<< BACK TO CONTENTS Riding the flow Water used to support a healthy Goulburn River is also providing opportunities for adventure and nature tourism in the region Fishing, kayaking, bushwalking, bike riding and camping are all popular activities in and around the river, its tributaries and wetlands. Tour operator Rob Asplin established his canoeing business in the 1990s and now takes groups of paddlers along the river. “There are beautiful routes from Mooroopna to Daintons Bridge, which take about an hour, and from the Belstack Strawberry Farm to Daintons Bridge, which take a day,” Rob said. A considerable amount of river flow is water for the environment, delivered specifically to improve conditions for native fish and vegetation and to provide homes for platypus, birds and other animals. “People just love that there are 300 species of birdlife here, great fishing and beautiful trees, and it’s all based around the river,” Rob continued. Breakfast with the birds In February, nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers enjoyed a symphony of taste, colour and sound at the Breakfast with the Birds event in the central Murray wetlands. Heavy spring rain created a unique opportunity to deliver water for the environment to Lake Cullen, an important waterbird breeding habitat north-west of Kerang. The result was a wetland brimming with life, and the North Central CMA took full advantage of it, using the lake as the location for its annual World Wetlands Day community Breakfast with the Birds. “There were huge numbers of migrating wading birds as well as near-threatened magpie geese, endangered Australasian bitterns, pelicans, swans and black-winged stilts,” North Central CMA Project Manager Adrian Martins said. “It was a great opportunity for families and the community , as well as birdwatchers, to get a look at Lake Cullen and its amazing birdlife in all its glory.” Left to right: Tour operator Rob Asplin, by Shepparton News; Red-necked stints and red-capped plovers at Lake Cullen, by North Central CMA Reflections – Environmental watering in Victoria 2016–17 | 84
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