Entries by Marcus Cooling

Did the River Murray Ever Cross the Mount Lofty Ranges?

A theory as old as the hills – but how old is that, exactly?   The Problem of Morgan The River Murray descends from the Great Dividing Range at Albury, and for the next 800km follows a fairly steady northwest course. That changes at Morgan, where the river makes a sharp left turn towards Goolwa […]

The River Murray Weirs – Part 3 of 3: Mitigating the Impacts

The River Murray Weirs were constructed 100 years ago to provide passage for riverboats and to supply water to inland communities. But the weirs have also degraded wetlands, salinised floodplains and devastated native fish populations.  In this final article I describe how weirs are now being managed to reduce their impacts and even to help […]

The River Murray Weirs – Part 2 of 3: Eight Ways Weirs Degrade the River Ecosystem

The River Murray Weirs were constructed 100 years ago for riverboat navigation and to supply water to inland communities. But the weirs have also degraded wetlands, salinised floodplains and devastated native fish populations.  In this second article I describe the impacts of the weirs on the river ecosystem. The final article in this series will […]

The River Murray Weirs – Part 1 of 3: Why so many Weirs?

The River Murray Weirs were constructed 100 years ago for riverboat navigation and to supply water to inland communities. But the weirs have also degraded wetlands, salinised floodplains and devastated fish populations.  In this article I describe the origin and purpose of the River Murray weirs. In the next articles I will describe their impacts […]

The Gorge, the Lake and the Abandoned Channel of the River Murray

Introduction From Overland Corner to Wellington, over three hundred and forty kilometres, the River Murray is carved deep into the landscape exposing thirty metre high pale yellow limestone cliffs. The gorge is much deeper and wider than today’s relatively small river could create. Its origins lie in a wetter climate, a massive fault block and […]

Hallett Headland

This is Hallett Headland looking over Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide. This is the most important bushland reserve in the City of Marion. I recently completed a vegetation survey of council reserves to benchmark progress in weed control and revegetation. Photo Harriet Cooling.

Grey Box

Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) is a woodland tree that grows in south-eastern Australia, mainly on the lower inland slopes and plains of the Great Dividing Range. Its main distribution is in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales. There are two isolated populations in South Australia: in the Mount Lofty Ranges and southern Flinders Ranges. […]