Some good news this March
When we turn on the TV, open the newspaper or scroll through social media, most of what we see is dominated by stories about… you know what. It’s easy to get caught up in these relentless stories, which we’re sure are making many of us anxious and stressed.
But in light of the situation, there’s still good news to report – even though it’s not getting much airtime. So, we thought we’d share with you three pieces of good news from across Australia that have unfolded in recent weeks.
Rainfall across lakes in the Murray-Darling Basin
Australia has had major rainfall in some of its most drought-affected areas over the past month. In particular, along parts of the Murray-Darling river as well as the catchments that feed into it. This rainfall has brought life back into these areas, with important bird nesting plants getting a much-needed drink and coming back to life, and other creatures emerging from the lake beds.
By the end of March, it was expected that 100 gigalitres of water would flow into Narran Lakes, which is a significant wetland in northern NSW, and 200 gigalitres would make it to Menindee Lakes, an area in far western NSW that was almost completely dried out a year ago – the site of the horrifying dead fish photos that appeared last year.
This much-needed rainfall has seen some river systems connecting back to the Murray-Darling for the first time in four years. The drought may be far from over, but rainfall like this is always a welcome sight!
Manning River turtle births – living, breathing dinosaurs
Last week, ten Manning River turtle hatchlings were born, which is so significant because this species of turtle is endangered and dates back 85 million years; making it the oldest turtle species in Australia. And with only 1,000 of these turtles left, ten hatchlings makes a significant contribution to their population growth.
The species is only found in the Manning River catchment on the Mid North Coast of NSW and is so important because their role is to clean the river. Any diseased or rotting animal or plant that enters the river is cleaned up by these turtles and, as such, they immensely improve water quality with their presence. Unfortunately, their population is threatened by feral foxes in the area, but Aussie Ark has developed a captive insurance and conservation program to help protect the turtle eggs and regenerate this turtle population, with 20 more eggs expected to hatch in the coming weeks!
A town in WA alive with contemporary art
Ballidu is a farming town in Western Australia, just over 200 kilometres north east of Perth. For a town of only 70 people, it’s a lively one. It has been described as a living art installation, where the streets are lined with quirky sculptures and kitsch buildings painted in fanciful pastel colours; where nude portraits line the walls of the local pub.
It was in the 1990s when the tiny town was transformed from a quiet wheat farming village into a visual extravaganza. An increase in arts funding had brought a unique crowd of artists from across Australia to the town, with the shared goal of bringing contemporary art to rural communities.
These days town residents drive the development of new art. But they’re still just as keen to host artists from out of town, who are looking to explore the rural scene, and are planning on hosting an international artist later this year.
We hope these stories provided a little ray of sunshine in this time when most of the news is so grim. Going forward, we’ll be keeping you posted with more of these small but significant news stories to help brighten your day.
Feel free to share any of your good news with us too!
