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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-26 Daily Xml
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Friends of the Upper and Lower Field River

Mr DIGHTON (Black) (15:22): I rise to talk about the Friends of the Lower and Upper Field River today. I have been doing a tour of all of the friends groups that are within my electorate. Today, I want to pay tribute to them and also recognise the Field River system that winds through Adelaide's southern suburbs before reaching the sea at Hallett Cove. As a lesser known but ecologically significant metropolitan waterway, this seasonal river plays a crucial role in connecting the Hills to the coast, supporting biodiversity, filtering stormwater and offering green space for the community.

The Field River and its surrounding catchment area are a part of the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, who have lived along its banks for thousands of years. European colonisation in the 1800s led to significant land clearing and degradation in the Field River catchment. The lower section of the river, particularly from Trott Park through to Sheidow Park to Hallett Cove, has been heavily impacted by urban development from the 1970s onwards, with natural habitats reduced and water quality affected by stormwater run-off.

In response to these environmental pressures, the Friends of the Lower Field River was formed in 2004. This community group has since been working tirelessly to rehabilitate the river corridor, protecting native species and improving public awareness. Their work focuses on weed removal, erosion control, rubbish clean-ups, revegetation of native plants and educating the local community about the river's importance. They have planted thousands of native trees and shrubs to restore habitat for local wildlife, including birds, lizards and insects.

The friends group collaborates with local schools and council and environmental organisations, offering volunteer events and guided walks. Thanks to their efforts, sections of the Lower Field River are beginning to recover, providing ecological value and recreational spaces. I recently visited the Friends of the Lower Field River and met with volunteers Jennifer Watson, Greg Westlake and Trevor Westlake. The group taught me a great deal about the importance of the work that these volunteers have done to protect the environment. It was fascinating to learn about the discovery of the diprotodon fossils in the Lower Field River by Trevor Westlake. Diprotodon, giant wombat, fossils were found in 1992. It is, of course, a megafauna, the world's largest marsupial. It lived between 150,000 to 10,000 years ago. These fossils are now on display at the Cove Civic Centre for people to go to check them out.

I also want to talk about the exciting development that was announced during the by-election, which I announced with the Deputy Premier, regarding the declaration and gazetting of the Kauwi-marnirla Field River Conservation Park, which is really considered the Upper Field River. The Aboriginal name, Kauwi-marnirla, translates to 'two good waters'. This new park provides a significant opportunity to protect, restore and rewild this metropolitan river corridor along the Field River catchment. In total, consisting of in-kind and direct financial support, about $13 million is going to be invested into the establishment of the park, which will be managed by the national parks service along with Kaurna practitioners.

My family and I have walked along and enjoyed exploring the Field River. It is exciting, the work that will be done to provide new walking trails and signs throughout this area. I recently went on a tour with representatives from Green Adelaide and the national parks service. It was terrific to see the work that has already been occurring to remove and clear weeds and introduced species, in particular, as per a number of the other conservation parks in my area, olive trees. Thanks to Green Adelaide, the Kaurna Firesticks team, the Friends of the Upper Field River group and the City of Marion for the work that they have done to date.

A management plan for the park is currently in the development stage and will be released for public consultation later this year. The Kauwi-marnirla Field River Conservation Park will be a wonderful addition to my community's reserves, open spaces and existing parks. I again want to put on the record my thanks for the efforts of the Friends of the Upper and Lower Field River groups in the work they do to preserve our beautiful environment along with rangers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

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