Motorboats barred from Ghow Swamp

Kow Swamp’s name originates from the Aboriginal word ‘Ghow’, which describes the white gypsum found in the area and is now to be officially known by that title.

Anglers can now only use human-powered vessels or fish off the banks of the historic swamp which has a circumference of 15 kilometres and a capacity of 50,910 megalitres.

The new boating restrictions have been approved under the Aboriginal Heritage Act of 2006 as part of an Ongoing Protection Declaration, which restricts “ground disturbing activities”.

Ground disturbing activities including the removal or disturbance of soil or sediments and the use of vehicles off a road or public parking area are now forbidden under the new conditions.

These rules mean the launching of boats from vehicles into the lake is now banned. Non-motorised vessels would have to be conveyed from a public road by manpower to get to the swamp.

The ban has been brought about by the historical significance of the shallow swamp to the Indigenous community.

Indigenous ancestral remains found at Ghow Swamp date back at least 13,000 years.

Ghow Swamp remains are the world’s largest single population of human remains from the late Pleistocene (120,000–10,000 years) era.

The Cohuna Skull was unearthed in 1925 by a farmer ploughing on the north-west edge of the swamp.

Site excavations led by university student Alan Thorne in the late 1960s and early 1970s revealed skeletal material belonging to more than 40 individuals with ages ranging from infant to adult.

Barry Stewart of Koondrook has been fishing Ghow Swamp since he was a boy and runs the annual Koondrook fishing competition.

‘‘I fully respect the Aboriginal history associated with the swamp, but I don’t agree putting a total ban on motor-powered boats using the swamp,” Mr Stewart said.

“I think where the historical Aboriginal sites have been found should be protected and out of bounds for anglers, but the new rules seem a little harsh to me.“

Bill L’Hiullier, a Gunbower resident and a former president and current vice-president of the active Gunbower Fishing Club whose members fish Ghow Swamp regularly, said he could not see why the new ban on motorised boats only has been introduced.

‘‘It was only recently Peter Walsh (State Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains which includes Ghow Swamp) suggested a boat ramp could be erected at the swamp which has had no official launching ramp,” he said.

‘‘In saying this I also know that any motorised boats out in the swamp could easily get into serious trouble because of the snags and old tree stumps that are plentiful and are not always visible.’’

Mr Walsh said he was hoping for a “common sense solution” to the boat ramp debate at Ghow Swamp.

He said it was time government, Indigenous leaders and boaties came together to develop an “acceptable solution that will allow for the construction of a boat ramp at the swamp”.

“I have been campaigning much longer than should have been necessary to get a boat ramp in this major water system — for safety alone if for no other reason,” Mr Walsh said.

“As I understand it, in many cases because people cannot back their cars far enough into the water to safely launch boats, they are unhitching trailers and pushing them out to the necessary depths and then dragging trailers back to shore.

“Combine that with people driving into the water using larger 4WDs and SUVs and you have the potential for a real tragedy.

“The popularity of Ghow Swamp as a day, weekend or holiday hotspot is only going to increase, and as more people get involved without the back-up, indeed without the safety net of a proper boat ramp, the worse the problem is going to become.”