Funding for Comarty Wetlands

Nearly $1.8 million in Federal funding is being allocated to save one of Australia’s most precious wetlands near Townsville.

The money will help the Queensland community group, The Wetlands and Grasslands Foundation, buy and protect Comarty Wetlands, a 1,600 hectare property near Townsville that will become the Wongaloo Conservation Park.

The funding covers two-thirds of the $2.5 million purchase price. The Queensland Government and the Townsville and Burdekin Councils have also committed funding, and the foundation is working with community donors to raise the remainder of the funds.

Comarty Wetlands adjoin the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and form the core of one of the largest coastal wetland complexes in eastern Australia, an already important breeding site for brolga and magpie geese. It is surrounded on three sides by national park and other conservation areas, and its protection will generally improve the resilience of the nearby Ramsar-listed wetland.