After a number of dry years, conditions are looking better in the Gwydir. Flows in late 2020 and early 2021 started the process of recovery, with further rainfall, flows and wetland flooding throughout 2021 and 2022. Vegetation is responding well to the flows. Delivering water for the environment during the dry times has helped native plants and animals to hang on. This also helped them to bounce back when wetter conditions returned.
Widespread and enduring inundation of the Gwydir Wetlands has triggered large scale colonial waterbird nesting that is occurring right now in the wetlands for the first time in 10 years!
The end of 2021 saw higher than average rainfall across the Northern Murray-Darling Basin which produced the largest flows through the Darling River since 2012, with a peak of 73,000 ML/day at the Bourke gauge. Usually, the Warrego River flows into the Darling just south of Bourke. However, during this event water levels in the Darling got so high that water flowed over the banks of the Darling to the floodplains and riparian areas and also backed up into the Warrego channel!
In Flow-MER we talk a lot about primary productivity, here’s a breakdown of what we are talking about.
Lignum is the water-dependent shrub that grows on floodplains and in wetlands. It plays an important part in the vegetation communities on the Western Floodplains.
A few months ago Jason Wilson from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) and Paul Frazier from 2rog jumped onto Radio 2WEB to discuss the Warrego River’s Western Floodplain in Toorale National Park, near Bourke. Click play to hear about flood events on the floodplain in recent years, cultural uses of the wetland plant, lignum (Wirnta in Kurnu-Baakandji) and much more.
In September 2019, a wildfire burnt sections of the Gingham Watercourse in the Gwydir Wetlands leaving in its wake roughly 1,600 ha of black scorched earth. We were intrigued about how inundation may influence post-fire regeneration of these wetlands so we devised an experiment to learn more.
2rog and UNE are piloting a program to welcome Cultural Advisors to the Gurnu-Baakandji (Warrego-Darling) and the Gomeroi (Gwydir) Selected Area Flow-MER teams. Employing the knowledge and skills of advisors from each area, we are fortunate to welcome Kevin & Liz to the team. Learn more about Liz Learn more about Kevin
