Restoration Trial at Brady Swamp on public and private land

Brady Swamp is situated adjacent to the far south-eastern corner of the Grampians National Park in Victoria’s South West, straddling public (Brady Swamp Wildlife Reserve) and private land. The swamp is one in a chain of wetlands of the Wannon River Floodplain, as the river reaches the flats after exiting the valley between the Serra and Mt William Ranges within the Grampians.

Location of Brady Swamp, in the Southern Grampians – South West Victoria

Brady Swamp – Landscape context

Having been made the terminus for discharging flows from the Bunnugal Rural Drainage Area from around 1900 (bringing water from the drained Heifer Swamp), both Gooseneck and Brady Swamp were themselves subsequently drained in in the 1950s.

In the case of Brady Swamp, a deeper, artificial by-pass drainage channel was constructed for a considerable distance parallel to the Wannon River outlet, rejoining the river further downstream. Although a lack of maintenance (resulting in some sedimentation) has seen a partial return of additional wetland habitat within Brady Swamp in more recent years, the drainage channel continues to impact the depth and duration of inundation – causing the swamp to be more seasonal and less permanent in nature.

Oblique image of Brady Swamp – Looking in an easterly direction.
Location of the Brady Swamp restoration trial structure, showing the artificial drain parallel to the Wannon River

With the support of local landholders (who have been interested in restoring water levels in Brady Swamp for many years), Parks Victoria and the Glenelg Hokpins CMA, Nature Glenelg Trust implemented a restoration trial before winter 2014, eventually resulting in permanent restoration works in early 2015.

Updates on the progress of the project works can be viewed below in the project related blogs.

Click here for the full list of project related blogs