Department of Primary Industries (DPI) regional officer, Anthony Townsend, said the Reaching Beyond Demonstration Reaches videos will give the community a better understanding of the success and challenges of river rehabilitation projects.

“This amazing footage gives viewers a unique bird’s eye view of the Murray-Darling Basin, showing how our waterways interact with the broader landscape,” Mr Townsend said.

“The experiences and achievements of different communities in restoring fish habitat are captured on video on waterways across the Murray-Darling, from the Ovens River in Victoria through to the Condamine River in Queensland, showing that no system is immune and all communities can play a vital role in bringing back native fish.

“The videos focus on individual demonstration reach projects within the Murray-Darling Basin and use amazing footage, captured by a drone camera at times.

“Demonstration reaches were a key theme of the Murray-Darling Basin Native Fish Strategy and reveal how river rehabilitation can be achieved through the integration of multiple actions.”

Mr Townsend said the success of the riverine restoration projects was due to key partnerships between local landholders, volunteers, school groups, recreational fishers, scientists and government organisations.  

“The videos will hopefully inspire other local communities to get involved in river restoration projects and take ownership of their own local patch for the benefit of fish and future generations,” Mr Townsend said.

Mr Townsend said “Community and Action - More Fish” is the compelling take home message from each video.

This project was enabled through funding from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s joint funding program.

The videos are available via the Fish Habitat Network and can be viewed athttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN2SfgvcOyU18CD1KE9ohhUbBazvcUSVl.