I keep going on about the drought, but it really is the most visible thing out here these days. Most of my wildlife encounters these last few months have been of roadkill, of animals moving across country to find food and water and being hit by vehicles, and other animals going for the roadkill and getting hit in turn. I haven’t wanted to photograph those for my blog. I’m sure if I looked hard enough I could find something alive to show you, but everywhere I turn all I see is dust. We had a nice little rainstorm about a week ago, but it won’t mean much unless there’s follow-up this season.
And on that depressing note, here are some photos I took around the region this month, which show just how stark it is out here.
Emu in woodland, Darlington Point. No grass or groundcover.
Murrumbidgee River at Narrandera. This is partly due to river regulation; they’ve stopped sending water down for allocations and environmental flows and such (at least in part because there’s so little water available), but it’s still usually got more water than this in it, even off-season. I don’t remember ever seeing the river quite this low before, and have heard the same from several long-term locals. This is the same location as my February blog post, for anyone who wants to make the comparison. During the 2016 floods this road wasn’t accessible.
I’ve been down this way again since I took the above photo and the water level has risen a little, but it’s still pretty darn low.
Private property at Sandigo (this photo was actually taken in March, but it hasn’t gotten better since). Again, no grass or ground cover.
And I headed to Galore Hill to get some wider shots across the landscape again.
For comparison, here’s a photo I took beside a highway rest stop somewhere between Sydney and Goulburn this month. Almost shockingly green.
And to finish the month off on a slightly more positive note, here’s a koala I found while checking the river height at Narrandera. She was walking along the roadside as I approached, then bounded for the nearest tree when she noticed me. Chance koala encounters are always a plus.
Riverina Wildlife 
The drought is biting and of course no-one can predict an end. I have seen the river that low several times, and I imagine those levels have occurred at other times in the 40+ years I’ve lived here. I have never seen the land this dry. I watched a cow walk across a paddock a few days ago. The dust rose from her hooves.
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This bit of rain today is nice, here’s hoping it’s a good omen for the season.
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