Upper Talking fish Making connections with the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin Authors ZaferSarac,HamishSewell,GregRingwood,LizBakerandScottNichols The rivers of the Murray-Darling River Basin Citation:Sarac,Z.,Sewell,H.,Ringwood,G.Baker,E.andNichols,S.(2012)Upper TheriversandcreeksoftheMurrayͲDarlingBasinflowthroughQueensland,NewSouth Condamine:TalkingfishͲmakingconnectionswiththeriversoftheMurrayͲ Wales,theAustralianCapitalTerritory,VictoriaandSouthAustralia.The77000kmof DarlingBasin,MurrayͲDarlingBasinAuthority,Canberra. waterwaysthatmakeuptheBasinlink23catchmentsoveranareaof1millionkm2. Projectsteeringcommittee TerryKorodaj(MDBA),CameronLay(NSWDPI),ZaferSarac(QldDEEDI),Adrian Eachriverhasitsowncharacteryetthesewaters,thefish,theplants,andthepeoplethat Wells(MDBACommunityStakeholderTaskforce),PeterJackson(MDBANative relyonthemarealldifferent. FishStrategyadvisor),FernHames(VicDSE)andJonathanMcPhail(PIRSA). Thebookletsinthisseriestellthestoriesofhowtherivers,fishandfishinghavechanged. ProjectTeam ScottNichols,CameronLay,CraigCopeland,LizBaker(NSWDPI);JodiFrawley, Themainstoriesinthesebookletsarewrittenfromoralhistoryinterviewsconductedwith HeatherGoodall(UTS);ZaferSarac,GregRingwood(QldDEEDI);HamishSewell localfishersin2010Ͳ11,andrelateindividuals’memoriesofhowtheirlocalplaceshave (TheStoryProject);PhilDuncan(NgnuluConsulting);TerryKorodaj(MDBA); changed.ThesebookletsshowcasethreewaysofknowingtheCondamineRiver:personal FernHames,PamClunie,SteveSaddlier(VicDSE);JonathanMcPhail, VirginiaSimpson(PIRSA);WillTrueman(researcher). experience,scientificresearchandhistoricalresearch.Justasindividualfishersdonot alwaysagreewithoneanother,sotheirunderstandingmightnotnecessarilyagreewith ISBN978Ͳ1Ͳ921914Ͳ45Ͳ4 currentscientificinformationorhistoricalrecords.Similarly,specificitemsandeventsmight ©MurrayͲDarlingBasinAuthority,2012 beremembereddifferentlybydifferentpeople.Thesevariedperspectivesshowtherangein PublishedbytheMurrayͲDarlingBasinAuthority(MDBA),Canberra. viewsaboutfishingandtherivers,eachimportantinitsownway.Therearemanyother Graphicalandtextualinformationinthework(withtheexceptionof great stories out there about fishing in the Murray Darling Basin. These booklets are just the photographsandtheMDBAlogo)maybestored,retrievedandreproducedin Ͳ wholeorinpart,providedtheinformationisnotsoldorusedforcommercial beginning. benefitanditssource(MurrayͲDarlingBasinAuthority,TalkingFishProject)is acknowledged.Reproductionforotherpurposesisprohibitedwithoutprior permissionoftheMurrayͲDarlingBasinAuthorityorthecopyrightholdersinthe Acknowledgements–UpperCondamine caseofphotographs.Totheextentpermittedbylaw,thecopyrightholders (includingitsemployeesandconsultants)excludeallliabilitytoanypersonfor AveryspecialthankyoutoSamBonner(GithabulElder),NoalKuhl,BrianKuhn,DessieObst, anyconsequences,includingbutnotlimitedtoalllosses,damages,costs, Geoff Reilly and Olive and Ray Shooter, who generously shared their stories and expensesandanyothercompensation,arisingdirectlyorindirectlyfromusing thisreport(inpartorinwhole)andanyinformationormaterialcontainedinit. photographsinthisbooklet. Thecontentsofthispublicationdonotpurporttorepresentthepositionofthe MurrayͲDarlingBasinAuthority.Theyarepresentedtoinformdiscussionfor improvedmanagementoftheBasin'snaturalresources. Adviceandfieldsupport–UpperCondamine ResearchandeditingbytheNSWDepartmentofPrimaryIndustries(NSWDPI) HamishSewell(TheStoryProject)andGregRingwood(NFSCoordinator,FisheriesQueensland). andtheUniversityofTechnology,Sydney(UTS).Theviewsexpressedinthis bookletarenotnecessarilythoseoftheNSWDPI,UTSorotherprojectpartners. Frontphotographs–LͲR Source:DessieObst. TheMDBAacknowledgestheintellectualpropertyrightsofthepeoplewhose Source:GeoffReilly. storiesarefeaturedinthispublication. Source:GregRingwood. Aboriginalreadersarewarnedthatthispublicationmaycontainthenamesand Source:GregRingwood. imagesofAboriginalpeoplewhohavesincepassedaway. Backpageimages GoldfishandHyrtl’scatfish:GuntherSchmida.Allotherfishimages:NSWDPI. TheCondamineRiverrisesintheBorderRangesthen makesitswayalongtheeasternpartoftheDarlingDowns TheCondamineͲariversystem regioninSouthernQueensland,becomingtheBalonne RivernearGlenmorgan.The13000km2catchmentisone notjustachannel,muchofits ofthemajortributariesoftheDarlingRiverSystem. Twentythousandyearsago,theBarunggam,Bigambul, Giabal,Kambuwal,GithabulandJarowairpeopleknewa waterisundergroundyouonly verydifferentCondamineRiver:acoolerclimate,different plantsandanimalsand,mostimportantly,ariverthat see its power after a sudden flowedyearround.Withmuchofthewaterinthe CondamineRiverflowingunderground,springfedcreeks ³ andwaterholeswerepermanentwatersourcesutilisedby downpourreinvigoratesit. fishandtraditionalownersalike. Nowadays the river waters one of the richest agricultural areasinQueensland.Theaverageannualrainfallisin excessof600mm,mainlyfallingduringthesummer months.Alluvialflatsadjacenttoandeastofthe Condaminearefertileandparticularlysuitedtocropping. Intensivelanduseanddevelopmenthasresultedinavery differentrivertothatofyearsago.Theextensive floodplainsareeasilyerodedandwiththearrivalof hoofedstocktheCondamineRiverchangedandnowthe catchmentisdegradedsignificantly.Over60%ofthe aquatichabitatisnowconsideredinpoorcondition. Thesearethestoriesofthosewholovetheriverandwho lovetofishintheriver.Theirstoriesarepartofabigger storyaboutchangestotheCondamineRiveranditsfish. PeoplerememberthegloryoftheCondaminepastand wanttotalkaboutafuturefortheCondamineandtheir visionsforahealthyriverthatis,onceagain,fullofnative fish. Introducing the river and its people TherichnessoftheUpperCondamine Once upon a time allowedlocalclanstotradewiththeclans PriortotheEuropeansettlementtherewere fromothercatchments. atleasteightAboriginalclansintheUpper Althoughtherehavebeensomechanges Condaminecatchment.Thesecommunities overtheyears,traditionsassociatedwiththe wouldgathereverythreeyearsintheBunya riverareasvividnowastheywerebefore Mountains,northofDalby,fromMayto thearrivaloftheEuropeans.AsSamBonner, November,forthebunyanutharvest. GithabulElder,pointsout: EuropeanrecordsofmultiͲclanAboriginal gatheringgoesbackto1866when400–500 Inpasttimesaboriginalswererequiredto individualsfromBarunggam,Bigambul,Dalla, removerubbishfromtheriverleavingitclean and tidy as they found it. Giabal,JagaraandtheJarowairpeople gatheredalongLakeBroadwaternearDalby. Asinthepast,therivercontinuestoplaya significantroleinthelivesofAboriginal TheseAboriginalclanshaveastrongspiritual peopletoday. connectionwiththeCondamineRiver.The TheUpperCondaminewasrichinfish, BarunggampeoplebelievethattheGreat freshwaterturtles,shellfishandwaterfowlas RainbowSerpentcalledGaiwarcarvedout wellasatriennialbumpercropofbunya therivers,creeksandlakesduringitsjourney nuts.Thisledtotheareabeingaregular acrosstheearth.TheGithabulpeoplecalled gatheringsiteforthesurroundingclans². theRainbowSerpentMochelMocheland Nardoo,aplantwhichgrowsintheshallow believethatitlivedinthewaterholesaround marginsofbillabongsalongtheCondamine, Warwick.FortheGithabulpeopleswimming wasgroundtomakeatypeofpancake.The intheriverwasassociatedwithstrictrules. bulbsofthenativeleekandwaterlilieswere Thegendersweresegregatedandallocated usedasvegetables³.Thebanksofthe separatetimes.Somewaterholeswerealso CondamineRiveranditstributariesalso usedforinitiationceremoniesthatwereout provided the Aboriginal peoples with the AcreekintheUpperCondamineRivercatchment of bound to the opposite sex³. fruitsofrubysaltbush,nativelime,winter withintactriparianvegetation.Photo:CondamineAlliance. appleandsandalwood. The arrival of the Europeans ThefirstEuropeanexplorerinthearea,Alan Cunningham,travelledthroughthe catchmentin1827,namingtheDarling DownsafterthegovernorofNSW,SirRalph Darling.Duringthe1840s,theearlysettlers establishedseveralgrazingenterprises.More settlementswereencouragedafter Queenslandbecameastatein1859,and legislationwaspassedtosubdividelarge pastoralestablishmentsintosmallerblocks toincreasepopulation². BrianKuhnhasbeenaresident,fisherman,fish SamBonner,GithabulElder,ispassionateaboutthe Theareawitnessedasignificantincreasein stockingclubmemberandFishcarevolunteer.More Condamine.Samiskeentopassonhistraditionaland theregion’sagriculturaleconomyasthe recentlyBrianhasbeeninvolvedinriverrestoration environmentalknowledgeontothechildren,toshow croppinganddairyindustriesexpanded. projects.Photo:GregRingwood. themwhattherivermeanstohimandhispeople. Photo:GregRingwood. TheLeslieDam,southwestofWarwick,was constructedin1964withawaterstorage capacityof47000ML.Itwaslatermodified toincreaseitswaterholdingcapacityto supporttheirrigationindustry. Waterextractionsandweirshaveresultedin reducedhighflows,minorchangesto seasonalityandvariabilityandareductionin annualwatervolumeswithinthe Condamine.Reducedflowsandnutrient runoffhavealsoincreasedtheincidenceof blueͲgreenalgalbloomsinthesystem. NoalKuhlisakeenfishermanandfishingjournalist. OliveandRayShooterhavelivedonDalrympleCreek Heisinvolvedinthelocalfishstockingclubandhas for48andover77yearsrespectively.Intheiryounger undertakenlocalhistoricalresearchtoguidemany yearstheirlivesrevolvedaroundthecreek. riverrestorationprojectsinhisarea.Photo:Greg Photo:GregRingwood. Ringwood. Brian Kuhn – The passion of a farmer BrianKuhnhasbeen bobupanddownyouknewyouhadabite. So it was an easy way to learn to fish workingasafarmer anyway. Spangled perch sincehewas17years old.Helivesona Brianrememberscatchingmanyfish,but (LeiopotheraponunicolourͲ propertythatborders