Archibald Prize Finalist Lucy Culliton’s finished piece at the Lake Pillans Painted River Project
Story and photos by Tracie McMahon
What do an Archibald prize finalist, an industrial ruin and aquatic insects have in common? During the Painted River Project at Lake Pillans it was an opportunity to document the extraordinary world of our waterways, including a real time underwater survival challenge.
Key Points:
- The Painted River Project aims to connect people to waterways through art, starting conversations, and encouraging us all to look a little deeper.
- Healthy waterways are critical for aquatic species and healthy cities.
- We can all help to keep our planet healthy by ensuring the impacts of urban settlement such as rubbish, stormwater and urban runoff are kept out of natural waterways.
I don’t know about you but when I Google, “Things to do in Lithgow this weekend” I’m not expecting to find: ‘Paint with an Archibald Prize finalist and check out waterbugs at Lake Pillans.’ Up until the 1990s, the Blast Furnace and the dam beside it were a pile of bricks and mortar, weeds and willows, bearing the scars of early twentieth century industrialisation.
Today, thanks to decades of work by many, Lake Pillans is a functioning wetland, space of community, and as Dr Ian Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science at the Western Sydney University enthuses, home to an extraordinary diversity and volume of aquatic life.
A damselfly drying its wings
The Painted River Project
The Painted River Project is the ‘brainchild’ of Leo Robba: an artist, designer and academic. It began in Parramatta in 2017 with a goal of “highlighting the importance of healthy rivers and water catchments … seeking to communicate this message through community interaction.” The idea has expanded into the regions, with events in the Blue Mountains, Moree and a previous event at Lake Wallace in 2022.
The event at Lake Pillans drew an audience of local and interstate artists, and others like me, who were just curious and keen to watch artists at work. But it was not just about the art.
There was also a table set with a microscope, pipette, and a tray of aquatic life that Dr Wright had graciously waded into the lake to acquire. And there was much to see. As I took my turn at the microscope, I was stunned to find a damselfly voraciously hunting anything smaller than itself. As it darted to the other side of the petri dish, a caddisfly timidly emerged from within a hollow twig, checking both ways, then frantically gathering algae, covering itself in a desperate attempt to survive.
A fellow participant checking out the action under the Microscope
I was so stunned by the action I sought out Dr Wright to ensure I was not attributing human behaviours to the random actions of these tiny creatures. He was a bit hard to track down as he wove his way amongst participants, asking them about their work, what they were hoping to capture and sharing his extensive knowledge of aquatic life.
Connecting Art and Science
The impromptu question and answer sessions were as intriguing as the underwater action, and I almost forget my question. One participant was cradling a section of reeds from the edge of the lake, documenting its delicate features as botanical art. Dr Wright explained that the reed is often ‘cut’ by bugs to create a home for shelter, protection, or reproduction.
Another was capturing the colours and textures of the water on a windy day. She told me, “I am not an artist, just having a bit of fun.” The Oxford Languages definition of art is: “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.” Seemed to me, today she was an artist.
There were works created with bamboo and ink, palette knives, watercolours, pencils, charcoal, on boards, paper and in journals. Each of them recorded the individual’s response to the site and the waterway. There were questions about artistic technique, water life, water quality, local conditions and sharing of knowledge about the health of our local environment.
Chelsea Walsh capturing the textures and colours at Lake Pillans.
Todd Whisson from Queensland, capturing the light and shadows on the grassy hillside with a palette knife.
David Carroll using pastels to capture the variation of colours in the trees.
Annie Herron uses bamboo and ink on ever-extending paper to capture the delicate lines of trees and reeds.
Amanda Holman travelled from Orange for the event after attending a previous event in Moree. The ever-changing clouds on such a blustery day featured in her landscape work.
Bunny Griffin, capturing the play of light on water.
My own nature journal of the day.
Sharing stories
One participant mentioned a recent sighting of platypus in Coxs River, near Wallerawang and Dr Wright was thrilled when another produced video footage. He remarked that Charles Darwin’s first sighting of a platypus was at Wallerawang in 1836, and the sighting was a precursor to his later theory of evolution.
My question seemed a bit dull by comparison, but Dr Wright was happy to answer and confirmed that yes, I was not imagining things: life underwater is a game of survival. And it is not only between the water bugs, but the impact of being a tiny player in a world with a city on its perimeter.
He said we were fortunate to see so much variety and activity. This Lithgow event also included a workshop for local schools involving water sampling and documenting the presence of indicator species.
Samples were taken from Farmers Creek at Oakey Park, just below Farmers Creek Dam #2: one of Lithgow’s Water Supplies. The workshop tests revealed the water to be “exceptionally high quality and able to support an abundance of aquatic life”. He said we were fortunate to have such high-quality water in the area. It is a testament to the actions taken to improve what was an industrial wasteland.”
Caring for Lithgow’s waterways
The project also aimed to draw attention to the need for continual care of our waterways and ensuring the health of water is prioritised in future urban planning.
“Water and our river systems are the foundation of healthy cities and human well-being.” – Leo Robba
The introduction to the event highlighted the work of many to restore and care for Lake Pillans over many years, but the work is never finished, and often events such as the Black Summer Bushfires or flooding can undo earlier work.
Lucy Culliton, our artistic lead for the day, with deep family connections to the Kanimbla Valley, agreed. She pointed to a copse of eucalypts towering overhead. Her brother-in-law, Boris Hunt, assisted in planting these as part of rehabilitation works in the mid-1990s. Beneath them, hundreds of seedlings planted earlier this year by Landcare, poked maroon and pink leaves from beneath tree guards.
Tree plantings on the edge of Lake Pillans.
Dr Wright pointed out there are many things we can do to protect the health of our waterways and we can all play our part. The Painted River Project is about slowing down and focusing on the water and its inhabitants. As I followed the path of a hovering dragonfly over the lake, I saw the odd can, torn plastic bag, and cardboard box dotted amongst the reeds. The water that runs off properties and streets (urban run-off) contains both visible and invisible contaminants.
Thankfully, the results of the water testing suggested Lake Pillans had not been adversely impacted on this day. But this may not always be the case and we can all help.
Take Action:
- Ensure domestic rubbish is secured for appropriate collection and disposal.
- Ensure urban run-off drains into the pits and pipes that connect to the stormwater management system for effective treatment.
- Check and clear gutters and drains regularly so they do not overflow into natural waterways.
- Plant appropriate vegetation in backyards, to slow down and minimise run-off from hard surfaces.
Share this article:
Want to know more?
Local councils and Landcare organisations are a great place to start if you want to know more about your water, where it comes from, and how to keep it healthy. Here is a sample of information from Blue Mountains and Lithgow City Council and links to some of the other events and initiatives aimed at creating awareness and improving the health of Lithgow’s waterways.
Lithgow City Council – About our water. https://council.lithgow.com/water/about-our-water/ Explains the sources of Lithgow’s drinking water, ways to save water and water quality indicators.
Blue Mountains City Council – https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/environment/waterways Includes the Water Sensitive Blue Mountains Strategic Plan and information about Council’s water monitoring program. The Blue Mountains has some of Australia’s healthiest streams. Find out how everyone can help to protect them.
Farmers Creek Management Plan https://council.lithgow.com/services/farmers-creek/ Contains details of the agreed rehabilitation and management plan for Lithgow’s key waterway.
Planting for Their Future. https://lithgowlocalnews.com/bushcare-at-farmers-creek/ Native vegetation planting along Farmers Creek waterway to provide habitat for Gang Gang Cockatoos and native fauna.
Citizen Science at Lake Pillans. https://lithgowlocalnews.com/citizen-science-at-lake-pillans/ A brief history of Lake Pillans and the goals of citizen science, together with the results of a Bioblitz at Lake Pillans in March 2023.
The Frogs are Calling https://lithgowlocalnews.com/the-frogs-are-calling/ Frog monitoring at Farmers Creek as part of FrogID week in November 2023.
Lucy Culliton paints Lake Pillans
A one-minute reel where you can watch Lucy’s painting come to life:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
News From Around The Region
We share the Blue Mountains with so many extraordinary beings but have you seen them and do you know their names? Do you know the difference between a Royal Spoonbill and an Eastern Shrike-tit, or the difference between a bandicoot and an antechinus? Come and check out our Wild Life Exhibition at World Animal Day this Saturday to learn more from the stunning photographs by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Holly Kent and Tracy Burgess. There will be also be a Breakfast with the Birds at 8.30am, Animal Storytime and Craft for kids from 10am, stalls, talks, food and live music. The day is free but please book via Eventbrite to help us cater (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4eMhbz0 @bluemountainswalks @merrylwatkinsphotography @bestofbluemountains
#royalspoonbill #easternshriketit #wildlife #birdsofthebluemountains #bluemountains #katoomba #worldanimalday #biodiversity #planetaryhealth
To coincide with the first day of Bushfire Season we launched Air Watch at the Planetary Health Centre yesterday. For the last seven years Blue Mountains Unions & Community have been working tirelessly to ensure residents of the Blue Mountains and Lithgow are able to measure and track the quality of the air we breathe. The Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has worked closely with them over the last year and now there are 20 PurpleAir monitors distributed throughout the Blue Mountains and Lithgow, including one at the Planetary Health Centre. You can now view real time air quality measurements at each of our local news sites and on the Purple Air Map https://map.purpleair.com We have 10 more sensors available, so if you’d like to install a sensor, members of BMUC will be at World Animal Day at the Planetary Health Centre this Saturday 5 October to take applications and share more information about the project. Bookings for World Animal Day here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/world-animal-day-promoting-respectful-cohabitation-tickets-1029328889417
It was a fabulous day yesterday as each speaker highlighted how critically important this project is: Dr Rosemary Dillon CEO of Blue Mountains City Council Trish Doyle MP Dr Jenna Condie from Blue Mountains Parents for Climate Dr Maggie Davidson, environmental scientist from Western Sydney University Matthew Riley, Director Climate and Atmospheric Science from NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Peter Lammiman and Ann-Maree McEwan from the BMUC’s Airwatch Committee.
@bluemountainsunionists @nswdcceew @bluemountainscitycouncil @westernsydneyu @trishdoylemp @parentsforclimatebluemountains #airqualilty #airqualitymonitors #bluemountains #planetaryhealth
Treat yourself this weekend with a fun-filled and informative World Animal Day event at the Planetary Health Precinct in Katoomba. As well as a Breakfast with the Birds, stalls and a possum box demonstration, there will be a fabulous wildlife exhibition with photos by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Tracy Burgess and Holly Jayne; live music with Mem Davis, Joe Flood and Duck Keegan; lots of fun for kids with Sharon Baldwin and Naomi Crew leading animal storytime and craft with Julie Refferty; delicious plant based, gluten and dairy free treats, pastries and donuts from Clean Cravings; a plant based cheese degustation and warming Dahl, rice roasted cauliflower with veggies, pakoras, tamarind chutney, and salad courtesy of Bibi’s Kitchen. Come and learn more about Blue Mountains Bird Observers, Blue Mountains Conservation Society, WIRES, Action for Animals Blue Mountains and Animal Sanctuaries, Wombat Rescue, the Women’s Shed, and Animal Welfare Laws in Australia.
Guest speakers throughout the day will include Elizabeth Ellis, lecturer and author of Australian Animal Law; Hal Ginges, a local lawyer and animal activist from Action for Animals who advocates for animal rights and raises money for sanctuaries; Mark Berriman who has been President of the Australian Vegetarian Society NSW since 1989, as well as Co-ordinator for Animal Liberation NSW, Director of the Natural Health Society of Australia and the World League for Protection of Animals; and Teya Brooks Pribac, a researcher in the area of animal studies and the award-winning author of Enter the Animal. She’s also published Not Just Another Vegan Cookbook and will be sharing her culinary skills with the community in the Plant Inspired Community Cooking Project.
The event is free but please book your place to help us cater (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/world-animal-day-promoting-respectful-cohabitation-tickets-1029328889417
#worldanimalday #plantbased #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains
We are so looking forward to kicking off World Animal Day Celebrations on Saturday 5 October with an 8.30am Breakfast with the Birds. Join Paul Nagle from the Blue Mountains Bird Observers on a guided bird walk around the Planetary Health Precinct visiting different habitats on the site to observe and talk about the birdlife that is resident and that visits the site. Binoculars are highly recommended.
World Animal Day will be an inspiring family day celebrating the extraordinary diversity of animals we share our world with! The theme is `Promoting Respectful Cohabitation`. Bookings for the Breakfast with the Birds (link in profile)
or here:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/breakfast-with-the-birds-tickets-1028664983657
#birdlife #breakfastwiththebirds #katoomba #worldanimalday #bluemountains #planetaryhealth #respectfulcohabitation
We all need clean air to breathe, but how can we tell how clean our air is?
Thankfully the Air Watch subcommittee of Blue Mountains Unions & Community has worked for years to find ways to help us measure the quality of the air we breathe. Over the past year the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has worked with them to install Purple Air Quality monitors across our bioregion from Lithgow to the Lower Mountains. You can now view real time air quality on each of our Local News Sites!
Air Watch`s Purple Air quality monitors give the Blue Mountains` 78,000 residents, workers and 3 to 5 million/year visitors the power to make timely, informed decisions about their activities and health. It will also be a reliable source of data for the scientific community.
To coincide with the start of the Bushfire Season on Tuesday 1 October, we`re inviting the whole community to join us to launch Air Watch Blue Mountains and Lithgow at the Planetary Health Precinct. If you`d like to join us book a place here https://bit.ly/4dp2qko (link in profile)
#airquality #purpleair #bluemountainsunionscouncil #planetaryhealth #bluemountains #katoomba #bushfireseason
Today`s the day for the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival! @bluemtns_sustainability_fest
We`ll be at the Speakers Forum at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre at 10.15, talking about volunteer opportunities with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative, and then giving a presentation at 2.30pm. There`s a jam-packed speakers program, community stalls and workshops, and a Shopping Trail through Katoomba and Leura. You can find more information on the website at https://resilientbluemountains.org/sustainability-festival/
#sustainability #slowfashion #slowshopping #fashiontrail #circulareconomy #planetaryhealth #community #katoomba
Our newsletter is out! Read about the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival this Saturday, the Air Watch Launch next Tuesday and the upcoming World Animal Day: Promoting Respectful Cohabitation Event at the Planetary Health Precinct on 5 October. And check out the comprehensive Springwood & Lower Mountains Repairers Guide (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3TJiKFR
You can subscribe to receive this newsletter via any of our local news sites.
#sustainability #biodiversity #worldanimalday #airwatch #airqualitymonitors #sustainablefashion #circulareconomy #planetaryhealth
The Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative is hosting its first World Animal Day Event on Saturday 5 October at the Planetary Health Precinct (former Katoomba Golf Course at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba). It will be a fun-filled and informative day with stalls, presentations, storytelling for children by Sharon Baldwin and Naomi Crew, children’s craft by Julie Refferty, a Wildlife Exhibition including work by Merryl Watlkins and Holly Jayne, live music by Mem Davis, Joe Flood and Duck Keegan, plant based food provided by Bibi’s Kitchen and Clean Cravings, and a Plant Based Cheese Degustation to launch the Plant Inspired Community Cooking Project.
Bookings for this free day via Eventbrite (link in profile)
Stalls and presentations will run from 9am to 2pm but a highlight before the event will be a Breakfast with the Birds, led by Paul Nagle from the Blue Mountains Bird Observers. People are encouraged to bring binoculars for a guided bird walk around the Planetary Health Precinct, visiting different habitats on the site to observe and talk about the birdlife that are resident and those that visit the site.
The Blue Mountains Bird Observers will also join WIRES, Wombat Rescue, Action for Animals Blue Mountains, the Blue Mountains Conservation Society and others to provide more information on how we can best live with the many species that share our common home.
During the day the Women’s Shed will demonstrate how to make a Possum Box and provide suggestions on how to manage possums that have chosen our roof spaces for their homes. There will be a session on Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design which will include actions everyone can take to support more biodiversity in urban areas. For those who’d like to get hands on experience doing this there will be an opportunity to observe and learn more at the Planetary Health Bushcare Group from 1.30-4.30pm.
Guest speakers throughout the day will include Elizabeth Ellis, author of Australian Animal Law; Hal Ginges, Action for Animals; Mark Berriman, President of the Australian Vegetarian Society, NSW; and Teya Brooks Pribac, author of Enter the Animal and Not Just Another Vegan Cookbook.
#plantbased #worldanimalday
Healthier Waterways, Happier People: Springwood resident Phillip Birtles believes that there is an essential connection between people and water. Through his work at Sydney Water, he taps into that connection, strengthening it and contributing to healthier, happier communities while simultaneously improving waterway health. Read more in Springwood Area Local News (link in profile): https://springwoodlocalnews.com/healthier-waterways-happier-people/
#healthierwaterways #waterforlife #planetaryhealth
Find out how the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service built a rain garden with the help of NPWS Bushcare volunteers. The garden filters water from the roof of the new shelter in Blackheath and slows runoff, limiting erosion. It reduces nutrient levels, disadvantaging introduced weeds. Watch the video and read the full story in Blackheath Area Local News (link in profile): https://blackheathnews.com/a-rain-garden-for-community-and-country/
#howtovideo
Find out how @nswnationalparks built a rain garden with the help of NPWS Bushcare volunteers. The garden filters water from the roof of the new shelter in Blackheath and slows runoff, limiting erosion. It reduces nutrient levels, disadvantaging introduced weeds. Watch the video and read the full story in Blackheath Area Local News (link in profile): https://blackheathnews.com/a-rain-garden-for-community-and-country/
#raingardens #stormwater #watermanagement #gardenbeds #blackheath #planetaryhealth #bushcare
Local permaculture expert, Rowe Morrow, has adapted her home to reduce her impact on the environment, cope with climate change, flooding, heat, drought, fire and rising energy and food costs. She provides inspiration and guidance for how we can too. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News (link in profile):
https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/rowe-morrow/
#permaculture #permaculturedesign #planetaryhealth #rowemorrow #rosemarymorrow #katoomba #systemicthinking #systemdesign #ecologicaldesign
