| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Gwydir Wetlands: Gingham and Lower Gwydir Watercourses |
| Designated | 14 June 1999 |
| Reference no. | 993[1] |
TheGwydir Wetlands comprise a system of irregularly inundatedwetlands associated with theGwydir River in theNorth West Slopes region of north-easternNew South Wales,Australia. When flooded they form an important site for breedingwaterbirds.
The wetlands lie between the towns ofMoree andMungindi in theMoree Plains Shire near the state border withQueensland. They consist of the inlandfloodplain of the Gwydir River that splits into the Gingham and Big Leather water courses and creating, when fully flooded, a 1021 km2 wetland some 45 km west of Moree. The extensive wetland area is a good example of aninland terminal delta. The floodwater extends for about 95 km through a series of natural and constructed channels and swamps. Once a closed system, since the building of the 1364 GLCopeton Dam, water flows have been controlled by the State Government water authorities to the detriment of the wetlands.[2] Despite the consequent reduction of the wetland area from about 1000 km2 to 100 km2, it is still one of the most significant waterbird breeding sites in Australia.[2] The wetlands are contained in thepastoral properties of 'Lynworth' and 'Yarrol', and in parts of 'Boonoke' and 'Old Dromana', with the surrounding land being important as providing feeding habitat for waterbirds.[3]
The wetlands have been identified as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because they support more breeding waterbirds than any other Australian site when they adequately flooded. Of more than half a million nesting waterbirds the wetlands may hold over 1% of the world populations ofAustralian white (up to 160,000 birds) andstraw-necked ibises (up to 230,000),nankeen night herons (up to about 100,000) andintermediate egrets (up to about 45,000). Other waterbirds that have bred in the area in relatively large numbers includeroyal andyellow-billed spoonbills,little andgreat egrets, andglossy ibises.Australasian bitterns,Australian painted snipes andpainted honeyeaters have been recorded.[2][3]
Some 800 ha of the privately owned Gwydir wetlands were designated on 14 June 1999 as aRamsar site as a wetland of international importance.[4] The federal government bought the property, which was the largest privately owned wetlands in New South Wales, for A$10 million. The plan is to create a new national park as the wetlands provide habitat for 160 species of birds amongst four endangered ecological communities.[5]
29°19′30″S149°26′28″E / 29.32500°S 149.44111°E /-29.32500; 149.44111