Coorong National Park at the mouth of the Murray River will be expanded under a government land grab, in a major win for the environment.
The South Australian and Federal governments have partnered with the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW) to buy a century-old cattle station on an island just south of Goolwa. The acquisition of the 1,900-hectare Mundoo Island Station will transform the island into a wetland habitat, reducing nutrient runoff and boosting the health of the Murray mouth.
The acquisition also includes Ewe and Long islands and a cluster of surrounding isles off the eastern tip of Hindmarch Island. Mundoo is part of the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Ramsar Wetland – one of Australia’s most important wetlands, covering more than 142,000 hectares.
Under the Coorong National Park expansion, Mundoo NEWS MURRAY MOUTH WIN Island will be destocked and grazing, cropping and fertiliser use will cease, driving rehabilitation of the site. The island’s improved habitat will support critically endangered shorebirds and pave the way for the reintroduction of threatened fish species. Culturally significant sites of the Ngarrindjeri People will be protected.
The SA Department of Environment and Water’s park planning and visitor experience director, Jason Irving, says Mundoo Island is important for both its environmental values and significance to the Ngarrindjeri People.
"Incorporating Mundoo Island Station into the Coorong National Park protects this important area forever and provides incredible opportunities for significant regeneration and improvement of the land after decades of cattle and sheep grazing,” he says.
