Something About Mary

"Something about Mary - Inspiring Community Connection to Mary River Stories" is an exciting new publication by the MRCCC featuring the five priority species that are the focus of the Mary River Threatened Aquatic Species Recovery Plan.  
Suitable for use as an educational resource, or as a gift for friends and family, this booklet was created through a collaboration between graphic designer Glenbo Craig and MRCCC staff member Tanzi Smith. Also, local cartoonist Jeff Douwes has applied his artistic flair to create an A3 poster that provides a caricature of the Mary River and her main habitat features.

Thanks to Be Natural Cereals and Snacks and Landcare Australia Ltd for providing a "Be Natural Landcare Australia" grant to support the design of the booklet and the "Something about Mary" workshops attended by over 200 people throughout October, November and December 2012.

Printed versions of the booklet are now on sale for $5.50 including GST. They can be purchased from the Mary River Resource Centre in Gympie, the Fraser Coast Discovery Sphere in Hervey Bay and the Save the Mary Museum and Education Centre in Kandanga. If you are interested in stocking the booklet please get in touch with the Resource Centre. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The aim of the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC) is to promote within the community and through interested sectors, a common view of a sustainable and productive catchment. Key roles which promote the MRCCC’s nonregulatory and cooperative approach in achieving this aim have been determined. These roles are Education and Awareness, Planning (assisting Local Government) and assisting interest-sectors to adopt Best Management Practices.

The Mary River Catchment is one of the most diverse catchments in Queensland. It covers 9595 km2 from Maleny to Fraser Island and contains a population of over 200,000 people, both on the land and in urban areas and rural subdivisions. Economic activities in the Mary River Catchment range from dairying, beef, forestry, fishing, horticulture, mining, sugar, farm forestry, tourism, sand and gravel extraction, small industry and cottage arts and craft. The Mary River itself is 310 km long and water quality varies from fresh through to saline in the estuarine areas where the river flows into the RAMSAR listed wetlands of the Great Sandy Strait, home to Dugongs, migrating whales and migratory birds. This complex catchment is subject to high intensity cyclonic rainfall on very steep slopes and is experiencing major changes in land use, increased competition for resources, and rapid population growth (being adjacent to the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay).