The once mighty Darling River is dying and here's why.
The once mighty Darling River is dying.
This 1,472 kilometre river long is dying under the yoke of greed and mismanagement.
The problems start in Queensland where huge amounts of cotton is grown with irrigated water, taken from the tributaries of the Darling.
Cubbie Station, for example, basically diverts the Culgoa and Balonne Rivers.
Owned by a foreign textile firm it grows 200 square kilometres of cotton, and has water storages 28 kilometres long which can hold 460 billion litres of water.
Police recently raided another cotton farm at Goondiwindi which has 52.3 kilometres of illegal earthworks diverting water into private irrigation dams instead of the river.
There are allegations this farm has misused public funds allocated to improve the health of the river.
But it’s not just in Queensland that we have a problem.
Big irrigators in NSW have also been accused of large scale water theft, with water pump meters either sabotaged or not connected; pumping during embargoes; and taking water released for the environment.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption and other inquiries are investigating whether public officials stopped compliance officers from investigating allegations of water theft.
All this cotton irrigation up here - legal and illegal - diverts a huge amount of water from flowing down the Darling River.
It hurts floodplain graziers, wrecks the environment, causes anxiety in downstream communities.
The Menindee Lakes, near Broken Hill, fill when the river floods and provide water for 20,000 people at Broken Hill, breeding habitat for birds, and recreation and tourism.
But in recent times the Government has quickly drained the lakes and the Lower Darling has run dry.
Now the NSW Government is building a $500 million pipeline from the Murray River at Wentworth to pump water 270km back upstream to Broken Hill.
The people of Broken Hill don’t want this pipeline. They are worried it will be used to justify emptying the Menindee Lakes and to allow more irrigation or less buybacks on the Upper Darling River.
The Cotton irrigators a crowing about it, describing the Broken Hill pipeline as “a win for NSW growers” and “a solution Cotton Australia and its allies have long lobbied for”.
One cotton irrigator who has benefited enormously is the owner of Tandau Station south of Menindee Lakes. Barnaby Joyce signed off on $78 million buyback of its water rights, almost double the valuation made by his own bureaucrats at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences!
And upstream of Menindee, is one of the greatest injustices on the Darling - the refusal by successive governments to build a downstream weir for the people of Wilcannia.
Wilcannia has one of the lowest life expectancies in Australia – only 42 for women, 37 for men!
The Barkindji, or river people, are appalled that their river is reduced to a trickle through town due to upstream irrigation.
Water management is very complex.
There are big dollars involved and there is a lot of room for corruption and fraud to sneak in.
Australia has a dismal track record of water management, and it does not seem to be getting any better.
Climate change is likely to exacerbate drought and floods.
It will reduce soil moisture and lead to less runoff into waterways.
Continuing to mismanage water in this country in a changing climate will lead to disaster, yet that is exactly what the National Party have been doing.
In 2014, the government passed legislation which deliberately cuts off the data set on which to make decisions about water prior to the Millennium Drought.
That means the last 13 years of data are excluded, because it might mean less water for cotton irrigators.
This year they enacted laws that will allow illegally constructed works that divert flood water into irrigation dams and away from natural waterways, to be retrospectively legalised!
Having the Nationals in charge of water is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.
They can not be trusted.
There are big questions to answer
Should we irrigate so much cotton and rice in an arid continent?
Should we grow high value horticultural crops rather than many square kilometres of cotton?
How much water can we divert from our rivers before the environment suffers?
How much water is being illegally stolen?
What is the true value of the water?
How do we ensure environmental flows are not sucked up irrigators pumps?
Australia urgently needs a Royal Commission into the administration of the Murray Darling Basin, so that all the farms, communities and environments that depend on these once mighty rivers, are healthy into the future.
Thousands of DEAD FISH in the Murray Darling River Basin
Rob Gregory posted this video on Facebook, showing thousands of dead fish at Menindee Lakes, part of the Murray Darling River Basin.
Travelling from Pooncarie to Bourke we found out the hard way that the caravan wasn't dust proof
We followed the dirt road on the eastern side of the Darling River from Pooncarie NSW to Bourke in northern NSW. Lucky for me the lady in the caravan park was happy to let me use her vacuum cleaner
Flood Havoc In New South Wales (1950)
Full title reads: Flood Havoc In New South Wales.
New South Wales, Australia.
GV Flooded Hunter river. GV Pan flooded area. MV House surrounded by water. SV Pan house surrounded by water. SV submerged fences pan to house. SV Towards car running axle-deep in water. SV Man holding car door open down to water running away from car.
MV Towards train ploughing along flooded tracks. SV Railway official waving flag. GV Pan flooded Maitland station. SV Signals pan down to stranded train in flooded station.
GV Aerial flooded area. SV Reflections in water pan to people on balcony. CU Rescuer. SV Rescuers helping woman over balcony of house into boat. SV Old woman being assisted into boat. MV Man and woman standing outside house knee-deep in water. SV Towards lorry being towed carrying lifeboat and food. MV Wrecked houses. CU Pan wreckage of house.
SV DUKW amphibious vehicle with men distributing food from it. SV Man arranging loaves in DUKW pan down to bread. SV Man and woman holding children looking on. GV Aerial view flooded fields.
(F.G.) (Orig.A.)
FILM ID:1474.37
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The Trip 12 | The River Road , Tilpa , Wilcannia , Broken Hill , Then we arrive back home NSW - SA
The final part of the 12 part series. In 2008 A good friend and I embarked on an epic 4wd journey starting in Adelaide then Travelling up through the center of Australia via the Oodnadatta track, and across to Ayres Rock, Kings Canyon, Devils Marbles and then going right up into the Gulf of Carpentaria then across the tablelands to Cairns before following the east coast of Queensland down into New South Whales before heading inland again and travelling through the outback along the Darling river and then returning to Adelaide. The Adventure took approximately 6 weeks and was a truly awesome experience.
Chris Rose, Bruce Carr, Menindee song
Song The Menindee Train written and Performed by Chris Rose/ Bruce Carr (c) 2012
Schools Spectacular/ABC. Joined on stage by the some of the Menindee school students and adults choir.
Click 'Like' on Chris Rose's music page for more music and live gig details. Link here
Australia's Nature Coast
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From the Glasshouse Mountains just north of Brisbane to the iconic Fraser Island - Australia's Nature Coast is a destination spoilt by nature.
Australia's Nature Coast features two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves; World Heritage listed Fraser Island; Lady Elliot Island the most southern island on the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef; 47 State and National Parks, Reserves and Forests, over 200 kilometres of pristine beaches, calm rivers and waterways with an abundance of birdlife.
Head to for great deals on tours, accommodation and iconic whale watching!
Murray-Darling overflows in the south as farmers suffer in north NSW | 7NEWS
It's a grim scene: Drought-stricken farmers watching the Murray flow - even flooding the red gum forest near the NSW-Victoria border - but unable to access it. And fingers are pointed to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
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WUDU S7E21: heading to Wentworth's Willow Bend Caravan Park
Time to leave Mildura and head to Wentworth and it's finest caravan park, the Willow Bend Caravan park.
Wilcannia GMAN FLY INTRO1
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river, at 2,508 kilometres in length. The Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains, and then meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria as it flows to the northwest. It then turns south for its final 500 kilometres into South Australia, reaching the ocean at Lake Alexandrina.
The water of the Murray flows through several lakes that fluctuate in salinity including Lake Alexandrina and The Coorong before emptying through the Murray Mouth into the southeastern portion of the Indian Ocean, often referenced on Australian maps as the Southern Ocean, near Goolwa. Despite discharging considerable volumes of water at times, particularly before the advent of largescale river regulation, the mouth has always been comparatively small and shallow.
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Creative Commons image source in video
Speaking at the 'Convoy To Canberra' rally.
It was an honour to be able to speak at the 'Convoy to Canberra' today, especially now that I know that all the hard work pressuring the government has paid off with an emergency release of water for next years winter crops in the southern basin communities.
Thanks Topher for the video.
Burnt Earth Live at Tilpa in 2002
Back on Dec.7th 2002, popular Cobar band, Burnt Earth,performed live at Tilpa, in Outback New South Wales, Australia, backing up the ''Drought Relief Concert'', with Lee Kernaghan. The band consisted of Shane Josephson, on lead vocals & guitar, Pat Bourke, guitar & backing vocals, Mick Skirka, on guitar & also backing vocals, & Gavin O'Donnell on the drums. At the later stages of the Burnt Earth performance, the stage is invaded by over excited fans, who almost became out of control, but the band kept bravely playing their music. Unfortunately, the great talent of Mick Skirka, who is seen on guitar at left of stage, is no longer with us, after he sadly passed away in Tasmania, in 2007, but his genuine friendship & talent will always be in our memories. Burnt Earth have always been a sought after Outback band, who reflect real, natural Australian talent, with a number of their own original songs, including ''Ghost Train.'' They also had some good success at The Tamworth Country Music Festival, in New South Wales. I recently discovered this 51 minutes of rare video, which is posted as a tribute to Burnt Earth, & especially to Mick Skirka. I shot the video from my Sony video Handy cam, while standing on the roof of my station wagon, which I later slept in that nigh, at Tilpa..
Billie jo hunter
My sister inlaw dancing deadly its her favourite move
Aboriginal sites at Lake Woytchugga Wilcannia
Harry Kennedy, a Baarkindji man, identifies sites of cultural significance at Lake Woytchugga near Wilcannia NSW.
Old Mungo Man Returns
Readings from Mayigarthi -- meaning Black Sister Poems, stories and memories of Beryl Philp Carmichael -- Yungha-dhu Elder of the Ngiyaampaa Nation -- meaning many languages Art works by Lexie Philp and Della Philp recordings & new moon story cover art by Ben Beeton
Australian Government cause fish die off
Old North Australia Railway Remnants Katherine October 2014
Remnants of the old North Australia Railway at Katherine Northern Territory Australia in October 2014 and some clips from an 8mm movie film showing the weekly Darwin to Larrimah goods train in December 1969.
Corporate Connect.AB Wilcannia Career Expo 2011
Corporate Connect.AB partnered with Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes on August 11th 2011 to facilitate a careers expo for the communities of Wilcannia and Menindee this is a short movie to display the success of the day
BMEET On Country Project Fletchers Lake Reserve
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