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.

Love Your Creek! Refreshing Rivers and Holbrook Landcare Network are teaming up to participate in the Great Southern BioBlitz 2023 [#GSB2023], with a focus on our creeks and waterways.

Join us for an introductory talk about on-farm carbon, emissions and natural capital. Led by Cam Nicholson (Nicon Rural Services) and Clare Edwards (DPI On-Farm Carbon Advice)

Come along to hear about how drone technology can be used to manage weeds in sensitive areas - like alongside our waterways!

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

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

We have been working on the Ian Geddes Bushwalk as a demonstration site for waterways for our Refreshing Rivers program - 2 community working bees doing bush regeneration style weed control and replanting.

In December 2024 Kylie Durant met up with local landholder and small-bodied fish breeder, Lachie Nevison, to plant some water plants in the Ten Mile Creek in Ian Geddes Bush Reserve, Holbrook NSW. We followed up in February to see how they were doing after a hot, dry summer...

Woomargama Station recently hosted the LaTrobe University group who are working on a Farm Scale Natural Capital account framework

What an enormous weekend! The HLN Bioblitz team (Peter, Kylie and Jo) spent Friday to Monday blitzing the Upper Billabong.

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.