Hexham Swamp Rehabilitation Project - 20 Years On

FMA Member Hunter Local Land Services has hosted a 20 year celebration of one of the country’s most significant wetland rehabilitation projects. Hexham Swamp is a nationally important wetland, and part of the Hunter River Estuary near Newcastle, NSW. 

In the early 1970’s eight floodgates were built across Ironbark Creek to reduce flooding of agricultural land, but the floodgates also eliminated tidal flow into what was an ecologically significant estuarine and freshwater wetland.  Severe negative impacts soon became apparent with deterioration of the estuarine habitat used by migratory water birds, fish and prawns.

The wetland rehabilitation project returns the tide to Hexham Swamp by managing the opening of the floodgates in non-flood times, and closing the gates when flooding is imminent. This sounds simple, but it required 12 years of planning, research, stakeholder consultation and property acquisition before the first of eight floodgates could be opened in 2008.  By 2013, all eight floodgates had progressively been opened. 

On 25 November, 40 of the large band of people who have contributed to the project over the years inspected the wetland and reviewed its transformation. To date over 440 hectares of estuarine wetland have transitioned, mangrove areas have increased by 60 hectares and over 40 new bird species have been recorded.

You can learn more about the Hexham Swamp Rehabilitation Project at the 2017 FMA National Conference in Newcastle.