The Mitchell River catchment in
Tropical North Queensland, Australia, spans 72,000 square kilometres (the size of Tasmania) across
the base of Cape York Peninsula. It incorporates five major river systems: the Mitchell, Alice, Palmer, Walsh and Lynd, and involves four local governments; namely Tablelands Regional (formerly Mareeba), Cook, Carpentaria and Kowanyama Communities Local Government Area.
The Mitchell River Watershed Management Group Inc (MRWMG) arose out of a conference on watershed management held at Kowanyama in 1990. The catalyst for this conference was the concern for the river’s health felt by the Traditional Owners when they first started flying to Cairns and saw the catchment from the air. The MRWMG, has grown into an independent, not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with local communities and stakeholders to:
- create a balanced approach to the use of the catchments resources; and
- achieve sustainable and integrated management of the Mitchell River catchment area.
Read more about us, our projects, news and issues, and about the catchment in the relevant pages of this web site. There are also pages dedicated to education and awareness activities for kids, a publications area containing a collection of internal and external reports and other documents, a calendar of events, and details of how you can become involved. The Mitchell River Group is also an endorsed tax deductible gift receipient and we greatly appreciate donations.
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News
Irrigation Management Workshops - Plant & Soil Moisture Monitoring - 24 June 2008 at Dimbulah & Mareeba. These workshops were funded by Northern Gulf Resource Management Group and organised by the Mitchell River Watershed Management Group. Presentations were given by George Russell from Growcom on the why and how of moisture monitoring and then by Fabian Gallo of HydroTech Monitoring on the technology available for moisture monitoring and irrigation scheduling. Those who attended the Dimbulah workshop also heard from Berto Srhoj about the sophisticated computer controlled system he had installed in his citrus orchard. Berto then showed everyone the information about his crop he could access on his computer, from anywhere on the planet, before taking them for a look at the actual system installed in the orchard.
Berto Srhoj explaining his irrigation management system in his citrus orchard, Dimbulah
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Tilapia found in Walsh River Catchment
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During a DPI Fisheries periodic surveillance in January 2008, Tilapia were discovered in Eureka Creek a tributary of the Walsh River, in the Mitchell River Catchment. Seven juvenile Tilapia mariae were caught. Monitoring continues with electrofishing and netting in the creek and in the Walsh River both downstream and upstream of the discovery site. “This is a nightmare for Mitchell River Watershed Management Group,” states Chairperson Hilary Kuhn... more... |
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Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) program
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The Mitchell River forms part of the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge program (TRaCK), a significant $30 million research program that is aimed at providing science and knowledge to help with the sustainable management of Australia¹s tropical rivers and coasts...
find out more... |
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Djungan Youth Training & Culture Centre - water project:
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Stage 4 of this Commonwealth Community Water Grants funded project is almost complete. So far, 3 sites at this youth training and culture centre have been installed with rainwater tanks and catchment shelters built by Indigenous students as part of their Engineering Certificate studies at the Australian Agricultural College Mareeba Campus...
find out more... |
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Bar Barrum Community Water
Grants project - completed:
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The Bar Barrum Community Water Grants project has now been completed. 5 rainwater tanks with a total storage capacity of around 188,000 litres (approx 41,000 gallons) have been installed at 3 sites. Combined, it is estimated that they will reduce extraction from the near-by Emu creek by up to 375,000 litres per year and maintain fresh water sources for the Bar Barrum community.
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Gamba Grass - Fire Safety Issues
Sue Lamb, a Fire Control Officer from the Northern Territory with extensive experience of fighting Gamba grass fires, addressed a forum in Mareeba on 30 April 2008 on the extra hazards associated with fighting these fires. Gamba grass can have a fuel load of 30 tonnes per hectare (see picture below), which is about 8 times that of native grasses and undergrowth. This produces a very intense fire that is not only a danger to firefighters and vehicles but can also destroy the tree canopy. To see Sue's presentation click here.
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