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Moree’s River Repair Bus

The Gwyder and Mehi river catchment areas cover more than 27, 000 square kilometres of forests in the east, woodlands on the slopes of the ranges and wildlife rich wetlands in the lower reaches.

Moree’s River Repair Bus is a long-term solution, undertaken on a weekly basis with activities that involve volunteers, landholders, Land Carers and traditional owners to collect rubbish, undertake weed removal, revegetate waterways, and improve instream habitat across the region.

Mobile Habitat Restoration

The River Repair Bus initiatives are a first of their kind in Australia, designed to transport volunteers and all the heavy gear needed to implement vital habitat restoration work on not only rivers, but on our creeks, lakes, billabongs, and wetlands that help our native fish thrive.

Like all the other vehicles in OzFish’s growing fleet, the Moree River Repair Bus also hauls a generous trailer used for litter clean ups, weed removal and to transport the native vegetation that volunteer’s plant to restore local fish habitats.

Community Skills Upgrade

Those working out of Moree’s River Repair Bus have the chance to learn about riparian vegetation replenishment and management, river ecology and sustainability.

The bus and the program are a fantastic way to support the community so that they can support their local waterways.

“The best part of the job, which cannot really be described, is simply seeing people’s faces and that sense of accomplishment you get when you work alongside them.” River Repair Bus Team Leader

A route to personal well-being

The initiatives of Moree’s River Repair Bus tick a trifecta of boxes which scientific journal-based research suggests can lift the happiness levels and mental health of everyone involved.

This happiness trifecta is proven to elevate well-being because it involves doing meaningful community-based volunteer work (1), participating in mild exercise in a group setting (2) and spending time outdoors in nature’s green spaces (3).

These three activities, facilitated by this new River Repair Bus, meet all the criteria shown to relieve anxiety, reduce life stress and elevate mood.

LATEST NEWS

AUGUST 2021 | River Repair bus to hit the road in Moree

AUGUST 2021 | River Repair bus to hit the road in Moree

Fish habitat in the Gywdir, Mehi and surrounding waterways is set to receive significant support over the coming years with the rollout of OzFish’s third River Repair Bus based in Moree. Volunteers will travel on the bus to restoration sites to revitalise waterways by planting native vegetation along riverbanks, remove tons of dumped rubbish and weeds thanks to funding from the Federal Government’s 2021 Murray Darling Basin Economic Development Grant. OzFish Program Manager for the Murray Darling Basin, Braeden Lampard, says the initiative is grassroots habitat restoration at its best.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • 1. How many River Repair Buses are there?

    Moree’s River Repair Bus is the third addition to OzFish’s growing fleet of mobile habitat restoration vehicles established to build a stronger native freshwater fishery and environment.

  • 2. Why are mobile River Repair Buses important?

    Our waterways require ongoing maintenance to optimize their health so having a portable habitat restoration hub, in the form of the River Repair Bus, makes it possible to regenerate as much of a waterway’s catchment area as possible, not just those areas where humans congregate.

  • 3. How does the River Repair Bus help the community?

    In addition to improving fish habitats that benefit the community, participants also have opportunities to build on existing skills to assist them in gaining employment such as teamwork, communication and basic horticultural management.

  • 4. How does the River Repair Bus initiative improve mental health?

    Australians are precious native creatures too, who benefit greatly from a community connection to place. When people act to improve local fish habitats, they can drastically improve their psychological well-being. Moree’s River Repair Bus makes this possible by not only generating healthier ecosystems, but by helping to build healthier people and stronger communities they deserve to enjoy. Happy fish mean happy humans.

This project was funded by the Australian Government under the Murray–Darling Basin Economic Development Program with support from BCF – Boating, Camping, Fishing.