Fishes--Identification]]> Crustaceans]]> Birds]]> Plants--Identification]]> Trade routes]]> Connection to Country]]> Githabul people]]> Traditional fishing]]> Wildlife conservation]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Camping]]> Dreaming (Spiritual)]]> Aboriginal history]]> Water--Symbolic aspects]]>
Sam Bonner is a Githabul Elder who lives near Emu Creek, which is a tributary of the Condamine River. Sam speaks about his childhood experiences of the river, his love and passion for the river, its history, and his traditional and environmental knowledge about the river.

The interview was recorded at The Canoe Tree and water hole on the Condamine River, Queensland. Sam shares his extensive knowledge about his Indigenous culture and history and outlines Indigenous customs and practices of conservation. He is passionate about the Condamine River, and keen to pass on his traditional and environmental knowledge on to the next generations, to show them what the river means to him and his people.

Mentioned: white ants, porcupines, casuarinas, willy wagtails, finches, double bars, swallows, doves, blue wrens. ]]> CC-BY]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Crustaceans]]> Birds--Identification]]> Plants--Identification]]> Water resources]]> Floodplains]]> Weeds]]> Irrigation]]> Water quality]]> Introduced fishes]]> Cotton]]> No-till farming]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Weirs]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Aboriginal scarred tree]]>
He also discusses how European Carp came into the water system during the 1974 flood; the importance of floodplains to the breeding cycles of fish; Aboriginal scarred trees, and evidence of large gathering sites (remains of shell middens); the Chinese population in the area and the environmental impacts of the rice industry.

Mention of the the Flood Plain Association and Water Act (Queensland).]]> CC-BY]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Crustaceans]]> Birds--Identification]]> Reptiles--Identification]]> Plants--Identification]]> Dams]]> Blackwater]]> Water--Law and legislation]]> Droughts]]> Weeds]]> Fish stocking]]> Billabongs]]> Introduced species]]> Water quality]]>
Born in 1955 at Mildura, Rodney grew up on the Darling. He has witnessed the changes in the native fish population, particularly relating to the arrival of the European carp; the decimation of Catfish; restocking; fish kills at Wakool; the removal of Willow trees; the disappearance of bird life following the wave of the calcivirus; blackwater and its impacts on the region; yabbying; fishing techniques; the way fish behave during droughts; the Darling floods of 1956 and 1976, and the various flora and fauna present in the region.

He also shows the research crew Fort Courage and talks about fishing at the junction of the two systems, including a description of a "mini delta" in the Anabranch when it runs.

Mention of 183 Dam and a fish species 'Minnow' (unspecified).]]> CC-BY]]>