News and Events

A new chain of hotels has just been established in Tumut, but their guests will be fish!

We have been working with the Brungle Tumut Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) within the Riverina Highlands. Take a look at the recent activities that have been undertaken and the resulting impact on the local environment to improve the health and biodiversity of waterways.

Local ecologist, Dan Hutton, had students looking at life up close with the prolific Australian glass shrimp. These Species provide a vital food source for our native fish. Eastern long necked turtled joined the show, learning how to differentiate male from female by looking at the underbelly.

The latest carp electrofishing and removal event on April 17, 2025, has once again shown the success of the ROAR case study project in reducing invasive fish populations in Billabong Creek, Conargo, as part of the wider Refreshing Rivers Program.

On March 27th, 2025, Boys to the Bush teamed up with Murrumbidgee Landcare’s Jessie McPherson and YACTAC’s Andrea Mitchell for a fun and hands-on citizen science event at the top of Yanco Creek, near Euroley.

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?

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

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

An instream planting event occurred in early November at Conargo TSR. Past Central Billabong environmental action has been about securing water and willow removal. Planting for purpose and instream restoration is being showcased as methods to use broadly.

YACTAC and Refreshing Rivers were at the Jerilderie Fishing Club’s Kids Fishing Day supporting a creative activity with a waterway theme. The chosen focus species was the eel-tailed catfish.

Citizen science afternoon at Colombo Creek, Morundah, looking for the elusive platypus with YACTAC and Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc.

Photo credit: David Smith, Sustainable Farms ANU

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.

Let's get our hands dirty and prepare wetland plants onto growth mats! We do this to prepare them to be replanted into rivers and streams, to improve the health of our waterways.

We're hosting an introduction session to virtual fencing technology! Come and learn about virtual fencing, the pros and cons of the technology, and hear from one of the technology providers, Halter and a farmer in the early stages of adoption.

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.