Prior to the 1970s, wetlands were generally known as swamps. They were usually regarded as wasteland, however, they could be made useful after drainage or filling with topsoil. In the 1970's, a growing realisation of the interconnectedness of eco-systems slowly led to a change in attitude towards these wetlands. Gradually people came to see that they are valuable resources.
In the Hunter, one of the early groups to give a lead on the issue was the Newcastle Flora and Fauna Society who successfully lobbied to have part of Kooragang Island set aside as a refuge for wildlife and native plants. It also sought to protect the Hexham swamp including the area now known as the Shortland Wetlands. In 1980 the Hunter Wetlands Group was formed as a working group within the Flora and Fauna Society. Brian Gilligan was the convenor of the group and its main objective was to Co-ordinate efforts to conserve wetlands in the Lower Hunter.
One of their early activities involved taking the Lord Mayor, Joy Cummings, on a guided tour of Hexham Swamp, which included a ride in a canoe. Brian Gilligan said the group wished to show Ald. Cummings the potential of the wetlands for passive recreation and as wildlife habitat. He added that the area "had been considerably degraded as a result of flood mitigation, industrial development and grazing. There was a great need for planning protection to prevent further degradation….It's time we did something to protect this unique environment, Mr Gilligan said".
Brian Gilligan, Convenor of the Hunter Wetlands
group, takes Alderman Cummings for a canoe ride at
the Wetlands 1980
In 1982, Max Maddock, Wilma Barden and others from the Wetlands Group became involved in observing and documenting the egret-breeding colony on land at the Shortland Wetlands, which was then owned by the Marist Brothers. Playing fields for their school were right next to the wetlands.
While membership of the Wetlands Group continued to expand, the catalyst for concerted action came in June 1983 when Newcastle City Council announced that it was to re-open the garbage dump at the Shortland Wetlands site. Soon after the Department of Main Roads released a plan showing that highway 23 was to pass through the wetlands. If the wetlands were to be saved, action had to be taken quickly. Within days Max Maddock, Brian Gilligan and Kevin McDonald began a campaign to save the wetlands and put forward a proposal for a wetlands centre on the site. One of the early converts to the cause was Ald. John Tate, who had been elected to the council in 1980. He soon became an important ally in convincing people that the wetlands should be preserved. In a lengthy article in the Newcastle Herald, he stated that while using the wetlands as a garbage dump was the cheapest way to get rid of Newcastle's garbage, other factors had to be considered. He went on to say; "…unfortunately what is not commonly appreciated by the community is that much of the landfill garbage disposal has taken place in recent years has been at the expense of a priceless natural resource…". He noted that "…the area abounds with many rare and interesting forms of bird life…and has the potential to be an international and national tourist attraction. It is well known among various ornithological groups and associated organisations…"
Ald. Tate called a public meeting on August 15, which was attended by about 40 people. One of the speakers, Dr Max Maddock, told the audience that "…the area contained a wide variety of bird-life which visited, or bred, in it". One of the species was the endangered freckled duck. A week later the Newcastle Herald added its support to the campaign. It began an editorial on this issue by saying, " It is a sad fact that Government and public authorities have often been responsible for some of the countries worst environmental vandalism. While industry has increasingly been restrained from polluting…public bodies have too often slipped through the legislative net… Newcastle City Council was in danger of falling into this category if it implements the decision to re-open the former Lorna St dump. [If it does] an irreplaceable natural asset will be threatened." The editorial concluded by saying " There seems to be many good reasons for developing it sensitively as a permanent waterfront refuge and tourist attraction".
There was now sufficient pressure on the council to force them to look for an alternative site for the garbage dump. At a well-attended public meeting on September 12, the Hunter Wetlands Group was asked to prepare a submission for Newcastle City Council on how the site should be managed, "…including controlled public access and facilitate for research and educational activities."
This plan was presented to council in November 1983. The plan called for an immediate declaration of the site as a wildlife sanctuary and the purchase of private land on the western side of Sandgate Road. This included the defunct Hamilton Rugby Club building and adjacent playing fields. The building would provide office, meeting and educational facilities. The estimated cost was between $500,000 and $1,000,000.
Council had still not made a decision on the future of the site and so it was essential that the Wetlands Group rally public support. Many letters to the newspapers were written, hundreds of phone calls were made, politicians were lobbied and articles were written in local papers. Key members of the group also made themselves available for interview on radio and television. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) station 2NC was particularly generous in its coverage of the issues. Max Maddock wrote an article titled " The case for a Wetlands Sanctuary" which appeared in the Newcastle Herald in March 1984. In it he argued that " Newcastle has a golden opportunity to set an example to the world on how to face up to the pressures of urban development." By this time, Maddock had visited wetland centres overseas and was able to supply facts and figures concerning the numbers of tourists visiting these wetlands and the amount of money generated by the tourists. This was a significant factor in gaining the support of the business for the project.
Three days later the Herald used a press release issued by Brian Gilligan in which he urged council to droop it's plan for disposing of garbage in the wetlands. Two weeks later an article in the Herald made it clear that much of the opposition to council changing it's mind about future uses of the site was coming from the Engineering Department of council, who still wanted it used as a dump. The department was criticised by Brian Gilligan who pointed out that the engineers shouldn't pretend to have expertise in the area of ecology. The next day a council spokesperson said that it was unlikely that the wetlands site would be used as a dump.
In April 1984 Newcastle City Council, at last, formally agreed to turn the site into a reserve. In July the wetlands group was reformed, as the Hunter Wetlands Trust with an executive consisting of Brian Gilligan, Kevin McDonald, Glen Albrecht, John Tate and Max Maddock. By September, a coloured brochure was available, outlining the aims of the organisation and a membership drive commenced. By February 1985 when the first annual general meeting of the wetlands trust was held, membership was over 600 people. The main task of the trust was to persuade Newcastle council, the corporate sector and the state government to come up with the money to purchase the Marist land. The Bicentennial Authority made a grant of $300,000 with a further $55,000 coming from B.H.P to buy the land. Later B.H.P made another donation and carried out, free of charge, major earth works for the construction of feeding ponds in front of the visitor's centre.
Staffing of the Wetlands centre was assured in August 1985 when the Regional Director of education announced that Brian Gilligan and his clerical assistant would be transformed from the Awabakal field studio centre to the Shortland Wetlands centre.
During the period 1985 to 1987 a further $100,000 was received from the Bicentennial Authority for conversion and improvements to be made to the visitors centre. Many volunteers gave up countless hours removing lantana and other weeds. A program of planting native trees was also begun by the Society for Growing Plants (now called the Australian Plant Society).
The Wetlands project was officially launched by the Premier, Mr Wran, on December 11th 1985. By the end of the year sufficient progress had been made to allow for two "open days". These were planned for January 1986 and it was announced that volunteers would show people over the centre and conduct short field trips to inspect the egret breeding colony and other areas of the wetlands. "Visitors were advised to wear old clothes, a broad brimmed hat and gum boots". It was also announced that school groups would begin visiting the centre in February 1986.
In 1986 Brambles made a generous contribution by excavating one of the main ponds free of charge, while service groups such as Rotary and Lions have provided volunteers for a variety of projects. Newcastle Council continues to give an annual grant to the Wetlands Centre, however, most of the running costs have to be raised by the centre itself. These funds come from admission charges, donations, consulting services, research grants, membership fees and fund raising functions such as Breakfast with the Birds, Twilight walks, concerts at the wetlands and canoe rides.
The Wetland centre has provided many opportunities for scientists based at the University of Newcastle, as well as ones from much further afield, to carry out research projects.
- Project Egret Watch which under the direction of Max Maddock, has documented for the first time the habits of these birds in Australia
- The captive breeding program of magpie geese. Over the last century these birds had been wiped out in the hunter region but were still plentiful in some other parts of Australia. After a successful breeding program, magpie geese have been released in the Hunter
- Captive breeding of the endangered Freckled Duck. This program has been fraught by various problems, such as eels eating the ducklings. The persistence of people like Wilma Barden, however, has led to some successes and to an increase in the numbers of this species.
This success was highlighted in August 2001 when three Freckled Ducks dropped into Shortland's Wetlands Centre and stayed for a few days. In December 2001, it was announced that about 800ha of Hexham Swamp will be returned to its natural state after 30 years, as part of one of Australia's largest restoration projects. The project is expected to start at the end of next year when the Hunter Catchment Management Trust will slowly reopen the floodgates that have been closed for 30 years.
About 900ha is already protected as Hexham Swamp Nature Reserve and is regarded as a wetland of national importance. It is hoped that vegetation will replenish with the reflooding, and that other plants and some of the 120 bird species that once thrived there will return. The Federal and State Governments have committed $2.7 million to the project over three years.
Predictions made in the early 1980s that a Wetlands Centre would attract many tourists have proved to be correct. Since 1984 it has attracted visitors from all over Australia and 30 overseas countries. The centre has also proven to be a valuable resource for schools with excursions to the centre being part of the curriculum of local schools. Today a small paid staff and a large group of volunteers carry out the day to day operations. In 2000 the C.E.O of the Wetlands Centre, Chris Morris, wrote that over its 15-year history it "has met the terms of its charter in realising objectives in the areas of wetland research, conservation, education, passive recreation, and sustainable management of wetlands. The Wetlands Centre has played a significant role in the improvement of wetland conservation and the development of sound management policies in Australia. Most remarkable in these achievements is that the Wetlands Centre continues to function as a public, community owned company".
Birdwood Park December 2001. Photo courtesy of
Angela Scales.
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