Wetlands

Restored wetlands along the north side the Latrobe River near Sale in Gippsland, Australia are bursting with birdlife and sprouting new native vegetation.

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Freckled ducks in flight

Fauna ecologists have been delighted by the discovery of growling grass frogs and green and golden bell frogs.

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Green and golden bell frog

Five years ago the paddocks at the historic Swing Bridge were a barren dust bowl. Bad seasons, bad management and bad luck had turned a spectacular mix of land and water into a barren, featureless plain where only the strongest river red gums battled through those years. Clear waterways, tangled with debris from storms, deteriorated to swamp.

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The Swing Bridge, on the Latrobe River south of Sale, carried the road to the south, while giving large lakes vessels access into the Port of Sale.

The Swing Bridge is now preserved as an historically important structure, while traffic crosses on a new bridge a little upstream.