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

Lake Eyre - The Miracle Strikes Again!

How amazing is it that water is running through to Lake Eyre for the second consecutive year? The water from Cooper's Creek in Western Qld should reach there within in the next few weeks.

Thylungra Waterhole

Check out the top photo of the magnificent Thylungra Waterhole in the Cooper's Creek catchment, between Quilpie and Windorah. This photo was taken on the 24th June. The Western Rivers Carer stopped by the waterhole on the 10th November, 2009 and took a photo from the same spot.

Our spectacular channel country waterholes rely on our monsoonal troughs to come through each year, to provide us with summer rain. The Australian monsoon season typically starts in late December, and ends in March, and it is known as the 'wet season' in Northern Australia. The strength of the monsoons can vary from year to year..............and it is this variable that determines the boom and bust cycles of the Channel Country rivers, and associated waterholes.

Here in Western Queensland, we greet the arrival of the equatorial trough that generates heavy rain with much enthusiasm. Could those full clouds in the second photo be an indicator of a great wet season for 2009/2010??? Thanks for stopping by to check out Thylungra Waterhole.

To do before you die – Climb a Western Queensland sand hill…………..barefoot!!

To do before you die – Climb a Western Queensland sand hill…………barefoot!!

Did you know sand dunes cover 40% of the Australian continent?

The Western Rivers region surrounding the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper’s Creek is a vast landscape that has a sporadic distribution of sand dunes throughout the entire area. So how is it that these dunes are here?

In 2009, the dunes we can see are actually isolated areas of sand which emerge from the floodplains – which are a clay rich black soil / mud dominated environment ranging from 2 – 9 metres deep. This means that the floodplain area has buried sand channels at its base which can be up to 50 metres deep under the ground, and the only visible bits are the tops of the dunes, which we can see and label sand hills. The tops of these dunes often act as a barrier that confines the overbank river and creek flows to certain area – which means that the flood water is contained to certain areas closer to waterholes.

You know that list we all have mentally compiled of 100 things to do before you die? Does your personal list include climbing a Western Queensland sand hill?

Lake Eyre Basin – Liveable, Ephemeral and Biodiverse!

Lake Eyre Basin – Liveable, Ephemeral and Biodiverse!

Close your eyes and image and imagine a unique part of Australia that covers one-sixth of the driest continent on earth and has an abundance of plant and animal life in a natural arid and semi-arid environment that is home to a Yacht Club; premium organic beef breeding properties; large pelican colonies; ancient and rare Waddi trees and an aerial view of an abstract artists canvas of braids and criss-crossy lines that are waterways. Now think of the terms ‘boom and bust’ in relation to rivers and wetlands and drop these into the image you have generated – and title this image with the name “Lake Eyre Basin”.

The Western Rivers Carer was recently priveleged to be in Alice Springs to attend the Lake Eyre Community Advisory Committee and the Scientific Advisory Group meetings where all things that matter to the Lake Eyre Basin were discussed.

The Lake Eyre Basin is one of the largest internally draining river systems in the world, and covers nearly one-sixth of Australia, including areas of South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and a small portion of New South Wales. Lake Eyre (a great salt lake) is the terminal point of the drainage system, and the three major river systems that drain into the Lake are the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper’s Creek. The Lake Eyre catchment is one of the last unregulated dryland river systems worldwide and is located in arid and semi-arid parts of the driest inhabited content. All tributaries to Lake Eyre are ephemeral in nature, meaning that run off is reduced to one flood or a series of floods in a short period, and there are very long periods when the beds of the rivers are dry.

The rivers and catchments in the Lake Eyre Basin are generally in good condition, and contain intact aquatic ecosystems. These critical aquatic habitats are home for many species and in particular, migratory waterbirds. The permanent water holes are critical refuges for aquatic plants and animals. The rivers fluctuate dramatically between consisting of highly fragmented disconnected water holes and well connected systems encompassing enormous tracts of inundated floodplain. Most of the Lake Eyre Basin overlies the Great Artesian (groundwater) Basin.

Almost all of the non-desert parts of the Lake Eyre Basin are used for low intensity livestock grazing, predominantly beef cattle and sheep. These industries are viewed as having low impacts on the land and diversity. Indigenous communities have maintained their traditional links with the land, and important cultural sites have been protected and preserved. The key threats to the area include introduced pest plants and feral animals and their impacts on waterholes; intensified surface water extraction as a result of development and the impact of climate change.
For more information on the Lake Eyre Basin, please visit www.lakeeyrebasin.org.au.

Western Rivers Carer Mixes it with the Landcare Larrikins and Legends

Western Rivers Carer Mixes It With the Landcare Larrikins and Legends

Last week, the Queensland State Landcare Conference was held in Longreach. What a wonderful three days of discussion, workshops, networking and sharing! The topics covered during the conference ranged from caring for our soils (cracked soil is so desirable); improving grasses and pastures (kiss my grass); the value of adding Charcoal-Carbon to our enhance our soil (nature helping nature, it’s only natural); how rural Australia is perceived (think totally forgotten about, as evidenced by a Qld Tourism advertisement) and how our traditional owners are undertaking some cutting edge landcare and sustainability initiatives throughout the state (fabulous stuff happening in all areas by many giving people).

It was also pleasing to note that Minister Robertson (Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minster for Trade) announced that the draft Cooper’s Creek water resource plan and any future proposal to declare a Wild River over Cooper’s Creek will be released together, in order to ensure that both protective water /river management documents are consistent with each other. Consultation will occur simultaneously, so stakeholder feedback can be sought in relation to both documents, and all the information will be available together. By coupling these together, it will also communicate strongly to other states what Queensland’s unique vision is for this magnificent part of the Lake Eyre Basin.

What is a Western Rivers Carer?

What is a Western Rivers Carer?



I have a job title and a position description that is a little unique. My official title is WESTERN RIVERS CARER, and I am employed by the Australian Floodplain Association.

So where does one go and what does one do when one is wearing this badge? A Western Rivers Carer has a delightful time travelling in the rural and remote parts of Western Queensland, and working with communities, organizations and individuals who reside in the catchments of the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers and Cooper’s Creek. My key task is to ensure that the voices of local people who are dependent on the rivers for floodplain tourism, pastures, recreation and livelihoods have a voice in how these magnificent waterways are managed, and more importantly, protected from large scale water exploitation or other manmade threats.

As I travel, I will be posting regular blogs to outline my adventures. I commenced working 2.5 days/week in this position in May 2009, and already have collected an abundance of images, thoughts and information to share with you. I invite you to become a regular visitor to my blog if you have an interest in Outback Queensland and our unique natural environment and waterways which form part of the Lake Eyre Basin. There is so much to share about these wild western rivers which are some of the last unregulated water flows in the entire world that still flow free.

“The wild western rivers through the Channel Country flow
From drought to flood in sunshine the Lake Eyre Basin grows
When it rains up in the northland the western stockman knows
The wild western rivers flowing free”

Excerpt taken from a song titled “The Wild Western Rivers” by Dana Lyons, Mark Kleinschmidt and Bruce Honeywill.