Because we are based in Wedderburn the upper reaches of the Georges River are of vital concern to us.
For many years now GREAT has been involved with the preservation of the head waters which contain the most pristine waters of the Georges river catchment.
However we are very concerned with the welfare of the whole river system and are inaugural members of GREA a coalition of environmental groups covering the overall Georges River catchment.
Wedderburn lies within the Campbelltown Council electorate and is bounded by The Georges River on the West and O'hares Creek on the East. For most of this section O'hares Creek is more like a River and the Georges River is more like a creek. This has led to speculation that the early surveyors got the names mixed up.
O'hares Ck. joins the Georges River near the Northern boundary of Wedderburn and is itself fed by Pheasants Creek further South and by Stokes Ck. near the Southern boundary.
Further to the south, in Wollondilly Shire. Four Mile Ck., Dahlia Ck., Maddens Ck., Iluka Ck and the Wetlands form the main head waters. (link to map)
Dangers to the integrity of these waterways come from:
FISH
The climbing galaxias ( Galaxias brevipinnis) found in the drainage systems of the Wedderburn Plateau is found also in New Zealand, a fragment of the the ancient Southern continent, where it is reputed to be the first fish to conquer the glacial lakes, because of it's phenomenal climbing ability. The climbing galaxias is regarded as one of the very small number of Australian fishes that appear to to have evolved entirely in fresh water and have an ancient lineage the splitting up of Gondwana between 60 and 120 million years ago. Because of its Gondwanian origins and its virtual disappearance from urban development, the climbing Galaxias in Stokes Creek has a very high heritage value.