People for a Living Moorabool are among a group of community organisations who have collectively released a Joint Statement on the Central and Gippsland Sustainable Water Strategy.

A film promoting more water flows for the Moorabool River will have its world premiere in Ballarat on Saturday 26th June.  There will be another launch in Geelong on Saturday the 3rd of July.  

“the River Moorabool” was made by People for A Living Moorabool (PALM) and Sheoaks Films.  It features local landowners, scientists, and healthy river advocates, as well a spectacular and wide-ranging views of the Moorabool river valley and catchment.

Cameron Steele, the coordinator of PALM, says that the health of the Moorabool River and its wildlife are being damaged because so much of the river’s water is taken for human use or not allowed to get into the river.  

“By the time, the Moorabool reaches the Barwon at Geelong, about 90% of its original natural flow has been trapped in water authority reservoirs and farm dams, and taken from groundwater.”

“the River Moorabool” explores the consequences of this dramatic demand for the catchment’s water, especially in the face of climate change.  Interviewees call for alternative water supplies for Ballarat and Geelong to reduce the pressure on the Moorabool so more water can flow down the river.  Cameron Steele wants investigation of: the recycling and reuse of urban run-off and waste water; and, desalination.

The film encourages citizens to ‘get stroppy’ and tell their politicians that ruining the Moorabool is not acceptable.  

You can watch the official trailer for “the River Moorabool” on the internet @ https://vimeo.com/349830144

The Age Newspaper on the 17th of June publish an article about the film which can be found here:

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-river-is-dying-before-our-eyes-campaigners-fight-to-save-the-moorabool-20210615-p5812k.html

“the River Moorabool” will be shown in:

Ballarat on Saturday 26 June from 7pm 

at the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute, 117-119 Sturt St, 

and 

Geelong on Saturday 3 July from 7pm 

at the Peter Thwaites Lecture Theatre, 

Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus.  

Tickets ($16.50 each) are available from Eventbrite – see eventbrite.com.au or scan the Ballarat or Geelong flow code using your mobile phone:

Each screening of “the River Moorabool” will be followed by a panel discussion.  Screenings are planned for Bannockburn and Ballan.

Ballarat launch - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-river-moorabool-ballarat-tickets-156201403603

Geelong launch - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-river-moorabool-geelong-tickets-156033350953

Film posters below.

Last night on the 26th of June a capacity crowd attended the Ballarat Mechanics Institute's Hall to watch the premier of the film “the River Moorabool”.

The Moorabool River is recognised as the most over-allocated and flow stressed river in Victoria with flows at its mouth being reduced by 90%.

It has huge amounts of water drawn from it each year to supply the cities of Ballarat and Geelong along many smaller towns in between. The region's largest water utility reservoir sits at its center.

The aquifer supplying the river at its head is heavily mined for water via groundwater bores. It is deemed over allocated and reduces the flow in some of the Moorabool's streams by 70%.

Its catchment has more farm dams per square kilometre than any other river basin in the State holding the equivalent of 23% of its annual inflows.

Over the last 15 years the Moorabool has suffered the largest decline in water runoff due to climate change than any other river basin in central and southern Victoria.

To top everything else off it is now facing having 60% of its environmental flows stripped from it within the decade when the pumps at the Fyansford Quarry likely to be shut down.

We need your help to give voice to the plight of this highly stressed river and to help halt its decline.

Right now its future is being decided at a high level through the updating of the Sustainable Water Strategy (SWS). The original Strategy set out a framework for leaving more water in our most stricken rivers and it was used extensively by advocates like PALM to get better outcomes for them. We desperately need this update to be even more courageous particularly given the serious impacts of our changing climate.

The community members and advocacy groups have two chances to give input. The first is right now through the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning's Engage Vic portal which can be found here: 

www.engage.vic.gov.au/central-and-gippsland-region-sustainable-water-strategy

The cutoff date is this Friday the 22nd of May 2021 and it only takes a short time to complete. Unfortunately at the time of posting DELWP still had not replied to a series of questions PALM supporters had put to them which would have informed submissions. However it is worth stating quite clearly in the above survey that increasing environmental flows in the Moorabool should be a priority for the SWS. If there are any questions please feel free to contact PALM at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The second opportunity will be when the draft Strategy comes out in early July. PALM and others will be campaigning strongly over the subsequent two months supported by an excellent film called The River Moorabool which will have a release in both Ballarat and Geelong around that time.

Link to Official Trailer of “The River Moorabool”: www.vimeo.com/349830144

Please fill out the DELWP's survey and check back regularly for updates.

MEDIA RELEASE

Dying Moorabool River needs big drinks of water

22 June 2021

Film premiere on Saturday 26 June in Ballarat