A $7.6 million project to improve the quality and availability of shorebird wetland habitat at Tolderol Game Reserve is now complete, with the site reopening to visitors last weekend, 9 and 10 August.

Part of the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Ramsar site, the reserve is one of South Australia’s premier bird-watching wetlands due largely to the rich foraging habitat it provides for Coorong waterbirds, including migratory shorebirds.

Jointly funded by the federal and state governments as part of the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program, the major wetland restoration project began in January 2025 and has increased the site’s managed wetland by approximately 50 hectares - a 60 percent increase.

The wetlands, located on the northern banks of Lake Alexandrina, now boast 150 hectares of foraging habitat for migratory and non-migratory shorebirds for the majority of the shorebird season, which typically runs from September to March.

Previous water management facilities at the site restricted how water was distributed throughout the reserve, reducing habitat availability.

The installation of new pump infrastructure and supporting earthworks have improved water management to enable water to be delivered more evenly and efficiently across the reserve.

The project was delivered by the SA Department of Environment and Water (DEW) in collaboration with Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board, National Parks and Wildlife Service SA, and the local volunteer-run Tolderol Wetlands Working Group, which has a long history of site management and stewardship of Tolderol.

State Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Susan Close says Tolderol Game Reserve is one of South Australia’s premier wetlands for bird-watching, attracting a diverse array of visitors each year, from birders to sightseers, bushwalkers, campers and boaters. 

“By increasing the foraging habitat, this project is providing birds with critical food resources, including invertebrates such as snails, crustaceans, worms and insect larvae, which the birds rely on to fuel-up before making the journey back to the Northern Hemisphere to breed.

“These upgrades are essential in enhancing the overall ecological health of the reserve and ensuring that the site retains its unique cultural and social value.”

Tom Overall is Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Program Leader in the DEW.

“The completion of the works were another crucial step to supporting shorebird species in the Coorong region,” he says. 

“Tolderol is an important refuge for a wide variety of migratory and non-migratory shorebirds species.

“Restoring wetland habitat at Tolderol is not only important in enhancing the ecological health of the reserve and resilience in the wider Coorong region, but it can also play a role in reversing the decline of shorebird habitat globally.”