Narromine-Warren-Willie Retreat

Thanks Andrew

We were up there in mid June, and the water on the Gibson way was at about the same level.

I'm going back mainly to take advantage of the National Parks guided tour which I understand will get into areas that are normally restricted to casual visitors. I'll also do the loop out along the Gibson Way, up to Carinda, and back down the Carinda-Warren Road. The Marshes is a fascinating area, and the issue of cotton production and water usage is a hoary one isn't it?

I've come across a good read in The Macquarie Marshes - an ecological history, by Gillian Hogendyk. Published by the Institute of Public Affairs (Occasional Paper, September 2007) an available on their website. Cotton production is not the only variable in the life of the Marshes.

Cheers
John

Hullo John
Thanks for the reference. I have downloaded it for reading over the next few days while the memory of the place is still fresh.
And I agree that cotton production is not the only variable; it is just the most obvious at the moment with the 10s of thousands of hectares of flat, bare land and huge above ground dams.
Cheers
Andrew

Whilst not trying to push the cotton industry or what crops should be grown, I wish you would get the full facts regarding land in that area and agronomic practises.

Fact, the ground is naturally flat.
Fact laser leveling is good for the environment IF you are flood irrigating as it prevents ponding and results in more efficient irrigation (less water required for the same plant growth).
Yes it is bare at certain times, but so too in reality is the wine country for a period of time that a lot of urban people flock to. Never hear of people talking about that.
Not all flat agricultural land was tree covered. Some of it was naturally grassy plains, just read Allan Cunningham's & other early explorers journals.
Yes trees have been removed to allow for tillage and reduce the amount water required to grow crops, but you have not been able to wholesale clear land in NSW since 1996.
You can buy hemp clothing if you wish, but at the moment people prefer cotton. Farmers grow what the market wants and the environment permits.

The misconceptions peddled by some people

Mark

G'day Mark

I assume that your follow-up is to Steve's reply, but I don't get the sense that anyone (including yourself) is laying out the "full facts", or even claiming to.

While the reference that I gave to the Institute of Public Affairs paper is a well-writen comprehensive document, it too probably reflects some bias and absence of facts. It does have some background to how the cotton industry came about, together with a perspective on land management throughout the (European) history of the Marshes.

Cheers
John

John

Yes I was replying to Steve's comments. I said at the outset that I wasn't defending the cotton industry or extraction of water from the Macquarie's impact on the marshes.
I have friends who are cotton growers and also friends who have irrigation licenses, live among cotton areas who dislike cotton but won't grow cotton.
What I was commenting on was the statements about land clearing, laser levelling and bare ground. The other agricultural industry which I didn't mention and has a lot of bare ground is vegetable production. Never see any criticism of the intensive vegetable industries?

I just want comments based on fact, not incorrect emotive half truths initiated by individuals to suit their argument to unaware people removed from the region who don't have the opportunity to have a balanced view point.

Please tell me what I believe to be facts (or vice versa) are wrong?
Mark

G'day Mark

The way I read your first follow-up was that you were about to deliver the "full facts", and I was trying to have a gentle dig, while not challenging the facts that you stated.

When it comes to thinking about cotton production in areas such as those around Warren and Bourke, I try to listen to those for and against, and to appreciate the investment, endeavour, and hardships of those who grow cotton, but at the end of the day I finish up wondering whether cotton is the right crop for areas of the country that can be so affected by drought. As a former South Australian, and now as a Canberran, I also wonder why the Murray-Darling Basin water issues cannot be resolved.

But . . .this Forum is not going to resolve those issues is it?

I will drive to Willie Retreat along the Macquarie, and delight in the landscape, and the opportunity to be able to be in it.

Cheers
John

Thanks Mark

Because the powers-that-be will not let it be grown in Oz. You may be able to hide recreational grade plants amongst the clothing grade stuff.