Source: Radio New Zealand (world)
Manning River turtles, or helmeted turtles, are only found on New South Wales’ Mid North Coast. Photo: ABC New underwater surveys have revealed that an endangered freshwater turtle species is holding steady, one year after record-breaking floods in northern New South Wales.
The Manning River turtle, or helmeted turtle, is one of Australia’s rarest freshwater turtles and only found on the NSW Mid North Coast. The Manning River peaked at historic levels during flooding in May 2025, damaging river banks with debris and pollution, and also impacting river health.
Daniel Coleman, a senior eco-hydrologist the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said recent underwater video surveys revealed the Manning River turtle was surviving at pre-flood numbers, showing great resilience. “You can imagine as a person being in that water is incredibly dangerous, and are these animals able to survive?” she said. “It seems like we’re getting most of the turtles back where we expect them to be.” New South Wales eco-hydrologist Daniel Coleman conducts an aquatic survey.
Photo: NSW DCCEEW The Manning River turtle has been monitored annually in seven rivers over the past four years, including the Barnard, upper Barrington and upper Gloucester rivers. Mr Coleman said this year, 26 sites were monitored with 27 Manning River turtles recorded, plus 96 eastern long-neck turtles and 75 Murray River turtles, an introduced species.
He said a comparison to last year’s survey data revealed the population had “remained stable”, despite an expected flood impact.
The surveys have, however, revealed that some turtles have been displaced downstream, away from their more favoured locations near river headwaters. “Going forward into the next few years, I will be interested to see if those turtles stay there, or they move back to the headwaters,” Mr Coleman said. “The population size is quite strong in some areas, and in other areas, it’s really struggling. “So one of the things we want to know in those areas where it’s struggling is, why is that, what is the key driver … is it foxes, drought, land use?” Mr Coleman said the Manning River turtle’s total wild population remained unknown, with researchers hoping to determine an accurate estimate over the next few years.
The Manning River is a unique Australian double delta river system with two permanent entrances to the ocean. “It’s quite a large catchment with some really decent perennial streams and rivers in its headwaters … I think the fact there are so many different branches of the Manning River itself maybe makes it resilient,” Mr Coleman said.
A female Manning River turtle feeding in the Barrington River, NSW. Photo: NSW DCCEEW Teams will continue to monitor the Manning River turtle each year around early Autumn, to determine the ongoing impacts of floods and times of drought.
There is also a successful captive breeding program to establish an insurance population, run by Aussie Ark and the Australian Reptile Park, on the NSW Central Coast, along with conservation work by the MidCoast Council, Local Land Services and NSW Threatened Species team.
Mr Coleman said the river surveys revealed “many interesting interactions”. “We get things like bull rout, which is a poisonous fish kind of like a stone fish in freshwater, and eels, Australian bass and mullet, and three different turtle species,” he said. “You just see the river alive.” “We want to keep monitoring through time, because that’s when you can really pick up trends, on whether animals are increasing or decreasing.” Copyright © 2026, Radio New Zealand • Can diet changes reduce your biological age? • Secret Service says officers fatally shot a person who fired at them near White House • Man dies after shark attack in Far North Queensland for ad-free news and current affairs • NZ First wants Special Economic Zone at Marsden Point • Levain Artisinal Bakery confesses temporary closure due to E food safety grade • Can diet changes reduce your biological age? • Auckland FC celebrates A-League championship with parade • Reice Tama Silbery sentenced for burglary spree targeting ‘high-end’ jewellery