WE have had a very constructive meeting with Murray River Council and it looks like our Moulamein lake will survive another year.
Our council has found a way to get 100 megalitres (ML) allocated to our magnificent lake.
Our lake is more than just a wet patch on the edge of our town, it is the meeting place for our social activities in the summer.
It is a place that people can walk around on the new sealed track.
We have hundreds of native fish that live in our lake, even the very rare catfish.
The even rarer southern bell frog has taken up residence there.
Water birds too, numerous to mention, call our lake home.
Every year, there is a clutch of swans that hatch up there.
We will have to take a look, or a listen, but with no rice around, some of our very rare bitterns may have taken roost up there.
If anyone hears the call of the “bull bird”, please give me a ring.
They are the rarest water birds in the world and they normally nest in our rice to have their young.
Our Moulamein lake is also our emergency water storage for our town.
With the threat of blue-green algae in our rivers this year, it would be great to have some fresh water in our lake as a backup.
The good news out of all this is the fact that Murray River Council has come up with 100ML that will keep our Moulamein lake alive for at least one more year.
Thank you, Murray River Council, from our whole district.
Lake pump shut down again
UNFORTUNATELY, after all the good news in the article that I wrote two days ago, I have had to shut the lake pump off this morning.
Our council is finally realising that things do happen slower than a local council.
Our water transfer has just been sent off to the minister for approval.
Our council has put up a good argument to get the water for our lake. Let’s hope the minister does a couple of more jobs before Christmas.
The pump was greased, packed and ready for 23 days of continuous running to use all of our available water.
I know our local member, Sussan Ley, gets her mob to read my notes.
If you ever wanted to help Moulamein, Sussan, this would be a great time to have a lake before the blue-green algae comes through and gives us a hard time.
Our lake would also contribute a load of mental health in our district for no money spent.
Our lake is worth tens of thousands of dollars in mental health funding, just by giving us somewhere to go and have a bloody great time.
Our committee picks up the bills to pump the water. Zero spent. S***load of benefit.
All the best for Christmas and the new year
ANOTHER year is ending, and not a good year for our farming district.
But, we are still all here and I hope that most of you still have a beer in the fridge for the festive season.
Let’s hope we are all back next year and we are that busy trying to use all the water that they are throwing at us that we will have to hire extra help.
If anyone would like a kilo of what I am on, it is called optimism, and is only available in your own head.
I wish we could buy it, and I wish I could sell it to you.
But, you have to create your own.
Sorry, my glass is always above half full.
Moulamein races
OUR Moulamein races went off very well.
I do not think it was a record crowd, but it was a great crowd.
As far as I could see, our racegoers were very well behaved.
Well done to the organisers, our police for keeping everyone in line as well as the racegoers.
You are the ones that make this day great.
See you all next year.
Watch out for kids on the road
IT is that time of year again where our kids have got a few weeks of freedom and they are out and about on bikes, boards, horses and anything else that gets them from point A to point B quicker.
I try to drive through every town that I go to like my grandkids are playing out in the streets.
It helps you slow down.
Keep an extra eye out for them for the next few weeks.
River levels
THE Edward is rising again at over two meters and just above 2000 megalitres per day.
The Edward will continue to rise as they are sending more water down our Edward River and Billabong Creek.
They cannot physically get it down the Murray to supply our zero per cent allocation as well as run it out to sea.
So, they keep our river and creek very high so we can all see the water that we cannot use.
Almost broke the keyboard then.
On a bright note, there are still plenty of small cod getting caught around town.
Seems to be more big ones up river.
The Billabong seems to only have big cod in it as there have been cod up to the metre mark landed on a rod, on pealed yabby tails of all things.
The Edward will be rising for the foreseeable future and I can only see the cod fishing getting better.
Come over and throw a line in.
My mate Steady had never got a cod in Moulamein before.
He managed a keeper, a 93cm, and he joined the metre-long club.
His brother was not looking forward to telling him that it was time to go home.
See you next time Steady. And, I do not think it will be that long.
