Kiewa River Parklands

Size: 125 hectares

Vegetation community:   Riparian

Landform:   Floodplains

Classification: Recreation and conservation

Features:   Birdhides, wetlands

Walking trails: Kiewa Track

One of the bird hides at the Kiewa River

Achievements to date

The Rotary Club of Wodonga completed work on the Kiewa River Walking Track, extending it 4 kilometres from the Murray Valley Highway to the Murray-Kiewa Junction. Bird hides have been constructed along the track overlooking wetlands.

Regional Skills and Work for the Dole participants completed 10 kilometres of fencing and planted 25,000 plants along this riparian area.  The integrated land management program includes spring crash grazing to control the pasture grasses, particulary Phalaris and Paspalum; summer and winter broadleaf weed control; rabbit fumigation and staged revegetation with understorey species.

The Lower Kiewa has been identified in recent Victorian Government publications as of statewide significance, due to it's floristic diversity.  The wide vegetated riparian corridor provides evidence of the effectiveness in minimising erosion.  Despite eleven sucessive floods over the past six months (August 2010 to March 2011), the only erosion along the lower 8km's of the Kiewa River were two small sections where the riverbank was kept free of vegetation to provide views for park visitors. 

Work is nearing completion (May 2011) on a Fisheries Victoria recreational fishing access project.  Stock-proof chicane pedestrian gates have been installed in most cross fences along the crown water frontages between Killara and Tangambalanga, providing safe pedestran access along the water frontages without having to clamber under and over electric and barb-wire fences.  Once the project is completed, a map of access points will be included on our website. 

Baranduda Landcare Group and Parklands Albury Wodonga secured a Second Generation Landcare Grant in 2010.  This has enabled us to tackle the thick infestations of Box Elder Maples and Blackberries in the lower Yackandandah Creek in an effort to reduce the seedbank (and our weed control workload) flowing into the lower Kiewa River. 

Funding

Funding for the project, totaling $150,000, was obtained through the Natural Heritage Trust for fencing and revegetation.  Fisheries Victoria funded the Killara to Tangambalanga pedestrian access project in 2010 and in 2011 allocated funding to the North East Anglers and VR Fish Peak bodies to upgrade the visitor facilities at the popular Killara picnic area on the Murray Valley Highway.

parklands staff undertaking tree maintenance

The future

An ambitious endeavour, the Lower Kiewa River Project aims to establish, revegetate and stabilise a riparian corridor on either side of the Kiewa River - from its junction with the Murray River to upstream at Yackandandah Creek. The section from the Murray River to the High Country Rail Trail is now fenced between 50-100 metres wide.  

North East Catchment Management Authority has also worked with individual licensees and private landholders to facilitate fencing stock from the actual river.  Whilst these corridors are narrower, both water quality and stock health have improved measurably, as Waterwatch Facilitators can testify.

Further works upstream to Yackandandah Creek will be incrementally implemented, due to the complexities of managing floodplains and fences with annual spring flooding of the unregulated Kiewa River.  

Where

The Entrance to Kiewa River Parklands is just off the Murray Valley Hwy on the left and right (as you are heading out of Wodonga) just before the road crosses the River.

What you might see

If its bird watching you are after, then the Kiewa River Parklands is the perfect place offering a number of bird hides along the Kiewa River walking track.

Pack a picnic and take a relaxing stroll among the River red gums.

You can follow the Kiewa Track to the junction of the Murray and Kiewa Rivers then stroll along the Wodonga Creek arm of the Murray River for another 2km's.

Alternatively, for the more energetic, there is a spectacular 10km loop track from the Kiewa River at Killara carpark to the Huon Hill Summit then via Watsons Lookout down to the Murray River, with some steep climbs and descents.  Explore Huon Hill Parklands.

Things to do

• Birdwatching
• Picnicking Short or Long walks
• Photography

Facilities

• Walking Tracks
• Picnic Tables
• Carparking
• Bird Hides 

What You Need to Know while in Parklands »

Further information on parklands tracks and trails in the Albury-Wodonga area can be obtained from parklands on (02) 6023 6714.