Environmental benefits to flow from Toorale project completion

The final stage of water infrastructure works at Toorale National Park and State Conservation Area is complete. These works have greatly improved the ability to manage flows and fish passage, passing more water to the Baaka-Darling River, while maintaining the important cultural and environmental values at Toorale.

Toorale National Park and State Conservation Area (Toorale) is situated at the junction of the Warrego and Darling rivers, approximately 65 km south-west of Bourke in north-western New South Wales. 

In 2008, the Australian and NSW governments jointly purchased the former 91,000-hectare agricultural property to preserve its outstanding environmental and cultural values. The final stage of the Toorale Water Infrastructure Project involved removing the block bank at Ross Billabong and lowering the Booka bywash levee.

Director of the NSW Water for the Environment program, Dr Julie-Anne Harty, said the project's completion is the culmination of years of planning and work, which involved partnerships between several NSW agencies, the Toorale Joint Management Committee, and Commonwealth Government funding.

‘The project has successfully modified, demolished or decommissioned dams and other structures on Toorale to facilitate downstream delivery of water for the environment and improve connectivity and fish passage between the Warrego and Darling rivers,’ Dr Harty said.

‘The works are significant and deliver on the project’s goal to ensure that the important values of Toorale are maintained and enhanced while achieving greater flexibility to pass more water to the Darling River and downstream communities.’

The project has received significant recognition for its contribution to conservation and waterway management. In November 2022, the project won the award for Outstanding Waterway Management Project at the River Basin Management Society Awards. The project also won a Highly Commended award at the National Trust Awards in May 2023 for conservation of landscapes. 

NSW Senior Wetlands and Rivers Conservation Officer Matthew Miles said the improvements will support native fish populations.

‘The infrastructure works will improve flow connectivity and fish passage between the Warrego and Darling rivers, so water and native fish, including golden perch, can move more freely through the landscape,’ Mr Miles said.

‘The Warrego and Darling rivers and their floodplains on Toorale provide critical habitat for a diverse variety of wildlife and plants, including threatened species,’ he said.