.jpg)
Join our staff these school holidays for a hands-on workshop where kids become wildlife heroes!

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re proud to share some amazing achievements in the Riverina Highlands target area:

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.

Join Riverina Local Land Services and Landcare for a hands-on workshop and explore the intriguing world of tree hollows and their importance to wildlife.

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

In this hands-on workshop, aimed at the mature age group, you will learn how to record nature observations and contribute to an international biodiversity data base. Each participant will also receive free plants and resources to improve nature in their own back yard.

What's not to love about being outdoors amongst the redgums, planting and restoring wetlands on a sunny day, with kids having fun in the mud and a bbq? Plus, a great result for habitat and vegetation at this property on the Yanco Creek.

Coleambally Central School students embraced muddy boots and big smiles as they joined YACTAC on November 27th to plant native wetland species at the Leeds property, “Broome”, on the Yanco Creek. The students planted jointed twig rush, spike rush, and sedges to restore a backwater habitat.

YACTAC, with Refreshing Rivers and DPI Fisheries grants, released 25,714 golden perch fingerlings. Golden perch, also known as yellow belly, are a native species of the Murray Darling Basin. Once abundant, populations have suffered due to habitat degradation, invasive species and river regulation.

The Black Summer Bushfires had a huge impact – including on the iconic Platypus. Populations may have declined by up to 18%, but work is underway to understand Platypus population health and restore habitat.

Over the course of several events in late 2022 and early 2023, significant work has been undertaken to restore fish habitat on the Colombo Creek. Schoolkids helped plant trees, while a separate event was held to reduce carp numbers through electro-fishing.

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.

Looking for a ways to educate and entertain the kids these school holidays?
.avif)
Looking for ways to entertain and educate the kids this school holidays? In this two-hour practical workshop they will learn how to: collect, sort and identify waterbugs: enter the data using the Waterbug App and compare their score with other creeks on the Waterbug Data Portal
.avif)
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

Join us to look for and photograph flora and fauna, share your findings on iNaturalist, and have your findings verified by experts.
YACTAC are on the lookout for landholders along Colombo Creek to be part of a baseline assessment. This program will focus on carp removal, and the distribution and health of trout cod and eel-tailed catfish populations in Colombo Creek.

Central Billabong landholders celebrate the incredible success of willlow removal projects over the past 15 years, which have turned clogged creeks into broad, navigable waterways, flanked by redgums and revegetation plantings, and home to native fish and birds.

What's not to love about being outdoors amongst the redgums, planting and restoring wetlands on a sunny day, with kids having fun in the mud and a bbq? Plus, a great result for habitat and vegetation at this property on the Yanco Creek.

Coleambally Central School students embraced muddy boots and big smiles as they joined YACTAC on November 27th to plant native wetland species at the Leeds property, “Broome”, on the Yanco Creek. The students planted jointed twig rush, spike rush, and sedges to restore a backwater habitat.

In the upper reaches of the Mountain Creek, habitat restoration for the endangered Southern Pygmy Perch also has many benefits for landholders, revitalising much-loved and valuable creek systems.

A single Southern Pygmy Perch was netted in Little Billabong Creek today! The species was initially detected using eDNA sampling of the creek in February 2024, and a new population of this endangered fish species has now been fully confirmed.
.avif)
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

In February, we did some snapshot eDNA sampling at water quality sites across the Upper Billabong as part of Refreshing Rivers Program

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
.jpg)
Join our staff these school holidays for a hands-on workshop where kids become wildlife heroes!

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re proud to share some amazing achievements in the Riverina Highlands target area:

Join Riverina Local Land Services and Landcare for a hands-on workshop and explore the intriguing world of tree hollows and their importance to wildlife.

In this hands-on workshop, aimed at the mature age group, you will learn how to record nature observations and contribute to an international biodiversity data base. Each participant will also receive free plants and resources to improve nature in their own back yard.

Works have began to restore Morleys Creek which runs through the town of Gundagai.

Please get in touch by emailing info@refreshingrivers.com.au

All material © Refreshing Rivers 2024.
Website developed by the Australian River Restoration Centre





