to have their say on the proposed declaration and have until 5 pm on the 29th April 2010 to do so.

This 68 page document titled "Cooper Creek Basin Proposed Wild River Area Overview Report" is available from the Department of Environment and Resource Management. This booklet contains information in relation to the Wild River areas which are proposed to be declared.

Fence Building and Wild Rivers

Can a landholder build a fence in a Wild River declared area?

Absolutely. All landholders can build and maintain fences in any part of a wild river declared area, including the high preservation area.

However, under existing legislation, a landholder may need a permit to clear vegetation for a fence line.

Special Floodplain Management Area

The people of Western Queensland have had a chance to shape and mould the proposed Wild Rivers Legislation to recognise floodplains as a unique management area. As a result of a community advocacy process driven by key stakeholder groups, the state government has listened to suggestions that large areas of floodplains designated as High Preservation Areas would not be desirable. However, high impact future developments such as mining or large scale irrigation could have adverse consequences on impeding the flow of water in vast floodplain areas. So what is the proposed solution?

A new type of Wild River management area has been proposed, known as Special Floodplain Management Areas. A less restrictive regulatory framework will apply to these designated areas in the Queensland portion of the Lake Eyre Basin. These areas will cover an extensive area, however will have less restrictions than a high preservation area.

Floodplain Vista

Floodplains of Western Queensland

The spectacular channels and floodplains of the Lake Eyre Basin portion of Western Queensland are an important part of the river catchments. These floodplains allow Western Queensland graziers to opportunistically use the water that flows over the country side, to grow and fatten their livestock.

Indeed, floodplain meat production is one of the few food producing industries which coexists with a river and does not take or divert water out of the system. The water which is used, is that which occurs naturally as it spreads across the land. These floodplains are also home to may plant and animal communities which thrive in the 'boom and bust' cycle which follows large rain events.

Preservation of these floodplains and their episodic overland flow is important. At the moment, the floodplains are awash with recent water and fresh herbage and pastures. A truly pleasant sight!

A Wild River High Preservation Area

A high preservation area (HPA) is an area immediately adjacent to a Wild River. This can also include tributaries and any identified off stream features such as a wetland. The HPA can be up to one kilometre either side of the river or identified feature, and is elastic. In some places in may be 200, 300 or 600 metres - or any number up to one kilometre.

Any future development work which interferes with water flow in a HPA will be prohibited under Wild Rivers legislation, once a river is declared by the Government . Activities like instream dams and weirs, surface mining and exploration, aquaculture, intensive animal husbandry activities and intensive agriculture will be prohibited. Intensive agriculture is defined as anything that has significant soil disturbance, large scale irrigation or any activity with large fertiliser or pesticide inputs.

Any existing activities or developments which are already in place may continue to operate. Also, day to day operations of grazing, tourism, recreation etc may continue in a HPA after a Wild Rivers declaration is made.

What does Wild Rivers Legislation Do?

Wild Rivers legislation essentially governs the planning of any new developments in a Wild Rivers area. However, a Wild Rivers declaration does not lock out all development.

What it does do is provide a higher level of protection for nominated rivers by placing limits on new developments within the Wild River management areas. It will set rules which all new developments must comply with. It is important to note that any existing developments are not affected by Wild Rivers, and it does not interfere with day to day operations of business. Most importantly, it recognises any existing rights or developments that are in place prior to a declaration.

It is Cheaper to Protect than Rehabilitate

We are all aware of the challenges faced by the Murray Darling Basin landholders and communities. Our civic leaders are attempting to come up with a workable solution to rehabilitate this once amazingly productive system.

Wild Rivers legislation works on the premise that it is better to protect our catchments, than it is to rehabilitate at some point in the future. The Wild Rivers legislation wishes to preserve Queensland's rivers that have all, or nearly all of their natural values intact, for current and future generations. It is important that we, as Queenslanders protect against the further loss of values by considering ALL of the activities that might impact on the health of a river and its catchment.

Is not this protection by legislation a noble and worthwhile thing?

What is so Great About the Western Queensland Rivers

Why would the people of Queensland wish to have permanent river protection in the form of legislation over the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper's Creek? Have you ever had the privilege of eating a lean, tasty organic steak from the Channel Country? If so, your taste buds may already know part of the answer.

The livestock graze naturally in this area and they feed off the pastures and herbage which grows as a result of rainfall and floodouts across the Channel system. As a result, there is an abundance of high quality, organic meat produced in a sustainable and green manner.

This semi arid and arid area is home to a myriad of animal and plant species, many of which have adpated superbly to the 'boom and bust' cycle. The floods leave an amazing legacy - including the spread of seeds and deposition of seed banks for the next rain event.

Western Queensland is an area which has a rich history and is important to traditional owners. Indigenous Australians have lived on these rivers for 35 000 years or more, and have been caring custodians of the land. In the last 150 years, non indigenous people have established communities and businesses in the area, and continue to show great stewardship towards the waterways and surrounding country side.

Finally, the area has immense recreational, aesthetic, cultural and environmental value to all, which make this area very special. Yes, it sure is a great part of Queensland.

Wild Rivers Legislation Passed Last Night

The Queensland Government passed the necessary Wild Rivers Legislation last night, which will path the way for the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper's Creek to be declared Wild Rivers. The proposal to declare will happen sometime early 2011.

Feedback to the government from many groups, including the Australian Floodplain Association has seen special consideration given to theses unique catchments. Special floodplain management areas have been created. This area has a strong hydrological connection to the river system, and is an important part of the Channel Country.

Are there Threats to Western Rivers?

You may be thinking - why protect the Lake Eyre Basin (Queensland portion) catchments with Wild Rivers legislation? What would be a possible threat to the rivers in Western Queensland?

Any form of water diversion or large scale water take has serious consequences for any river system. This might be in the form of large scale irrigation, or mining projects. However, in Western Queensland, the rivers run on an ad hoc, episodic basis. Direct water extraction or floodplain water harvesting could also harm flows, as the extent and duration of flows is lessened. This would also reduce the interval between flows and the overall pattern of water hole connectivity.

Flows are irregular, and usually in response to major monsoonal influences. These rivers have some of the most variable flow rates of any rivers in the world. Yet amazingly, plant and animal species have adapted superbly to this irratic and unpredictable environment . Therefore, any take of water would threaten this already fragile, yet strangely resilient system.

Lesser threats include land clearing in the immediate vicinity of river areas. The introduction of non local fish species and noxious weeds and pests is also a concern.

However the biggest threat to the river systems is large scale water extraction in the form of mining and irrigation. We need to ensure water take of this nature does not occur.

There has been some downtime with the blog, due to technical hitches. However all is resolved, and we are back in action. I thank you for visiting our blog.

There has been a swirl of activity in recent weeks relating to the Queensland Governments Wild Rivers legislation. Minister Robertson is also planning to declare Cooper's Creek as a Wild River in the coming months. This iconic catchment will be the first in the Lake Eyre Basin to be protected under this legislation. So what does this all mean?

In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about the benefits that a Wild Rivers Declaration will bring to Western Queensland, and how the communities of this area have been working together to ensure that the government considers the unique nature of the rivers in Western Queensland.

The Lake Eyre Basin covers 1/7th of Australia, and is the largest internally draining basin in the world. What is an internally draining basin? Most rivers throughout the world run towards the coast, and eventually the water moves out to sea. Not so with the Lake Eyre Basin. The water all runs down into Lake Eyre, and pools there - and eventually evaporates. Whilst this water drains southward into Lake Eyre, it also leaves a magical legacy of floodplains, braids and channels that criss cross the country and provides habitat and food for many species of plants and animals.

Spring has Sprung!

Just how beautiful are the wild flowers in western Queensland this month? With a background setting of the fresh water that lies on the landscape, the countryside is simply spectacular.

Check out and admire this! And consider venturing out to our Western areas and admire it for yourself in person!

Sunny Days have Returned!

Welcome to Western Queensland, beautiful glorious sunshine.

Wet, Cold & Delightful !

Wet and cold again across the Channel Country. There are many bus tours, families and grey nomads having to revise travel plans due to road closures. The ground is delightfully soggy and green. The wildflowers are blooming - even the trees are sprouting flowers.

What a privilege it is to live through such a magnificent season.

No Racing, No Passable Roads

For the first time in the history of the Birdsville Races, the event has been cancelled by rain. Not only is the track too wet to race on, however the roads are also impassable. This means there are almost 5000 people stranded there......although those with commitments elsewhere are busily organising charter planes to get home. Yep - this is the road to Bedourie in normal dry times. And this is the road many are waiting for to dry out - along with the other roads that lead from Birdsville.

And They Racing...................!

The town of Birdsville is currently welcoming many visitors who are arriving for the annual Birdsville Race meeting. These visitors come from all over Australia, as well as from overseas, and include a large field of horses. The many horse yards build down on the Diamantina River will not only be filled with horses, however also will be surrounded by the trainers, owners, strappers and jockeys who camp in this picturesque spot.

Something Fishy?

As the waters gradually recede in our Western Queensland catchments, there are many changes in the abundance of acquatic and bird species, their behaviour, breeding success and health. All these things are influenced by changes in water flow - or lack of.

It is simply part of the natural cycle of our ecosystems. When water levels are low, and flow is non existent, oxygen levels can become depleted. It need not always be something sinister, fishy and influenced by man.

Opportunism Outback!

For many years, it was thought that the numerous fish species in the Lake Eyre Basin rivers would breed in summer. However, recent research (undertaken by Wendy Pyper) has shown that a number of species breed right through winter as the floods come through. If the fish have a chance, they will breed and produce good offspring rather than wait for another ten years for a summer flood.

This abundance of fish provides for the many species of birds that gather in good seasons in Western Queensland. Truly, this is a prime example of opportunism on behalf of mother nature............and every fisherman who throws a rod in this winter.

Crisp, Clear and Cold

Imagine a 360 degree space with an abundance of fresh, crisp, clear, cold air. Ah - the beauty of mother nature in Winter in Western Queensland.

Eyre Creek Birdlife

Check out the busy life of birds at this permanent waterhole in Eyre Creek.

Even the Galahs Look Great!

The birds in Western Queensland are looking fabulous - sleek, healthy and almost plump. In periods of prolonged dryness, one forgets that the bird life suffers. The everyday birdlife that abounds just looks so much healthier at the moment.

Why not check it out?

Winter Storms - What a Surprise!

There are unusually unstable weather patterns over Western Queensland at the moment, as we are experiencing thunderstorms and even hail............in the middle of winter. There has even been reasonable although patchy rainfall. This is great for soil moisture levels, however the anticipated cold snap and frosts that will follow in the next few weeks will be sure to zap some of the nutritional value from the pastures.

The thunder rumbles - a most amazing winter surprise!

Delight In The Beauty

Have you had the chance to delight in the beauty that surrounds you today? Mother Nature creates the most amazing textures and patterns.

Cold Drinks at Birdsville Pub

One of the most rewarding things you can do in Western Queensland is to walk into the Birdsville Pub just on sundown for a cold, refreshing drink. For some reason, the ritual of sipping a drink and washing the dust away is a special moment. Even better is ordering a meal made with organic beef that has been produced in the Channel Country.

The entire Western Queensland area is enjoying record visitor numbers at the moment -and those who do venture westward are being handsomely rewarded with the sights, from the magnificent herbage, the abundant birdlife to waterholes and rivers brimming with water. Have you experienced a stroll down by the Diamantina in the early morning, or run up a sandhill to see the numerous animal tracks - or simply stood alone on the floodplain and enjoyed the 360 degree vista as the sun sets?

Why don't you plan to swing on out to this magical part of the world?

The Cooling Hour - On a Crisp Winters Evening

"It was the cooling hour, just when the rounded Red sun sinks down behind the azure hill, Which then seems as if the whole earth is bounded, Circling all nature, hush'd, and dim, and still".

Lord Byron

A Most Surprising Sight

As one travels throughout Western Queensland at the moment, one can see ephemeral lakes and bodies of water. These temporary waterholes have been formed as a result of run off from the sand dune and stony gibber country. This water will last until it evaporates, and is the result of the spectacular wet event that occured earlier this year. The water from these lakes does not run anywhere - it has no outlet. It merely evaporates, or is consumed by plants and animals.

Not surprisingly, there are many plants and animals that take advantage of this water supply. In particular, the breeding cycle of birds is enhanced, and these bodies of water are ideal places to spot a range of birdlife.

Paddy Melon

The Paddy Melon (also known as a pie melon) is an introduced species that can be found growing in the wild in Western Queensland. The vine is rather similar to that of a watermelon, and the fruit has the same smooth, thick skin. However, the inside of the melon is totally different. It has a non sweet, white flesh which is firmer than that of a water melon. People have been known to make jams, chutneys and puddings from the melon......however it is not a taste sensation that is overly thrilling, as it has a bitter taste. The seeds inside the melon are yellow, small and numerous.

This plant is considered a weed and is grazed by camels and cattle. The seeds are also eaten by birds, which are capable of spreading them. The plants are drought tolerant and often can be seen growing on the sides of roads - as well as in sandy soils, plains and clay soils.

The Wide Gold Glitter of the Plains

I loved the wide gold glitter of the plains
Spread out before us like a silent sea,
The lazy lapping of the loose-held reins,
The sense of motion and of mystery.

Will Ogilvy (1869 - 1963)

The Pea with Personality

Does this plant suggest a personality to you? These Sturt Desert Peas have a alien humanoid suggestion to them. Go on - really look at those flowers.

Did you know that this Australian native plant actually is a member of the pea family? Sturt Desert Peas appear after good rainfalls and can be found in Western Queensland right now.

The Swarming Masses

The Swarming Masses

Locusts continue to move around Western Queensland in significant numbers. Locusts are a type of grasshopper that tend to migrate in large numbers, known as swarms. As they travel, they eat huge volumes of food. Locusts can eat up to half their body weight each day, and they aren't overly fussy as to what they munch on.

This swarm of locusts was seen recently between Bedourie and Boulia, and are part of the 'booom and bust' cycle of seasons.

Does this sky remind you of the scales and markings of a fish known as mackerel?

These skies have been a frequent sight over the Channel Country in the last 2 weeks, and this cloud formation is an indicator of moisture in the lower atmosphere. This formation is a common sight in winter and there is an old rhyme that does "Mackerel sky, Mackerel Sky. Never long wet and never long dry".

The Mackerel clouds can lead to some amazing colours in the evening sky, and we have been privileged to see these wonderful sunsets most evenings of late.

The Red, Blue and Green Beckons!

The rich red dirt, vast blue skies and green vegetation of the Channel Country beckon. The Western Rivers Carer will be out and about over the next week having adventures. I promise to share lots of interesting insights and images once I return.