Branching out - a look at Coolebarghurk Creek

Coolebarghurk Creek is one of the many tributaries which flows into the Moorabool River. It is neither the longest nor - I think I can safely say - the best-known however it has its own unique place in the landscape and in the history of the region. It also continues to be very important to those who live along its course as I had cause to discover when I was recently invited to walk along several parts of the creek.
The Coolebarghurk Creek rises to the south east of the town of Elaine and to the north of Griffiths Road - its course shallow and barely discernable at some points. As it winds its way towards Meredith, it collects runoff water from surrounding farmland.

Near the top of the creek, looking north

Looking to the south near the head of the creek

Looking downstream

Like many creeks in the district, this is not a permanently flowing watercourse, however as it approaches Gargan Road, it is fed by several natural springs which ensure that even in the driest times there are still pockets and pools of water along its course which provide important habitat for local fauna. Where water was present we saw a number of different species of waterbirds. We were told that the introduced Redfin are plentiful here as are Short-finned Eel, hundreds of which make their home in the creek, from the juvenile (elvers) to the mature adults - a process which can take 15 to 30 years and see them travel thousands of kilometres. There is also believed to be significant underground water flow.

This section of the creek is fed by springs nearby

The nearest neighbour to Gargan Road described the natural springs which feed the creek and the runoff which occurs during wet periods. Whilst we could cross the creek without getting wet feet when we were there, we were asked to imagine the surrounding area to either side covered with water some tens of metres wide and at a height which would have seen us submerged. The bridge on Gargan Road we were informed was elevated after one such flood which almost saw it swamped.

The bridge on Gargan Road

From here, the creek swings south and flows through the township of Meredith which prides itself on having the distinction of being the only town through which the creek passes. Our expedition took us to two points in town. One was the "Path of the Ibis", a recreational area on the Ken Middleton Walk along the banks of the creek, which in part follows the route of the old bullock track from Geelong to Ballarat.

The path of the Ibis

It features a shelter and artwork produced by children from the nearby Meredith State School and other community members. Along this section of the creek native revegetation is occurring, however there are also older, exotic plantings. I believe that moves are also afoot to further improve the health of the creek through this area.

Artwork at the shelter

Artwork at the shelter

Not too much further downstream, is Meredith's Police Paddock - another stop on our tour. Here, the creek has transformed from a barely visible dip in the landscape, to a dramatic channel, carved from the rocks. Like the Middleton Walk, this area has a circuit track which provides views of the creek along with signage explaining the significance of the area. One notable point is that the lack of development in this area has allowed for the survival of much flora native to the area which is now being nurtured and enhanced by propagation of local plants and revegetation.

The Police Paddock looking upstream

The view from the Police Paddock looking downstream

From this point, the creek flows on through open farmland beside the Midland Highway, crossing Taylor's Road, before changing direction once again and swinging back to the east to make its final descent through a hilly pocket of the Moorabool Valley.

Above the confluence

By this point, the land around is wooded and scattered with rock, steep and presumably unsuitable for farming. The creek's channel is deep and relatively narrow as it descends to its confluence with the Moorabool river several hundred metres upstream of the Sharps Road Bridge.

The Creek just above the confluence

Coolebarghurk Creek meets the Moorabool River

In all, a distance of about 19 km from start to finish. Only a short distance, but one with quite a bit of history, which will be the subject of my next post.

Eels not seals

Over the last week, I have spent quite a few hours paddling on the river. On Sunday, after hearing from friends that they had spotted a seal in the section of the river immediately below the lower breakwater, I headed down from town for a look.
As I got close to the lower breakwater, I began seeing small floats every hundred metres or so down the middle of the river. Curious, I had a look. What I discovered was that these (there were about a dozen of them), were floats marking the positions of commercial eel traps which had been placed in the river.

Float belonging to a commercial eel trap on the river

Whilst I have seen individual fishermen catching eels on the Barwon before, this is the first time I have come across a commercial venture. A little research suggests that there are two commercial licences for eel fishing on the Barwon, with details of the eels and the industry in general outlined in an article by the Environment Department. The licences cover areas from Queen's Park to Lake Connewarre and part of the river downstream of the lake.
Below the break things were different. There were no traps but fish of some description (I couldn't see which but would assume Short-finned eels) were jumping in the channel between the breakwater and the lake. Alas, there was no sign of the seal which had no doubt been making the most of the plentiful food supply. I did however come across three fishermen who were very pleased there was no seal to eat the fish they were trying to catch!


Something breaking the surface

Once I reached Lake Connewarre, conditions were still mild so I thought I'd continue down to Barwon Heads to see if I could spot my "prey", however whilst I enjoyed the paddle (despite the stiff breeze which popped up as I approached the Heads), there was still no sign of the seal.
On the plus side, I did get some more great shots of the river downstream of the lake.

The western end of Lake Connewarre

In addition to a number of scenic shots of water and blue sky, I also snapped a number of very blurry shots of the numerous skydivers who were also making the most of the fine conditions. At one point I also managed a shot of one of the planes coming and going from the nearby Barwon Heads Airport and passing over the lake.

The view overhead

As I threaded my way through the myriad of channels, trying to find the exit from the lake to the river below, I spotted hundreds of birds of a variety of species all making use of the various sand banks around, including a pair of Pied oystercatchers

Pied oystercatchers on the flats

and quite a number of Caspian terns, which I don't remember seeing along the river before, including this pair, one of whom has clearly been banded for research purposes.

Caspian terns

A little further downstream through the state game reserve, the scenery was as flat as always, but no less impressive for that.

Below Lake Connewarre

One thing I did note which I don't remember seeing before, was what appear to be areas of bank erosion through the swampy part of the river which leads into the mangroves at Barwon Heads. Whether this is natural or not, I don't know.


Bank erosion along the lower Barwon

Past this point, the wind picked up and the paddling became hard work, but I made it to the Heads without issue and took the easy option of a ride home.

Gone Fishing

One of the most common recreational uses of rivers is fishing and in this, the Barwon and its tributaries are no different to most. What is caught and where varies from river to river and location to location and there are multiple websites which give detailed descriptions of what fish can be caught where and when, such as the Department of Environment and Primary Industries site which includes the Barwon and more.

Fisherman at Barwon Heads

During my meanderings up and down the Barwon I've come across several species of fish which call the river home and come across all sorts of people fishing along its length, from families fishing off the William Buckley footbridge at Barwon Heads or on the banks amongst the mangroves to the retirees fishing off the platforms through Geelong.
On a recent paddle up from Baum's Weir we met a guy paddling a fully-equipped Hobie Cat upriver to spend the day fishing for redfin (aka English perch) in the quiet section of river above Merrawarp Road. He claimed to have caught over fifty of the fish in the river over the past two weeks, which is good news for the Barwon as they are an introduced species which impacts native fish populations. Fortunately, they also make good eating (the reason they were introduced by settlers in the 1860s). Whilst they have been declared a noxious species in New South Wales, this is not as far as I can tell, yet the case in Victoria, however anglers are strongly encouraged not to return redfin to the water once caught.
Other problem exotic species I have come across in the Barwon are mosquito fish and of course carp, all of which I mentioned in an earlier post. It has been noted that since the introduced carp population took hold in the 1960s, that stocks of redfin have reduced, however the carp themselves cause serious damage to native fish populations and our waterways.


Carp in the Barwon at Breakwater

On the other hand however, I did come across a native species on a recent fishing excursion to the Moorabool River. We took the kids (along with the rods they received for Christmas) to a relative's property where we used to fish as kids too. I can't say that the haul was huge however, there were several good bites which resulted in a catch of one short-finned eel and a redfin fingerling, which had the misfortune of catching its tail on the hook.

Short-finned eel taken from the Moorabool

Like redfin, short-finned eel make good eating and are particularly popular as an export to Japan. They are found in many of our waterways, extending from the South Australian border along the east coast. They are also found in New Zealand and almost as far north as Fiji. Their ability to draw up to 50% of their oxygen through their skin, means young eels are able to move short distances between bodies of water such as lakes, river pools, swamps and dams over moist ground, where they stake a territory of around 400m. Males are somewhat smaller than females, reaching maturity at around 14 years as opposed to females maturing between 18 and 24 years.
Short-finned eels were also an important source of food for the local Wathaurong tribes who used the rocky parts of the riverbed - such as the anabranch at Fyansford - to create traps to catch the eels as they swam downstream.

Anabranch, Fyansford

Whilst there are a number of other species of native fish common to the Barwon and associated waterways, I have yet to spot them.