Radio Adelaide
101.5 FM and in RealAudioMonday April 22 – Friday May 31 2002
7.30 am
times are Australian Central Standard TimeProgram Details
Week 1: April 22 - 26
1. Then and Now 7' 05"
Tammy Van Wisse swam the Murray. Forty two years earlier, Robert Morrison canoed it. Their comparison reveals how the river has changed.
Tammy Van Wisse
Robert Morrison2. The Murray Mouth 6' 54"
The history, ecology and even the location of the river mouth have changed since European settlement. Now it threatens to disappear.
Professor Tim Flannery
Dick Bromhead
Dr David Paton3. Murray Dreaming 6' 28"
Geologists can tell you how and where the Murray formed, but the Ngarrindjeri people have another story to account for it.
Henry Rankine OAM4. The Coorong Part 1 - RAMSAR and Birds 7' 13"
The Coorong, branching from the river mouth, is a crucial site for migratory birds, protected by the international RAMSAR agreement.
Dr David Paton5. The Coorong Part 2 - Salinity and Fish 7' 15"
The high salinity of the Coorong, important for birds and fish, is threatened by agricultural drains. But experts disagree on its original condition.
Dr David Paton
Henry JonesWeek 2: April 29 - May 3
6. Barrages and Fishgates 7' 12"
Barrages that divide the Murray's estuary at Goolwa have also divided its ecology into fresh- and salt-water species. Fish gates may help.
Dr David Paton
Tammy Van Wisse
Henry Jones7. Primary concerns 7' 27"
Tackling the Murray's environmental problems together, an indigenous and a non-indigenous primary school form an effective union.
Sue Coad
Chris Harvey
Anthony Long
Julie Beer
Brendan Sumner8. Carp 7' 15"
Carp are Australia's most hated fish, but some people make a virtue of this feral pest, and help the River Murray in the process.
Henry Jones
Tammy Van Wisse
Gloria Jones9. Mussels and Middens 7' 36"
Through indigenous folklore and scientific detective work, ancient middens along the Murray are yielding answers to ecological riddles.
Henry Rankine OAM
Associate Professor Keith Walker10. Murray Fisheries 7' 08"
As many ocean fisheries become unsustainable, those on the Murray are setting an example, and repairing some of the damage done to the river.
Henry Jones
Gloria JonesWeek 3: May 6 - 10
11. River Wrecks 5' 59"
Many of the Murray's paddle steamers and barges lie as wrecks on the river bottom. New technology can locate and image them.
Bill Jeffery12. Wetlands from Waste 7' 14"
Human sewage was once pumped into the Murray. Now it travels inland to an army range, where it is transformed into a wildlife oasis.
Lawrie Bruggeman13. Alley Farming 7' 40"
Trees can help overcome dryland salinity, and scientists are researching how to use native trees to assist dryland farmers.
Judy Pfeiffer
John Bourne14. The Shearer Legacy 7' 17"
The remarkable Shearer brothers built a range or early farm machinery that was the mainstay of dryland farmers along the Murray.
Alan Krause15. Mary Ann 6' 43"
Mary Ann was the first paddle steamer on the Murray. Her boiler is still at Mannum - and so is her hull - but no-one knows where.
Bill JefferyWeek 4: May 13 - 17
16. Willows Make You Weep 6' 30"
Willows were imported to the Murray early on; but, despite their scenic beauty, they now pose real problems for the wildlife and water conservation.
Associate Professor Keith Walker
Sue Gehrig17. Paddle Steamers 6' 57"
Paddle steamers created the most evocative period of the Murray. They were a special craft, and Australian paddle steamers had a style of their own.
Bill Jeffery
Dick Bromhead
Marie Baum
Arthur Baum18. Locks and Weirs 7' 19"
Planned to assist river navigation, the locks and weirs came too late. Now they assist irrigation, but their damage to the river's ecology is enormous.
Associate Professor Keith Walker
Tammy Van Wisse19. Waterwitch 6' 19"
The first ship to enter the Murray, Waterwitch, supplied the explorer Eyre's expeditions and settlement. Her hull and artefacts have been discovered on the Murray bottom.
Bill Jeffery20. Salt Interception 7' 24"
Vast tonnages of salt enter the Murray every year. An engineering solution involves collecting saline water before it reaches the river and pumping it far inland, to form a small inland sea.
Peter ForwardWeek 5: May 20 - 24
21. Corporate Conservation 7' 13"
Conservation has usually been the responsibilities of governments, who fund it, and volunteers who do much of the work. Now some corporations are stepping in.
Tony Sharley
Senator Robert Hill
Brian Scarsbrick
Ann Jensen22. Extinct Pests 7' 17"
The weirs across the Murray have turned it from a river to a series of ponds, and many species have become extinct in the process. One has resurfaced in an unlikely place.
Associate Professor Keith Walker23. Bookmark Biosphere Reserve 7' 22"
Biosphere reserves are dedicated to the propoisition of social, environmental and economic sustainability. The segment features the reserve's first open day.
Andy McQuie
Mike Harper and Volunteers
Students, Teachers and Visitors to Bookmark's Open Day24. Australian Floriculture 7' 19"
Despite 200 years of settlement, Australians still use European rather than Australian flowers, but native plants are being developed for international markets.
Tamara Boland
Mike Boland
Dr Kate Delaporte25. Restoration part 1 7' 26"
Feral pests, habitat loss and declining river flows have affected dryland regions near the Murray, but restoration and re-introduction programs are reclaiming them.
Sonia DominelliWeek 6: May 27 - 31
26. Restoration part 2 7' 10"
Reduced river flows have grossly affected the wetlands that border the river. Restoration projects are now seeing life return to some of them.
Michelle Bald
Prudence Tucker27. Carp - Curse and Cures 7' 25"
Carp are a special problem in the wetlands. Barriers to the deter native fish, but researchers are trying to develop selective carp barriers.
Tim Champion
Scott Nicholls
Amy Ide28. Small Marsupials 7' 33"
Habitat changes and introduced predators have greatly affected some of our small marsupials. Researchers are discovering how best to manage remnant populations.
Julia Bignall
Barry Barratt
Kay Richardson29. Bird Recovery Programs 7' 35"
The black-earer miner is threatened by habitat loss, the mallee fowl by introduced foxes. Recovery programs for both species are helping them to survive.
Rebecca Bolton
Lawrie Bruggeman30. Voices of the Murray 7' 35"
Those who live and work along the Murray air their views on the problems facing it, and make a wish for its future.
Montage of Speakers from the Series
Enquiries
Deborah Welch
Manager
Radio Adelaide
Adelaide University, Australia
228 North Terrace
Adelaide, 5000
South Australia
tony.ryan@adelaide.edu.au