A billabong is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pool left behind after a river changes course.

It is not uncommon to see flocks of several hundred sulphur-crested white cockatoos coming in to roost on the dead and dying River Red Gums that line much of the Murray River. Decreased flows because of overuse of water for irrigation projects upstream has meant that there is now insufficient natural flooding to sustain these iconic, ancient trees. (Hence my oxymoron of death by undrowning.)

The Southern Bell Frog is one of the many endangered species that used to be common along the lower reaches of the Murray-Darling river system, but their dwindling numbers are now contracting to a much smaller area to the south-east.

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