FACT SHEET

Gunbower National Park

This project will improve Gunbower National Park makes up almost 8,900 environmental outcomes using hectares of the internationally significant Gunbower less water than a natural flood Forest and it supports a range of rare and threated while keeping more irrigation flora and fauna species. It extends along the with two Traditional owner groups; Yorta Yorta water in the region. Nation Aboriginal Corporation and Barapa Barapa

The Gunbower National Park is one of the few remaining river red gum floodplain systems in and has a significant ecological importance in the Murray-Darling Basin. The forest is a prime example of remnant floodplain and the remaining habitats have high conservation value, providing refuges and hotspots for biodiversity.

The Gunbower National Park Victorian Murray Floodplain Restoration Project is designed to enable water for the environment to be delivered efficiently and effectively, without further water buybacks to give the plants and animals of Gunbower National Park the water they need to flourish. The water will help to restore the extent and distribution of wetland vegetation and build resilience in the forest. Native fish numbers in the river will also benefit, as food-rich water is returned to the Murray. The local project will use engineering works How Will The Water Be Delivered? such as regulators and pump stations to On Camerons Creek, the project will likely efficiently and effectively deliver water to the replace an existing small weir and regulating floodplains without placing additional strain on structure and upgrade an existing bridge local irrigators, and the local irrigation system. structure to enable the right aamount of water This project is a major step towards restoring at the right time to be delivered to the creek, the floodplain’s health and protecting it for Black Charlie Lagoon and Baggots Swamp. future generations to experience and enjoy. An alternative irrigation supply arrangement The works will also provide a benefit for the is being investigated, as part of the project, local community by increasing tourism, local for the irrigators currently using the creek. jobs and buying materials locally. A pump station is proposed to be built The project will be a significant boost for the on the Murray River to pump into a former local community and area by supporting irrigation channel which connects to Pig Swamp. irrigated agriculture, achieving environmental Regulators will be built in the channel to control improvements and increasing recreation water entering Pig Swamp and the forest. The opportunities. plan is to pump water into the channel and direct it into either Pig Swamp or the river red The Basin Plan gums areas of the forest. The Murray Darling Basin Plan aims to balance Levees are also proposed to be built or repaired, the needs of Basin communities, agriculture to fully contain water within the Gunbower and the environment, to achieve a healthy and National Park. productive river system. To facilitate this, state and federal governments How OftenW ill The National Park Be Watered? have agreed to set a new Sustainable Diversion To ensure Camerons Creek continues to provide Limit (SDL), which determines how much important habitat for small-bodied fish, water consumptive water can be sustainably used by would be delivered to the creek several times a irrigation and shared with the environment. year. Water for the environment would also be delivered to Black Charlie Lagoon about once a The Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council year to top it up. The wetland would then be endorsed the final package of SDL Adjustment allowed to slowly drawdown the rest of the year. projects, including the Gunbower National Park. The goal for Baggots Swamp is to deliver water This enables further development of the project; about every three years in 10 in addition to working with communities and Traditional natural flooding, to support the river red gums Owners on project design and implementation. and recovery of the understorey to meet its Victoria has put forward nine projects that will ecological needs. achieve a healthy river system without the need Water is planned to be pumped into Pig Swamp for further Commonwealth buy-backs, including and the surrounding river red gum forest, which two in the North Central CMA region. As a program combined with natural flooding should provide of infrastructure works, environmental watering this part of the national park with a drink every of highly valued floodplains and forests along two to three years. the Murray River in Victoria will be enhanced. Without this, major releases from storages would be needed to raise river levels high enough for it to spill into wetlands and overbank floods onto the floodplain. Using the proposed infrastructure saves water; keeps it in the region and aims to achieve similar environmental benefits that natural flooding provides. Victoria Deep Creek

New South Wales

Old Cohuna Main Channel

Boat Ramp

Gunbower Creek Masters Landing Old Straight Cut Channel

Pig Swamp

Victoria Torrumbarry Weir Murray River

Baggot Swamp Black Charlie Lagoon

Camerons Creek

Gunbower Creek

Levee requiring repair or replacement

Pump station

Regulating structures

Existing Channel Block Banks

Koondrook Perricoota Forest

Gunbower National Park

Wetlands

Inundation extent

An Important System Camerons Creek is at the eastern end of In the middle section of Gunbower National Park the national park and connects to a series of is Pig Swamp, a semi-permanent wetland permanent wetlands, including Black Charlie that provides habitat for waterbirds, frogs and Lagoon. Prior to European settlement Camerons turtles. Before European settlement, Pig Swamp Creek flowed only when there was a rise in overtopped during large flood events, flooding water levels in the Murray River. As water spilled the broader river red gum forest six or seven down the creek, the permanent wetlands would years in every decade. The floods would fill and eventually spill down into the river red inundate the area for months on end. During gum areas around Baggots Swamp. Camerons these events the upper and middle sections of Creek and the associated wetlands today the forest provided important foraging areas provide important habitat for small bodied for waterbirds that breed in the wetlands of native fish and waterbirds. Gunbower Forest. Impacts Of Change The upper section of Camerons Creek has been For decades, Pig Swamp was used as part of the a permanent waterway for approximately 50 irrigation system, and was wet for nine months years since it was connected to the Murray River of the year, almost every year. This changed the after construction of the Torrumbarry Weir and wetlands vegetation, resulting in thick cumbungi removal of Berrys Weir from the National stands which smother the sedges and delicate Channel. When irrigation water is delivered, wetland herbs that would have once germinated. water flows slowly through the creek, keeping Levees and channels built on the floodplain Black Charlie Lagoon full most of the time, and have also modified the way water moves into sometimes spilling water into Baggots Swamp and across Gunbower Forest. Earthworks on further in the forest. Operating the creek for the floodplain and the impact of river regulation irrigation has meant the creek and wetlands have halved the amount of flooding experienced have been receiving too much water at the by the river red gum forest. This reduced flooding wrong time of year. This has resulted in trees has impacted on the health of the forest, which drowning, the forest understorey changing and is evidenced in the thinning tree canopies and Black Charlie Lagoon being less able to support sparse understorey. These changes mean the a range of fish, ducks, frogs and other species. forest is not able to support the number and River regulation, climate change and diversity of animals and plants it once did. construction of irrigation infrastructure across If you would like to know more about these the landscape have had a dramatic impact on projects visit www.vmfrp.com.au or contact the Pig Swamp and the broader river red gum forest North Central CMA on (03) 5448 7124. it is connected to.

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