OzFish River Culture Officer and Kureinji man, Drew Fincher (centre), assisting volunteers with habitat restoration at Bottle Bend. Photo credit: OzFish.

OzFish Unlimited

Once a stark reminder of environmental degradation, Bottle Bend Reserve on the Murray River in NSW now stands as a landmark of recovery and hope. The 1650-hectare reserve, once marred by tree skeletons, diminished ground cover, and a devastated native fish population, has been transformed into a rejuvenated ecosystem supporting a variety of threatened species.

This promising turnaround is the result of strategic efforts by dedicated volunteers, NSW and Commonwealth environmental water & land management agencies, not-for-profit environmental groups, including the Murray Darling wetland working group, First Nations people and Australia’s only fishing conservation charity, OzFish. The coordination and empowerment through OzFish have supported recreational fishers and their communities to improve the health of the reserve and surrounding ecosystem.

Nestled south of the Sturt Highway near Monak, NSW, Bottle Bend now boasts a recovering population of native fish including the iconic Murray Cod and Golden Perch. It’s also made up of threatened Black Box woodlands and important wetland vegetation that supports local wildlife.

During the mid-2000s, during a severe drought, Bottle Bend Reserve on the Murray River gathered much media attention for its environmental degradation. The freshwater in the billabongs and wetlands was so highly saline and acidic, that the ecosystem faced a total collapse.

The reserve had a change in management and direction in 2016, with the establishment of the community driven Bottle Bend Reserve Committee, and further influence in 2020 when OzFish and Western Landcare NSW joined forces to enhance its biodiversity and fisheries. This allowed the community to take ownership of the reserve and invite OzFish chapter members and First Nations people to participate in the management and improve the habitat for all.

The transformation of Bottle Bend has stirred deep feelings of hope for the Kureinji First Nations people, with OzFish River Culture Officer and Kureinji man, Drew Fincher, delighted to see the habitat restoration. “As our land comes back to life so does the Kureinji Nations people. As a young lad I witnessed the transformation of Bottle Bend firsthand. This supported the stories I had been told by Elders, both cultural stories of my connection and those handed down through the generations knowing my place in this landscape and all that it encompasses is me and I am it, so connection is deep.”

“We still practice and embrace cultural camps, food collection, song, ceremony, music, dance and spirituality at Bottle Bend. It’s a living thing. Culture is alive and well on this country, our business is to be inclusive and hoping everyone can see the benefits and be part of the restoration.”

Today, through the delivery of environmental water and higher river flows, Bottle Bend’s billabongs and waterways are functioning as an ecological success story flowing towards recovery. Trees once thought lifeless now boast vibrant canopies, and the return of native fish and frogs signals a healthy aquatic habitat.

OzFish’s Senior Program Manager for the Murray-Darling Basin, Braeden Lampard, said, “Since 2020, OzFish and the Bottle Bend Committee of Management have achieved significant environmental restoration. This has included removing over three tonnes of rubbish, installing 20 aquatic fish habitats, erecting a riparian fence, planting more than 1,000 aquatic and riparian plants, and clearing over 15 trailer loads of invasive weeds. By using habitat mapping, we’ve been able to identify ecosystem gaps and focus our restoration efforts where they’re needed most.”

Strategic environmental water flows have significantly improved floodplain vegetation health and water quality, while the OzFish River Repair Bus has facilitated efforts to plant native vegetation and remove pest species, driving Bottle Bend’s landscape toward recovery.

“The improvements to water quality and aquatic ecosystems have been encouraging, with environmental water entering the system and the surrounding riparian corridor coming back to life. The aquatic wildlife has returned, with Golden Perch caught by locals. There are also a number of threatened species that utilise Bottle Bend Reserve’s habitats, such as the Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and the Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis).”

Bottle Bend Reserve Committee Member Peter Kelly said, “It is rewarding to see all the early work of the Committee and many partners paying off, like environmental watering, pest plant and animal control, signage, vehicle and boat access along with fencing to protect cultural and biodiversity values.”

“The cultural values are outstanding in this reserve and working with Kureinji community to protect them through environmental enhancement and protection projects has been a feature of the progress at Bottle Bend Reserve,” Mr Kelly said.

Cultural surveys completed at Bottle Bend in 1992 and 2006 revealed scarred trees, lithic scatters, shell middens, stone artefacts and a burial site. Shell middens were found extensively along the river margin, with many fireplaces indicating this was a significant site for gathering food and sharing stories under the stars for First Nations people.

These cultural assets are being managed and protected by the Bottle Bend Committee and the Kureinji First Nations community.

Marni Holden, Acting General Manager of Landcare NSW, said “This transformation at the Bottle Bend Reserve is an inspiring achievement. Restoration at this level has been possible because the communities have come together to bring a degraded ecosystem back to thriving with life. The recovery of Bottle Bend Reserve offers valuable lessons for restoration efforts across the state. The partnership between volunteers, fishers, First Nations people, and environmental groups is an example of the power of community collaboration.”

The vast improvement at Bottle Bend tells the tale of how science and dedication can bring back a landscape from the brink.

The project is part of the Driving Fish Habitat Action partnership between OzFish and Landcare NSW. Funding for this project was provided with grants from the Recreational Fishing Trust and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Developments’ Recreational Fishing Trust’s Habitat Action Grant Program. These grant programs are financed from funds generated through the sale of the recreational fishing licence fee in NSW and managed by NSW DPIRD Fisheries, on behalf of the Recreational Fishing Trust. Key contributors included the Bottle Bend Reserve Committee of Management, OzFish Sunraysia Chapter and BCF Mildura volunteers.

OzFish is a not-for-profit member organisation that partners with fishers and the broader community to invest time and money into the protection and restoration of waterways, counteracting decades of degradation with projects in habitat restoration, re-snagging, riverbank planting, clean-ups, fishways, shellfish reefs and educational and community capacity building programs. www.ozfish.org.au, to learn more, or become a member.

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