Mallee scrub, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Mallee scrub, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
There are two main features of the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in north west Victoria. The lakes ecosystem complete with magnificent River Red Gum eucalyptus trees is the part that attracts most visitors to the park. This is only one of the attractions of this national park.
By far the greater part of the park is mallee scrub, an environment unique to Australia. I grew up in the Murray Mallee district of South Australia, so it is like home to me. This environment has a unique range of plants, insects and other fauna. When the mallee is in flower, the scrub can come alive with thousands of honeyeaters and other birds.
The mallee tree is of the eucalypt family of trees. There are many species of mallee, most typically have multiple trunks all growing from a stump, or lignotuber.
Mallee scrub, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria
Lake Hattah, NW Victoria
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
After leaving Swan Hill we travelled on towards Mildura in far north-west Victoria. We briefly visited one of our favourite places, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. We have spent many very enjoyable camping holidays in this park. The park consists of a series of shallow lakes filled during high water levels in the nearby Murray River.
Recent visits to the park have been disappointing due to the low water levels in the lakes. During the drought of the last few years there has been little or no water in the lakes system in the park. When there is water present the bird life is prolific, including many species of waterbirds. My family has also spent many wonderful days exploring the lakes in our canoe. (Power boats are not permitted here.)
Lake Hattah, NW Victoria
The photo above was taken in September 2007 with an abnormally low level of water in the lake. Normally the water would be several metres deeper and where I took this photo I would be standing in waist deep water.
Yellow Billed Spoonbill nesting
Yellow Billed Spoonbill (nesting)
Wandering along the river bank near the caravan park in Swan Hill I observed several birds high up in a eucalypt tree on the opposite bank. With my camera I was able to zoom in reasonably close and see that it was a pair of Yellow Billed Spoonbills nesting high up in the tree.
The nest, clearly visible, was at least 15 metres up above the ground. From memory, this is the first time I have observed this species actually breeding. For more interesting observations of Australian birds, go to another of my blogs over at Trevor’s Birding (click here).
The Giant Murray Cod, Swan Hill
The giant Murray Cod, Swan Hill
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
Australians have a love affair with all things big – no, make that HUGE. There is a big apple, banana, bottle, bull, cow, crocodile, galah, guitar, gumboot, kangaroo, koala, lobster, orange, pelican, penguin, pineapple and rocking horse. That is just a selection; there are dozens more.
The giant Murray Cod, Swan Hill
At Swan Hill we have the giant Murray Cod. This fish is much prized by anglers. Sadly there are very few left in the river system these days, though a large individual can sometimes be caught. The river system has been so tampered with through damming, irrigation and pollution that this magnificent creature is struggling for its very survival.
The giant Murray Cod, Swan Hill
Murray River at Swan Hill, Victoria
Murray River at Swan HIll, Victoria September 2007
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
During our short stay in Swan Hill last year we stayed in a cabin in one of the local caravan parks. This park fronts the Murray River, Australia’s longest river. In the morning I wandered along down to the river bank. What I saw reinforced the poor state of our major river system as a result of the prolonged drought. The low water level can be clearly seen in this series of photos. You can see where the water is normally, and how far down it was last September. I believe that the situation has not improved much since. We are hoping for extensive and significant rainfall during this winter as well as above average snow falls in the Snowy Mountains.
Murray River, Swan Hill, Victoria, September 2007
Murray River, Swan Hill, Victoria, September 2007