Mary River Month 2025
World Rivers Day kicks off Mary River Month.
World Rivers Day is a celebration of the world’s waterways every year on the fourth Sunday in September. While rivers in almost virtually every country face an array of threats, World Rivers Day highlights the value of our rivers, seeking to improve both public awareness and better stewardship of all rivers on the planet.
Last year several million people, in around 100 countries joined in, and here, on the Mary, World Rivers Day also marks the beginning of Mary River Month with the MRCCC preparing a suite of activities from Sunday 28th September until Tuesday 11th November – the 16th anniversary of that fateful day when Peter Garrett said “no” to the Traveston Crossing Dam.
The MRCCC’s highly successful Spring in the Mary Photo competition is on again, 
showcasing the amazing talent of some of our local photographers, like Ben Revell’s image of a juvenile White-throated snapping turtle. Entrants are asked to highlight an aspect of Spring in the Mary, with prizes awarded for the overall best in competition, Junior, Wildlife, Rural, Rivers and Creeks, Coastal and Estuary and People’s Choice. All entries will be on display at the Mary River Festival on 11 July 2026 for voting in the People’s Choice award. Thank you to Barung Landcare, Kenilworth Rural Supplies, the Burnett Mary Regional Group, Noosa Landcare and the Greater Mary Association for supporting the 2025 competition. Download a copy of the entry form here! The competition opens on the 28th September and closes on the 31st October with winners announced on Mary River Remembrance Day, 11th November. Submit your entries (limit of 3 per person) to springinthemary@mrccc.org.au
The MRCCC’s annual catchment crawl will travel the river and major tributaries over the 8th and 9th of October capturing an overview of water quality including nutrients and E. coli at ~ 40 sites on the main trunk of the Mary river and its tributaries. Riparian condition assessment and photo monitoring is also undertaken at each of the sites. The data gathered over the two days is used to provide a snap shot of water quality in the river and tributaries, and to create base line data which can indicate water quality trends when compared with previous years. Contact the MRCCC if you are interested in meeting the team at one or more of the sites on either day!
Creek walks and River talks are also a feature of this year’s Catchment Crawl. Click here to download the flyer if you are interested in learning more about rare and threatened aquatic species in the catchment! RSVP to the MRCCC asap as numbers are limited!
The MRCCC’s AGM on the 29th October will be held at the Albert Bowls Club, Gympie, right on the town reach of the Mary River where the MRCCC is facilitating riparian rehabilitation through the Urban Rivers Program. Guest speaker, Dr David Roberts, Senior Aquatic Ecologist with Seqwater, will be sharing his extensive knowledge about lungfish, a living fossil that has remained unchanged for 100 million years and is a native of our catchment. The MRCCC’s AGM also provides an opportunity to hear about the work of our organisation over the past year. To confirm your attendance, RSVP to the MRCCC on 5482 4766 or email admin@mrccc.org.au and please advise of any dietary requirements.
If you are you interested in advocating for better outcomes for your local community and helping to educate people about actions that improve the health of our catchment, the MRCCC would like to hear from you! Our AGM provides an opportunity for you to step up and alert the committee about issues in your area, and connect you with like minded organisations and individuals to facilitate a collaborative approach to address issues collectively. Contact the MRCCC for more information or click here to download a nomination form!
Webpage featured image – Spring cattle count at Bellthorpe by David Clark, Spring in the Mary photo competition, 2022