History

Wonga Wetlands is a living example of conservation in our city - where environmental innovation and the protection of our native plants and wildlife can be seen up close in a spectacular floodplain environment.

A bit of background

A wetland is an area of land covered with temporary water (year-round, seasonally, or sporadically), long enough for its plants and animals to rely on those wet conditions for survival.

Our wetland sits on the Murray River floodplain and incorporates seven lagoons across 80 hectares. Wonga is home to spectacular ancient red gums and a variety of wildlife, including 176 bird species, all relying on the wetland for survival.

Why Wonga exists

Since the Hume Dam, the Murray River has been used for irrigation, which has changed the natural flow of our river. This change has reduced flooding, and altered the time of year that floods can occur. As a result of that change, many of our floodplain wetlands and billabongs dried out, destroying the breeding habitats of local birds and fish. The Wonga Wetlands development which commenced in 2000, has helped re-create the natural flow of water into these floodplains, and as a result our birds and other wildlife are coming back.

How it works

The water bringing new life to this beautiful area isn’t from the river - it’s from the city’s reclaimed water treatment systems. Wonga Wetlands is an innovative and ecologically sustainable way for us to manage and re-use Albury’s reclaimed water.

During drier months Albury’s reclaimed water is used for irrigation and in the wetter months it’s redirected to these wetlands. The following dry period, the water is again used for irrigation and the lagoons are allowed to dry out. The wetting and drying cycle recreated by this system replicates what would be happening in an uncontrolled river floodplain - flooding in winter and drying out over summer. Our treatment process uses biological nutrient removal and chemical processes to produce high quality water, which meets the most stringent standards available.

Indigenous heritage

Before European settlement the original inhabitants and traditional owners of the Murray River area near Albury and Wodonga were the Wiradjuri people. The river was considered the giver of life, not a divider of communities.

These people moved up and down the river, using bark canoes cut from the majestic red river gums. The river, billabongs and wetlands were a rich and valuable food source. There were fish, mussels, turtles, crayfish, snails and birds and other animals to eat, and mussel shells to use as knives, spoons and scrapers

In recognition of the Wiradjuri people and the assistance they provided in establishing the Wonga Wetlands, particularly the construction of the replica Indigenous campsite (see Wiradjuri Campsite), Council named them ‘Wonga’, which is Wiradjuri for the Little Black Cormorant – still one of the most abundant bird species in this area.

Other Wiradjuri words include:

• gunyuck - Black Swan
• bringen - Red Kangaroo
• munjar - Murray Cod
• coleen - water
• wangarang - Turtle
• wargan - Crow
• womboyne - Grey Kangaroo

European settlement

In the 1830s, European settlers began to establish homesteads in the area. The previous owner of the Wonga Wetlands site, Mrs Margaret Pearce, recalls:

What’s in a name?

Wonga means ‘cormorant’ in Wiradjuri language. Around this place, you might spy the Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris), the Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos), the Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius) and the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). Keep your eyes peeled!