Wet Tropics Waterways

18/10/2026

💧Why is looking after our waterways so important? Because, from the rainforest to the reef, water links our landscapes, ecosystems, communities and livelihoods.

It's always Water Week at Wet Tropics Waterways! Our role is to track and share knowledge to build a comprehensive picture of waterway health across our region and to connect communities, scientists, government and industry.

👉 Swipe through to find out more.

Healthy Waters Partnership for the Dry Tropics Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership Fitzroy Partnership for River Health

28/09/2026

Already declared a pest regionally, now Amazon frogbit has been added to Queensland's list of restricted invasive plants. Read more about what's happening to contain its spread in this region in our Wet Tropics Waterways 'Reef & Rivers' Magazine at https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/fighting-amazon-frogbit/

14/09/2026

We're taking our partnership meetings on the road this year.

Thanks to TropWATER for hosting our latest meeting and to Mike Rasheed and the team for giving us the chance to get involved in their seagrass restoration work.

On a picture-perfect day, we helped prepare seagrass cuttings for planting by attaching steel nuts before they are transplanted into a seagrass meadow near the airport. It's always great to see the practical actions our partners are doing to improve our waterways.

11/09/2026

Charlie Veron has discovered a quarter of the world's coral species. You can read more about his fascinating life in the latest edition of Reef & Rivers Magazine including his latest mission to document every coral in the world together with his wife Dr Mary Stafford-Smith (www.coralsoftheworld.org).

https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/charlie-veron/

The first full-time researcher on the Great Barrier Reef, Charlie Veron discovered a quarter of the world's coral species.

10/09/2026

Time in the paddock with Joe Marano... Wet Tropics Waterway Chair Simon Costanzo says:

"Last week Rowan Hutchison (Wet Tropics Waterways Executive Officer) and I spent half a day with Joe on his family's cane farm outside Innisfail. Joe sits on our Wet Tropics Waterways Management Committee, chairs Canegrowers Innisfail, and is Vice Chair of Canegrowers Queensland.

"We talked about a lot...soil, nutrients, planting, genetics, Brazil, regulations, politics, history, and family.

"We also talked about the realities of farming through an unusually wet winter. Joe couldn't recall one wetter. Sodden paddocks affect the crop, the harvest, and the ability to get machinery onto the ground without getting bogged and making a mess. It was useful to see those constraints.

"His farm offered a few reminders that it exists within a complex catchment: crocodiles in the drains, brolgas on the flats, wallabies nibbling away, and evidence of feral pigs.

"We finished where the story ends for those sucrose crystals in Australia, at Mourilyan Harbour, where raw sugar and molasses from the region are stored and loaded for export (mostly internationally).

"What stayed with me was the value of seeing the catchment through someone else's eyes.

"Water quality and the health of the Great Barrier Reef are fundamental to the work of Wet Tropics Waterways. But understanding these catchments also means understanding the people, industries, communities and landscapes within them.

"That's one of the reasons our partnership brings different perspectives around the same table. We won't always see every issue the same way, nor should we. But good decisions start with understanding the system and listening to the people within it.

"Thanks Joe for giving Rowan and me a few hours in the paddock. Nothing beats seeing it first-hand."

Cassowary Coast Reef Smart Farming - Canegrowers Innisfail

07/09/2026

**Catchment spotlight: How healthy is the Russell River catchment? With a relatively undisturbed upper catchment and heavily modified floodplains for cane farming, how is it faring?

The Russell Basin's overall grade remains 'good' (B). Pesticide and phosphorus levels are still good (B) but dissolved inorganic nitrogen levels have dropped from 'good' to 'moderate' (77 out of 100 to 48 out of 100).

As with many of our other catchments, the score for wetland extent (D) shows ‘room for improvement’.

Learn more at https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/russell-basin/

04/09/2026

**Catchment spotlight: How healthy is the Murray River catchment south of Tully? This catchment has steep rainforest mountains, a heavily modified floodplain (with 32% of the catchment under agriculture) and important coastal ecosystems including nationally significant wetlands, seagrass meadows and fish habitat areas.

The overall grade has remained 'moderate' (C), after dropping from 'good' (B) two years ago. Sediment levels have reduced, and are back up at 'very good' (A), while dissolved inorganic nitrogen levels are 'moderate' and phosphorous levels are 'good'. Pesticide levels remain 'very poor' - the highest risk for the Wet Tropics region.

As in many of our basins, wetland extent also remains 'very poor' and the level of invasive weeds is 'very poor'. Fish habitat is 'moderate'.

To find out more, visit https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/murray-basin/

02/09/2026

Check out these waterway clean ups coming up around the Cairns region:

02/09/2026

**Catchment spotlight: How healthy is the Johnstone River catchment?
Almost 40% of the Johnstone Basin has been modified for agriculture and this catchment also includes Innisfail and the Port of Mourilyan. The Johnstone has been the focus of a number of reef water quality projects over 10+ years... so how is it faring?

Another overall grade of 'good' this year. The pesticide risk level remains low in the basin and estuary (with a 'good' grade) and dissolved oxygen levels have improved from ‘good’ to ‘very good’.

But dissolved inorganic nitrogen levels remain 'poor' in the estuary (they have risen but it's from 'very poor' to 'poor'). As with other Wet Tropics catchments, the wetland extent is very poor in the estuary and in the basin, the invasive weeds level is 'poor'.

Turbidity levels in the Johnstone and Moresby estuaries improved from 'good' to 'very good'.

Things we can do:

💧Keep working to reduce nitrogen entering waterways
💧Restore wetlands
💧Keep targeting invasive weeds

See more at: https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/johnstone-basin/

31/08/2026

The brand new Wet Tropics Regional Water Quality Strategy has just been released by Terrain NRM. After consulting with over 140 people through 11 community workshops, the strategy includes included priorities for each catchment and links to other plans and policies. It is intended to guide future government investment.

https://terrain.org.au/water-quality-strategy/