Upper Richmond River Festival
Upper Richmond River Festival
Putting the spotlight on river health though a festival program offering something for everyone with an interest in caring for our creeks and rivers
Capacity to Deliver -
LP022-20
The issue
The catastrophic flood events of Feb-Mar 2022 caused immense damage to the creeks and rivers across the Northern Rivers. Enquiries seeking support for erosion concerns skyrocketed and many Landcare groups were devastated to see their past efforts to restore riverbanks washed away.
The solution
In the interest of building morale and raising awareness and support for the long journey of riparian recovery, the Border Ranges Richmond Valley Landcare Network rolled out the Upper Richmond River Festival as a program of 18 river-themed events across April and May 2023.
For the strategic thinkers, the program offered workshops on restoring wetlands, understanding erosion control, investigating water bugs and strategic weed management along the waterways. There was also some action-packed activities including a river kayak adventure, riparian tree plantings and a Ridge to River Regen Camp Out as well as some cultural and creative events including Baluun Yarning - river stories sessions, a river themed film night, photography competition and a painting riverscapes workshop.
The impact
Centred around the Kyogle zone of the Richmond River, this festival brought together near 500 people across these events and generated a great deal of attention and intention for improving the health of our creeks and rivers. The groundswell will continue to grow with plans already brewing for another Richmond Riverfest hosted downstream in 2024.
Key facts
- 18 events
- 488 participants
- Over 6000 trees planted back along the riverbanks