River restoration stops thousands of cubic metres of sediment flowing onto Barrier Reef
Twenty years ago, Brad Wedlock despaired over the state of Queensland's Mary River at Kenilworth, where every flood cut away thousands of cubic metres of farmland, releasing sediment to smother the southernmost section of the Great Barrier Reef.
But as a project officer with the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee , Mr Wedlock has witnessed the transformative power that community will, funding and careful planning can make.In 2015, earthmoving equipment started reshaping eroded sand cliffs in sections of the riverbank at Kenilworth, driving in rows of 6-metre-long timber piles that have slowed the flow of floodwater.
"After the 2013 floods they all got washed out, so the lungfish didn't have any habitat to spawn in," Mr Wedlock said. Ruth and Stephen Carter worked hard to help water hundreds of them on Ubi Station during the height of the drought.