The Victorian Government’s Flagship waterways project will improve catchment and waterway health across regional and urban areas. Action 4.2 is a commitment to deliver the Living Moorabool and Barwon Flagship Projects.
The flagship waterway program for the Parwan/ Barwon and Murrabul/ Moorabool Rivers continued to progress well in 2023.
The Living Moorabool Flagship: Tour and Knowledge Forum was held in early March 2023. It gave an opportunity for the Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Aboriginal Corporation, project partners, Landcare and interested community members to explore the landscape, share knowledge and learn about the various works being undertaken to improve the health of the Murrabul/ Moorabool River.
The 2023-24 Upper Barwon Seasonal Watering Proposal was developed in consultation with Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and the Upper Barwon Surface Water Advisory Group and accepted by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder. Environmental Water releases are made in accordance with the Seasonal Watering Plan.
Riparian management agreements have been put in place with landholders to deliver works on 20 hectares of riparian land and 9 kilometres of Parwan/ Barwon River frontage in the upper Barwon area. Riparian works will include removal of willow and Glyceria maxima, and 3.3 kilometres of continual river fenced on the west branch. For the Murrabul/ Moorabool River further waterway health on-ground works have also secured contracts with landholders that will achieve 19 kilometres of river frontage and 127 hectares of riparian habitat protection.
Ongoing Citizen Science programs on both waterways continue to engage and support the community through water quality and waterbug monitoring training and platypus spotting events. In 2023 the Citizen Science program on the Murrabul/ Moorabool took time to celebrate a Waterwatch volunteer who has collected monthly water data on the river for the last 16 years.
More information on both projects is available at the Moorabool River.