Fulham Road Bridge to O'Sheas Crossing

Leg 10. Upper Brisbane River, shortly after the major flood of February 2022. The 10th leg of our journey starts at the Fulham Road Bridge, and follows the swollen river through rapids and waterholes to O’Sheas Crossing, at the brink of Wivenhoe dam. We reflect on the severe erosion caused by the raging water, and on the importance of riparian vegetation to stabilise river banks and restore the waterway. Garry Fitz joins us on the water to share his deep knowledge of the river.
Follow our Source-to-Sea journey here: / 1101449276991614

[@australianbiotopes4563]

Another great video! it goes to show we need much more tree growth along the edges or more land will be lost to the river.

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

Cheers AB - the contrast between vegetated and non-vegetated banks is stark, isn't it?

[@australianbiotopes4563]

@@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600 I remember going to Collages Crossing as a kid, the water was nice and clear and deep with a lot of trees surrounding it, then they turned it into a park, they have spent a lot of money repairing it ever since, after the last floods they almost gave up on it, as much as I like the park sometimes it is best to leave things as they are, I think it could of still been a park but they should of left more trees around the waters edge, I think it is the same case for all the farmland, we are always quick to clear land but then don't want to deal with the consequences, I think if we are going to want to live or farm near water courses it should be mandatory to keep some sort of corridor along these areas to maintain our waterways or we intern end up paying for it.

[@nmeau]

@@australianbiotopes4563 I agree - the parkland with open grass right down to the water looks unnatural, and I get the feeling that the river eroding on that side and becoming shallower, and stagnant. That can be fixed though, just needs to strategic planting under competent management.

[@wendybrealey8368]

I agree, a great video especially to see the comparison with the river now after the flood. Your filming makes a cogent case for planting the riverbanks especially given the years for the trees and understory to establish. Need to do it now while maybe we’ll have five or ten years til the next one? I am a bit surprised you could do it so soon with the dangers of debris in the water. We were at O’Sheas in January and what a difference. I thought even then how amazing it was to see the river running but now it’s so much wider. Looking forward to the next leg. OT but platypus have been spotted locally in a creek near us, known in the past to have them but not seen for a long while so they are still thriving in the South Pine River and its tributaries.

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

Thanks Wendy. The case for riparian vegetation is undeniable by now. No-one benefits from the erosion that we witnessed, least of all the impacted farmers along the river. But it will take some time to change the old ways of doing things. For a long time, trees were considered as nothing but competition to the grass.

[@QueenslandTrainVideos]

I have never understood the crazy concept in clearing the land right down to the riverbank, steward's of the land what a joke many of our farmers are.

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

It's one of those things that will take a long time to turn around, many now understand the value or riparian vegetation but there's still resistance out there. I think many of the early farmers idealised the European green fields and open, winding rivers. Some of that thinking remains. On this journey we've seen first hand the value of vegetation - it makes a huge difference.

[@markstrachan489]

where is the epa.?? or is looking after the peoples assets to hard for them and other relevant government departments, the farmers dont own the riverbanks , tree planting needs to be done but that costs money they dont want to spend. they would rather tax us for cows farting .

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

As Garry says - if you dig up a mangrove you go to jail, but you can do just about anything to a river without any questions being asked.

[@robwhite7954]

Wow, powerful footage Magnus for people to think about as we care for our rivers. Keep it up!

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

Thanks Rob - these were certainly some of the more degraded reaches of the river that we've seen so far. The process can be reversed though, as illustrated by the sections with mature riparian vegetation. Trees top erosion - it's as straightforward as that.

[@Mack74]

Have been watching since the start both the wife and i love seeing the changes in the river. Keep up the good work.

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

Thank you Justin - we are just about half way, so there's plenty more to see !

[@bradwelch7425]

0:53 that was a big eel there.

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

Big old lungy..

[@bradwelch7425]

@@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600 Looked at a little closer and you are spot on, good to see them in the river.

[@AnarchyEnsues]

Can't wait for the next episode.

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

We're keen to get out as well, just need a free weekend with the right weather :-)

[@AnarchyEnsues]

@@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600 are you going to backtrack into sumerset, or just straight into wivenhoe? A lot of history with sumerset.

[@tooeasybrah]

Wow. I was wondering if the flood had hit while on your adventure. It's great to see the different perspectives and the dramatic change. Mother nature certainly is impressive!

[@brisbaneriver-thewholejour2600]

I'm very happy that we managed to schedule this trip so soon after the flood event - it's a rare perspective of the upper river.