Fishes--Identification]]> Floods]]> Weirs]]> Aboriginal fish traps]]> Aboriginal art]]> Water quality]]> Ngiyambaa / Ngemba language]]> Silt]]> Totems]]> Rock paintings]]> Paakantyi / Paakantji / Barkindji people]]> Muruwari / Murrawarri people]]> Wiradjuri people]]> Gamilaraay / Gamilaroi / Kamilaroi language]]> Connection to Country]]> Aboriginal kinship systems]]>
Phillip passionately discusses a wide range of topics that include growing up along the river; the impacts on the Upper Darling and surrounds caused by weirs and restrictions; Aboriginal history; the significance of connection to Country and water; Aboriginal law and personal responsibilities; and the relationships between neighbouring Aboriginal nations. He also points out the cultural shifts he has witnessed; from that of a group-focused, collectivist culture, to a more Western-aligned culture of individualism with its self-focused culture, and its consequences on Aboriginal kinship values, society and the environment.

Mention of: King Brown Snake. Eastern Brown Snake. Long neck turtles.

Quandong. Gum trees. Coolabah trees. Spinifex.]]> CC BY-NC]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Billabongs]]> Cultural flows]]> Water quality]]> Riparian restoration]]> Connection to Country]]> Native plants]]> Clean energy]]> Fish stocking]]> Ngiyambaa / Ngemba language]]>
Feli believes that the root of social issues facing Aboriginal people is the lack of culturally appropriate employment. He reflects on his personal experiences where he recalls having to adopt another identity and therefore understands the difficulties this entails. He says that Aboriginal people as instinctive custodians possess valuable skills that are transferable to specialised areas of employment.

Feli’s vision for billabongs, that he says are the antibiotics for the damaged systems, include the revegetation of native bush tucker and restocking the waters with native fingerlings. He is working with scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Industry & Investment (now Department of Trade and Investment), and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to help realise these goals.

Feli also discusses the Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin (2003-2013) and the Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA) in which these billabongs are located.]]> CC BY-NC]]> 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]]> Birds--Identification]]> Reptiles--Identification]]> Plants--Identification]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Crustaceans]]> Water--Law and legislation]]> Tools]]> No-tillage]]> Floods]]> Introduced fishes]]> Fishes--Migration]]>
The Shooters speak of their experience living next to Dalrymple Creek, a tributary of the Condamine. Ray talks about the changes he has observed in the creek over almost 80 years, its transformation, and the changing patterns of fish migration and sizes. The Shooters reflect fondly on their continuing recreational use of the creek.

Mention of the River Improvement Trust and The Tulgai Skull documentary made in the 1960s, investigating the history of the Indigenous peoples in the region.]]> CC-BY]]> Birds--Identification]]> Reptiles--Identification]]> Plants--Identification]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Crustaceans]]> Weirs]]> No-tillage]]> Vertisols]]> Irrigation]]> Fish stocking]]> Fishes--Breeding]]>
Geoffrey Riley is the owner of the property 'Lennie Brae' that has been in his family for generations. Geoffrey speaks of the changes as a result of the weirs, flood irrigation, and fish ways. He talks about a fauna and fish 'sanctuary zone' and simultaneous government efforts to replenish fish stock and increase fish breeding.

Geoffrey also describes the benefits and issues that arise with the presence of the rich agricultural black soil that is found locally. He elaborates on his no-till approach to his crops that he deems as most suitable to his needs.

]]> CC-BY]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Fish stocking]]> Weirs]]> Bait fishing]]> Cotton]]> Fishes--Breeding]]>
Dessie talks about: restocking fish species Yellowbelly and Murray Cod, since 1986; changes in vegetation, floods, water clarity, fish spawning activity as a result of weirs, since 1970s; fishing methods; types of bait used for different fish species; snags; irrigation and cotton growing demands on water. (Note: ‘Bolbie’ refers to the Bobby or Spangled Perch fish species.)]]> CC-BY]]> ]]> Revegetation]]> Water resources]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Fish stocking]]> Introduced fishes]]> Environmental flows]]>
Brian talks about: the state of the Condamine River over the last twenty years, and the lack of rain; translocating Murray Cod from drying water holes; restocking fish species Golden Perch, Murray Cod, Silver Perch, since 1990s; fishing methods; role of Condamine Alliance negotiating revegetation with private landholders; movement of European Carp through the system, and involvement in Carp Busters; differences in the taste of fish and methods of food preparation; removal of trees in streams by Condamine River Trust, 1960s; changes in water flow and impact on river banks; recent re-snagging; underground water and irrigation bores; platypus sightings.]]> CC-BY]]> Local history]]> Family histories]]> Environmental flows]]> Livestock]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Floods]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Blackwater]]> Siltation]]> Fish stocking]]> Artesian basins--Australia]]> Introduced fishes]]> Plants--Identification]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Irrigation]]>
First interview with Ron Heinemann, in three parts.

Ron Heinemann was born in 1922, and grew up on a sheep property in Springvale, west of Eulo, on the Paroo River. Ron’s parents moved to the area in the 1920s. He was taught to fish by his mother and cousins’ family.

Ron Heinemann talks about: 1942 and 1964 floods; Aboriginal knowledge of vegetation and floods; a black flood in 1935 which killed fish in the local water holes; how fish spawn before they die (before a flood); kangaroo and emu shooting; the 'diaries of Caiwarro Currawinyahere', written 1860-1950s, from a sheep and cattle property; siltation in Warrego River; restocking Warrego River with Murray Cod fingerlings in 1985; artesian water and basin; introduction of European Carp 1950s (originally brought to clean irrigation channels); bird life.

Mentions 'grunter' fish, however species unspecified. Also mention of: Cane grass, Mitchell grass, Flinders grass, Yapunyah tree, Hyacinth, Duck weed, Didgee tree, Lucerne.]]>
Ron Gardiner, the cousin of Ron Heinemann, was born in 1918 in Cunnamulla. Ron learned to swim in the Paroo River. In 1980 Ron moved from Paroo to Clifton, on the Condamine River.

Ron Gardiner talks about: history of the Eulo bridge, built in 1928; history of families and people in the area; abundance of Yellowbelly fish at Caiwarro; black flood at Five Mile hole; abundance of crayfish yabby and shrimp post-flood; saving sheep stock; two times the Paroo River reached the Darling; how vegetation requires rain to survive after a flood to remove silt; salty and freshwater bores; mud springs in Eulo; introduction of European Carp; concerns about irrigation; the relationship between the Warrego and Paroo Rivers.]]> CC-BY]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Plants--Identification]]> Birds--Identification]]> Irrigation]]> Agricultural land]]> Siltation]]> Physical characteristics (Animals)]]> Introduced fishes]]> Artesian basins--Australia]]> Aboriginal peoples]]> Local history]]> Dust storms]]> Blackwater]]> Floods]]> Environmental flows]]>
Gordon has spent most of his life in the Eulo district, and thirty years on a cattle property at Wandilla on the eastern side of the Paroo River. The district is sheep and cattle country; the Paroo used as a water source for stock. He comments on the health of the river in comparison with Murray Darling rivers used for irrigation.

Gordon talks about: Yowah country; overstocking and changes in vegetation and siltation as a result of smaller land settlement blocks; recreational fishing methods and popular water holes for Murray cod; different types of Yellowbelly species in the Murray Darling compared to Balloo; siting carp in the late 1970s, early 1980s; Eulo spring systems; interconnection between Artesian Basin and springs (Stratton Basin controversy); GABSKI Scheme and government subsidies for Artesian bore closures; Aboriginal peoples in the district; history of local land owners; dust storms from western New South Wales; changes in water bird life and a noticeable decline in ducks; black floods; Eulo in the 1930s and its highest population in its opal mining days, early 1900s; Kopai clay mineral; floods and the pattern of water flow from Warrego.

Mention of: Mulga weed, Lapunyah; water birds; 'moon fish'.]]> CC-BY]]> Livestock]]> Grazing]]> Feral animals]]> Local history]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Remote communities]]> Aboriginal peoples]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Swimming]]> Introduced fishes]]> Bushfires]]>
Fay and Donald talk about: the impact of floods at Eulo prior to the bridge; a time before motorised transportation and telephone communications; the ‘flood truck’ which used to transport goods and people across flood waters; the river as a place of recreation for children and a stock route for graziers; swimming, playing, and yabbying with Aboriginal children; Donald’s father’s recollection of Aboriginal corroborees that took place at water holes at Caiwarro and Tilbaroo; the introduction of European Carp; how bore drains reduced the amount of stock along the river; bushfires in the 1950s; impact of feral cats on water rats and bird species; Paroo as the ‘last river going west that had the Murray cod’; being able to predict a flood’s size by the sound of frogs.]]> CC-BY]]>