The Waterhouse Club invites you to the
“MURRAY LANDS WEEKEND EXPEDITION”
Friday 22 September to Sunday 24 September 2017
Despite being our longest river system and the fifth largest drainage basin on the planet, for most of the past 40 million years the Lower Murray Valley was part of the sea bed. The legacy from immersion under the sea helped shape the landscape and continues to influence our use of the valley for agriculture and as our main source of drinking water. That legacy includes over 10 billion tonnes of salt trapped in ground waters!
Join us on a weekend of adventure and discovery
Venturing out from our base at the Mannum Motel, this expedition offers a diverse range of scientific, conservation and environmental management topics to stimulate your interest. We will:
· search out the geological and fossil evidence of the valley’s marine past, and discover what followed when the sea drained away;
· at the unique Meldanda bush garden we will primarily explore the flora and fauna of the area, and learn of the bats that inhabit the area;
· visit an important stronghold of the endangered Mallee fowl, which is native to the area and legendary for its reproductive behaviour; and
· board a river boat for a 2 hour cruise and hear about the planned eradication program of European Carp. These fish have spread across most of south eastern Australia over the past few decades and are contributing to the degradation of our natural ecosystem. Catching a few carp is one thing but we will hear how destroying many thousands of tonnes of carp brings some unexpected challenges.
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Our Scientists
Professor Steve Donnellan, Chief Research Scientist at the Museum and Professor at the University of Adelaide. Steve’s knowledge is across the broad field of evolutionary biology and his scientific addresses are legendary for their wit and wisdom. Steve will provide the “big picture” overview as we journey down the valley.
Dr Mary-Anne Binnie and Mr Ben McHenry who look after the Museum’s earth sciences collections, and are so familiar with the ancient history of the valley.
Professor Justin Brookes, from the University of Adelaide, an expert in freshwater ecology who is researching the potential impact of the European Carp eradication program and providing the risk assessment to guide a successful outcome.
Our experienced Expedition Leaders are Gaye and Tim Fischer.
Our Itinerary
Friday 22 September
Make your own way to the Mannum Motel, 76 Cliff Street, Mannum, 100kms from Adelaide. This will be our accommodation for the Friday and Saturday nights.
Check in time is from 2pm.
At 3 pm a guided tour of the interesting riverboat display in the Mannum Dock Museum has been organised. The museum is a five-minute walk from the motel.
At 5pm, welcome drinks at Cafe Mannum (in the Motel) will be served and Steve Donnellan will brief us on the weekend’s planned activities. .
At 6.00 pm a three course dinner, with drinks included, will be served in the same location.
Saturday 23 September
After breakfast at the Motel we will travel on a chartered bus to visit the river banks and cliffs nearby with interpretation of the landscape and fossils by our scientific team.
Lunch will be at the Cadell Club, where we will also experience small country town friendly hospitality.
After lunch we will:
· continue our bus journey to Morgan to discover more marine fossils in the river banks; and
· drive on to Meldanda – the Cambrai School community bush garden on the Marne River, a tributary of the Murray River. Here we will embark on a guided walking tour amongst the flora and fauna of this interesting conservation park, including scientific interpretation along the way including about the bats that inhabit the area.
We will have dinner in the bush around a campfire in the park - roast meat and vegetables with dessert and drinks included. The bus will return us to the Motel around 8 pm.
Sunday 24th September
After breakfast we will check out of the Motel, and drive our own vehicles in convoy about 25kms east of Mannum to the Mallee fowl nest locations.
Rowena Danks from the Murray Mallee Action Planning Association will lead us to active Mallee fowl nests, where the precise and dedicated toil of the males tending to the incubation needs of their brood can be observed.
Next on to the Mannum Waters Marina, where we will board a passenger riverboat, the MV Jester, for a 2-hour cruise and lunch. Professor Justin Brooks will address us on the Carp eradication program.
About 2.00pm the cruise returns to Mannum Waters Marina and our weekend expedition will end. Expeditioners may make their own way home or on to their next destination. .
What to do next
The estimated cost of the expedition is $675 per person based on twin-share accommodation. This includes all accommodation, bus travel, river travel, bush garden fee, and all meals including morning and afternoon tea and a healthy amount of wine or soft drinks with dinners. A single supplement is available for an extra $120. Please note: places on this expedition will be limited.
To reserve your place, complete and return the booking form attached and enclose a non-refundable deposit of $150 per person to the Waterhouse Club office as indicated on the accompanying ‘Booking Terms and Conditions’ attached.
I hope you can join Tim and I on this weekend expedition. If you would like more details please do not hesitate to call Natalie at the Waterhouse Club office on 8203 9802, or email: .
Gaye Fischer
Expedition Leader
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