News and Events

Refreshing Rivers is working alongside Landcare, local government, and the Soil Conservation Service to install cod logs in the Adelong Creek. These structures form part of a nature‑based solution designed to strengthen river resilience following extreme weather events and ongoing habitat loss.

In what is thought to be an Australian first, a portable PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) reader has been installed in Adjungbilly Creek to help scientists track the movements of the endangered Macquarie Perch.

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.

Discover how "Wunelli" is farming for profit and the planet

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.

Take part in the Platy-project and you’ll help researchers understand more about this elusive animal, and how we can better protect it..

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.

European carp (Cyprinus carpio) uproot vegetation, degrade habitat and reduce water quality, competing with native species for food and space. Come along to help us remove some of these carp from our local waterway.

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!

Discover how "Wunelli" is farming for profit and the planet

Refreshing Rivers is working alongside Landcare, local government, and the Soil Conservation Service to install cod logs in the Adelong Creek. These structures form part of a nature‑based solution designed to strengthen river resilience following extreme weather events and ongoing habitat loss.

In what is thought to be an Australian first, a portable PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) reader has been installed in Adjungbilly Creek to help scientists track the movements of the endangered Macquarie Perch.

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.