National Museum of Australia

Salt Creek reduced flows, Grant (Goolwa)

Altered flows in Salt Creek

This is what western farming has done. Where has all the freshwater gone? Water flows at Salt Creek have nearly come to a standstill. This is having dire impacts on the ecosystem in this region. What will happen? We need change.

Southern end of Coorong, Grant (Goolwa)

Southern end of Coorong

The southern end of 'Kurangk' (Coorong). The water here now is saline - up to 6 times higher in salt content than the great southern ocean!

Master weavers creating their craft, Grant (Goolwa)

Picture of Aunty Ellen

Aunty Ellen Trevorrow preparing starters for basket weaving. Much time and effort is put into harvesting freshwater sedges and then the preparation of them as materials for groups at Camp Coorong to use for basket weaving. Now with the water quality issues, salinity and contamination the sedges (which are freshwater) are becoming harder to find.

Basket weaving, Grant (Goolwa)

Intricate weaving

Ngarrindjeri basket weaving is extremely complex and many examples of beautiful work are displayed at Camp Coorong.

Coorong Mudflat, Tim (Goolwa)

Mudflats on the Coorong

The mudflats of the Coorong are critical habitats for the migratory waders that visit the area each summer. They are an important source of invertebrates, which the waders Teat, fattening themselves up for their return journey to the northern hemisphere.

The Coorong and lakes Alexandrina and Albert are a wetland of international importance, also known as a Ramsar site. They are also one of the six significant ecological assets of the Murray Darling Basin. The site is valuable internationally because it provides a home to tens of thousands of migratory waders who fly from Siberia to Australia each spring, to feed and fatten up before returning to Siberia in the northern summer to breed. The major issue for the Ramsar site is the lack of flows down the River Murray, which is depriving the Coorong of much needed fresh water, mud and other detritus. It is also causing severe constriction of the Murray Mouth, which is only prevented from closing by a non-stop sand dredging program. In the long term the Coorong and Lakes Ramsar site needs environmental flows to keep the Murray Mouth open naturally and to improve the health of the Coorong.

Banded stilts, Tim (Goolwa)

Banded stilts foraging for worms on the mudflats

The Coorong and lakes Alexandrina and Albert are a wetland of international importance, also known as a Ramsar site. They are also one of the six significant ecological assets of the Murray Darling Basin. The site is valuable internationally because it provides a home to tens of thousands of migratory waders who fly from Siberia to Australia each spring, to feed and fatten up before returning to Siberia in the northern summer to breed. The major issue for the Ramsar site is the lack of flows down the River Murray, which is depriving the Coorong of much needed fresh water, mud and other detritus. It is also causing severe constriction of the Murray Mouth, which is only prevented from closing by a non-stop sand dredging program. In the long term the Coorong and Lakes Ramsar site needs environmental flows to keep the Murray Mouth open naturally and to improve the health of the Coorong.

Water