Goulburn River and Northern Victorian Tributaries
Image: Brolga recorded at Moodie Swamp. Photo credit: Jo Geddes - Goulburn Broken CMA
About the Area
The Goulburn River and Northern Victorian Tributaries (GRANT) Area includes the Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe and Loddon River Systems.
This Area is on the lands of the Yorta Yorta and Taungurung people, Traditional Owners of the land and waters in the Goulburn and Broken catchments, and the Dja Dja Wurrung, Barapa Barapa and Wamba Wemba people, Traditional Owners of the land and waters in the Campaspe and Loddon catchments.
Flows in the rivers of the GRANT Area are highly regulated by large reservoirs, such as Lake Eildon and Lake Eppalock, and numerous smaller weirs. Delivery of Commonwealth environmental water in the GRANT Area is almost entirely confined to rivers. However, there are opportunities to deliver small volumes of water to benefit the environment in some wetlands.
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Lower Goulburn River. Photo credit: Goulburn Broken CMA
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Waterbug sampling. Photo credit: RMIT
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Juvenile Murray cod recorded during annual sampling. Photo credit: Wayne Koster - ARI
Our Work
Learn about the key activities taking place in this Area.
Native Fish
To monitor annual trends in fish abundance and species diversity we conduct annual electrofishing surveys in autumn. In spring and early summer, we monitor fish breeding success by positioning fine nets in the river flow to sample the abundance of drifting fish eggs and larvae. Fish monitoring is mainly on the lower Goulburn River, but limited monitoring may be undertaken in other rivers after particular flow events, to see how populations of native fish respond.
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Native Vegetation
We monitor annual and seasonal trends in the cover and species diversity of bank vegetation by conducting field surveys in December, March and April. Surveys are timed to coincide with the beginning of the growth season (December), and before and after delivery of Commonwealth environmental water in autumn (the Autumn Fresh). This allows us to evaluate the impacts of autumn flows on native bank vegetation. Monitoring occurs mainly on the lower Goulburn River but some limited monitoring may be undertaken in other rivers to investigate vegetation responses to key flow events during summer and early autumn (a key growing period).
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Native Waterbirds
A small population of Brolgas is present in northern Victoria, estimated at just 50 - 100 birds, and these birds rely on flooded wetlands to successfully breed and raise young. We plan to fit GPS tags to a number of Brolgas, allowing scientists to remotely track the movements of birds in real time. During previous Flow-MER work the same tracking techniques have been used to track native waterbirds in other parts of the Murray–Darling Basin, providing valuable insights into how Commonwealth environmental water supports bird populations by facilitating successful migration and breeding events.
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Cultural Outcomes
Genuine involvement of First Nations people in the design and implementation of GRANT Area activities is a priority. This includes knowledge sharing and co-design, and the development of First Nations-led MER project activities that are designed and delivered by First Nations people. Our indigenous Cultural Advisor is working to coordinate the development of these projects with local First Nations Traditional Owner groups, the GRANT Area team and relevant stakeholders.
Knowledge Exchange and Community Engagement
To build project awareness, support and collaboration, we share information, knowledge and project outcomes among local communities, project partners, scientists and First Nations people. Subscribe to our news below and look out for updates via our websites, social media, newsletters, publications, media releases, forums, presentations and community events.
Physical Habitat
Bank condition is often related to vegetation cover in rivers, and both of these aspects influence the quality of physical habitat available for fish, birds and other animals. Bank condition is evaluated by monitoring rates of erosion and sedimentation on different parts of the riverbank. Surveys are conducted using drones to capture high-resolution images of the riverbank, and these images are analysed to evaluate the effects of individual flow events (freshes, inter-valley transfers) on erosion and sedimentation. Drone-captured images show precisely where and how much sediment is eroded or deposited after a flow event and can also be used to assess trends in bank vegetation cover and diversity.
Physical Habitat monitoring is focused on the banks of the lower Goulburn River, but surveys may be undertaken on other rivers to investigate physical habitat responses to key flow events.
Aquatic invertebrates (water bugs)
Aquatic invertebrates include many insects that live completely or partly in the water (e.g. dragonflies) and crustaceans such as freshwater shrimp and prawns. Invertebrates are a vital component of the river fauna, contributing to native biodiversity and providing an important source of food for native fish. To evaluate the nutritional quality of freshwater shrimp and prawns as a prey item for native fish, specimens are being collected to assess their fat content during spring and early summer. Commonwealth environmental water is predicted to provide a pulse of food for freshwater shrimp and prawns in spring, fattening them up and making them a more nutritious snack for native fish. Monitoring sites are located on the lower Goulburn River, with additional reference sites on the Broken River and King Parrot Creek.
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Research
A program of research activities has been developed to continuously improve our monitoring techniques and fill key knowledge gaps. Research topics include:
- Adapting high-resolution drone data to monitor changes in vegetation cover.
- Refining on-ground vegetation survey methods to improve efficiency.
- Understanding the cover and composition of wetland vegetation communities in the mid Goulburn River and the role of environmental water in supporting them.
- Understanding changes in river metabolism (fish-food production) in response to flow events at different times of year.
- Understanding when and how waterbirds use river channels for habitat, nesting and feeding.
A major part of the research program is to support emerging researchers by funding and mentoring PhD research projects. Three PhD students will undertake research projects in the GRANT Area, with diverse projects that address key knowledge gaps:
- Can flows in the mid-Goulburn River be managed to benefit platypus breeding success?
- How are seeds transported by flows in the Goulburn River catchment, and how does this influence the distribution of plant species across the Goulburn River network?
- How and where in the river are base resources (carbon) converted to energy by microorganisms? Can flows be managed to increase energy production?
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Key Insights
Strengthening our understanding of river flows management
Monitoring, Evaluation and Research outputs from the Flow-MER Program have strengthened our understanding of how managed river flows can deliver positive and negative outcomes for the Goulburn River ecosystem. Through an adaptive management process, the delivery of environmental and consumptive water has been improved to minimise negative impact while enhancing environmental outcomes.
Refinements include:
- Targeted timing, duration and magnitude of flow pulses to stimulate native fish spawning and promote the germination and growth of vegetation on the riverbank.
- Avoiding prolonged stable water levels, which prepare the bank for erosion, and avoiding rapid reductions in water level, which trigger large erosion events (slumping).
Informing policy
Monitoring, Evaluation and Research outputs are used to inform policy and have played a critical role in the review and amendment of operating rules for the lower Goulburn River. The rules minimise environmental damage by setting limits on the maximum volume of regulated water that can be delivered through the lower Goulburn River to the Murray River during summer and autumn. See Operating Rules for the lower Goulburn River - Water Register for more.
Our Team
The University of Melbourne has been engaged by the CEWH to conduct Flow-MER activities in the Goulburn River System from July 2024 to June 2029.
The University of Melbourne
Partners
Arthur Rylah Institute
Barapa
Djaara Balaki Wuka
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
Jacobs
Monash University
Austral Research and Consulting
RMIT
Streamology
Taungurung Land and Waters Council
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation
Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation
Water for Country Steering Committee