Rehabilitating Wyndgate: Bringing Back Wetlands on a Family Property in South Australia

Abstract

Wyndgate is a privately owned and operated agricultural property of 1,200 ha situated adjacent to the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia. The Murray-Darling Basin includes the Murray River, its major tributary the Darling River, and numerous smaller tributaries; it covers over one million km2, or about 14% of Australia, including 42% of Australia’s farms and 75% of Australia’s irrigated land (Department of Environmental Resources 1996). From the viewpoint of wetland conservation, the Murray-Darling Basin could be considered an environmental disaster. Years of diking, installation of a lock system, and irresponsible water use have led to wetland loss and degradation. On a more optimistic note, a number of private landholders and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission advocate improved land management practices, including significant wetland rehabilitation. It is perhaps appropriate that Wyndgate, the last property on the Murray River before it discharges into the Southern Ocean, is the site of a long-term wetland rehabilitation scheme undertaken as a private effort by the land’s owners. This chapter describes the history of Wyndgate and its wetlands, including efforts to rehabilitate the wetlands that began in 1960, when the author’s father purchased the property.