Listening to the Rivers

We had a great day out on Country recently with West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA), as part of our ongoing partnership agreement and our shared commitment to learning together and supporting each other’s aspirations for Country.

Corey Jack, from our Natural Resource Management (NRM) team, along with Project Officer Olivia Bowman and On Country Rangers Michael Welsh-Dalton and Kobi Hood, teamed up with Joel Kilgour and Adrian Clements from West Gippsland CMA to carry out eDNA sampling and water quality testing across key waterways.

eDNA sampling basically means capturing traces of DNA that species leave behind in the waterways.

This helps us identify where culturally significant species are present, as well as any introduced ones.

Starting at the Swing Bridge, where the Latrobe and Thomson Rivers meet, the team then moved to the Heart Morass before collecting samples from the Macalister River near Maffra – both in town and out at Bellbird Corner.

Water quality testing focused on salinity levels across different sites.

The day was also about sharing knowledge and building skills. Corey demonstrated how to use the backpack pump, while Adrian guided the team through using the water quality meter and reading the results.  

This work builds on recent EnviroDNA training for 13 other crew members, and ties into our broader monitoring of the Gippsland Lakes through our Gippsland Lakes Consultative Committee program.

With strong partnerships like these in place, and more of our crew now equipped to read Country in this way, we’re looking forward to seeing what this work will reveal over time.