News and Events

Extreme low flows are pushing refuge pools to their limits. Heat, sediment, salinity and stock impacts are degrading water quality and threatening native fish. This article outlines what’s causing it and practical steps we can take to protect our waterways.

Courtesy of the Refreshing Upper Billabong project, we have a limited number of tubestock suitable for planting both instream and along creek banks to reduce erosion and create habitat.

We lacked information on the aquatic wildlife of the Upper Billabong catchment, so using Citizen Science - the Refreshing Rivers iNaturalist project and eDNA tests, we have gathered 1,672 observations across the catchment and also completed 9 eDNA profiles in local waterways.

On Saturday the 21st of March, the inaugural Carpathon was held at The Cape in Jerilderie. The sun was shining, the grass was green from the recent rain, and 73 people registered for the event! It was a day full unlucky carp, prize winners, a delicious BBQ and many happy faces.

David Bray and Louise Freckleton are stewards of Highfield Farm and Woodland, a 335 Ha property near Adelong in the eastern Riverina. Highfield blends conservation of critically endangered Box‑gum grassy woodland with a small‑scale paddock‑to‑plate enterprise and a thriving ecotourism operation.

Join us for a truly special, hands-on workshop where culture, creativity, and community come together. Learn traditional weaving techniques from talented local artists and First Nations educators –all while immersed in the beauty of nature.

Join local ecologist Dr. Mason Crane for an unforgettable guided night walk along Morleys Creek and the Tumut Wetlands, where we'll uncover the magical world of wildlife both in the bush and the waterways. Discover what goes on in the bush when the sun goes down. April 15th & 16th 2025.

Come say "Hi" to the Refreshing the Upper Billabong project officer, Peter Rowland, at the Holbrook Landcare Network's Ag-Tech Expo, being held at Little Billabong Hall on Thursday 13th February 2025

We're doing some work on the Ten Mile Creek in the Ian Geddes Bush Reserve. Our Community Working Bee will be on on Sunday 11th August 2024 from 10-12pm. It will be just a low key morning of a little bit of planting on the creek bank and some bush regeneration-style weed control

This weekend if you're keen on getting out and about, Kylie is running a follow-up community working bee at the Ian Geddes Bush Reserve. This is a great opportunity for locals to get involved in Landcare and work on a really valuable space in our local community. Sunday, 29th September - 10am to

Dive into the fascinating world of freshwater mussels with Dr Nicole McCasker, mussel expert, from Charles Sturt University, and local cultural knowledge holder Ros Lockhart. This is a family-friendly event, so come along and help us discover more about these incredible creatures.

Creating a welcoming environment the "Women's Yarning Circle" event is for women of the Central Billabong to gather, collaborate, be creative, share stories (cultural, Indigenous and other), and lunch on the banks of the Billabong Creek near Jerilderie.

Join us for an evening wetland walk, talk and free bbq dinner. Friday March 8th 2024 5.30 pm - 8.30 pm Topics include: aquatic and riparian vegetation, environmental water in the Yanco Creek System, wetland fish, bats and rakali, frog identification and spotlight

YACTAC were out in the New Year on the Billabong Creek, Conargo, releasing 27,273 golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) fingerlings as part of the Refreshing Rivers Program which aims to improve local waterway health.

A final day of electrofishing targeting carp (Cyprinus carpio), on a five kilometre stretch of Billabong Creek, Conargo, occurred on December 20th, 2023. Carp once again proved to be the dominant fish with a tally of 266 kgs for one day on a 5 km stretch of creek.

In pursuit of Platypus! We've been eDNA sampling along the Billabong Creek in the Upper Billabong Project Target Area, looking for the presence of Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in the system.

We have some fantastic events coming up for the Upper Billabong Refreshing Rivers BioBlitz! These are all free events and everyone is welcome!

We have some fantastic events coming up for the Upper Billabong Refreshing Rivers BioBlitz! These are all free events and everyone is welcome!

We have some fantastic events coming up for the Upper Billabong Refreshing Rivers BioBlitz! These are all free events and everyone is welcome!

Holbrook Landcare and the Refreshing Rivers Program invite YOU to take part in the Great Southern BioBlitz – a fun, hands-on weekend of nature discovery with a focus on our beautiful creeks and waterways in the Upper Billabong region!

David Bray and Louise Freckleton are stewards of Highfield Farm and Woodland, a 335 Ha property near Adelong in the eastern Riverina. Highfield blends conservation of critically endangered Box‑gum grassy woodland with a small‑scale paddock‑to‑plate enterprise and a thriving ecotourism operation.

Waterways such as creeks, rivers, wetlands and riparian corridors are biodiversity hotspots. Many species relying on these areas are highly vulnerable to feral cat predation.

Join the Refreshing Rivers team and Landcare under the clear, unspoilt night skies for an evening celebrating the beauty and importance of our nocturnal environment.

The Refreshing Rivers project is offering a pilot project to deliver low-cost waterway solutions for landholders on the Yaven Creek.

Through the Refreshing Rivers Program, we are looking for landholders with farm dams, gravel pits or wetlands, who are interested in establishing refuge "arks" for this rare species of fish.