Wingillie Station is home to the first known reintroduction of a locally extinct fish species in New South Wales (NSW). The Murray hardyhead, a threatened species and considered extinct for over a decade in NSW, are now thriving.
Thanks to Commonwealth environmental water, the site is also supporting floodplain biodiversity by:
- providing habitat for a variety of wetland and floodplain birds
- providing habitat for frogs, including the threatened southern bell frog
- maintaining river red gum and other native vegetation.
About Wingillie Station
Wingillie Station is on Barkindji Country, 60km west of Wentworth in south-western NSW. It's managed by the Hazel L Henry Farmland Nature Refuges which focuses on conservation and improving vegetation and habitat for local wildlife.
Since 2015, the Murray–Darling Wetlands Working Group (Working Group) has worked with the Station. Patron Howard Jones and senior ecologist Rick Webster (Vale) recognised its potential after surveying how waterbirds and unique vegetation emerge following inundation.
The Working Group manages the delivery of water to the site in partnership with Station managers Ken and Ann Warren. The Warrens love wetlands, and oversee weed management, fencing, and facilitate the delivery of environmental water.
“The proliferation of wildlife in the wake of a flood event, from bird breeding, to the identification of the southern bell frog, has been wonderful to witness. It shows how important wetland management is.”
– Ken Warren, HLH Nature Refuges
Murray hardyhead are making a splash
The Murray hardyhead is a small fish that can survive in salty water. This makes Little Frenchman's Creek in Wingillie Station the ideal habitat.
In 2018, the fish were translocated to the creek after the delivery of environmental water.
NSW Fisheries monitored the fish population, which multiplied at an incredible rate. Within 2 years, the population grew from several hundred to around 6,000.
In 2021, after the site connected with the River Murray, NSW Fisheries recorded more than 200,000 Murray Hardyhead. These translocations aim to reduce the risk of the species becoming extinct.
CEWH's ongoing work at the Station
The work at Wingillie Station is an important part of the department's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022 – 2032 (the Action Plan).
The Action Plan maps how to protect, manage and restore threatened species and natural places.
To ensure its success, CEWH works with community groups, landholders, First Nations communities, scientists and government.
Thriving Murray hardyhead populations at the Station are key to supporting the species' recovery. Evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management are key aspects of this.
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Dr Simon Banks said environmental water has been a key part of the project’s success.
“The return of the Murray hardyhead at this site is a great achievement. It follows years of hard work by local landholders, community groups and agencies to create suitable conditions. This is a great example of how water for the environment is targeted and used carefully to improve the health of our rivers and wetlands”.