Save Riverstone Wetlands
Riverstone Wetlands is the last flood-free refuge for hundreds of local and migratory waterbirds in Western Sydney. Once its bulldozed, it’s gone forever.
Your submission to the planning portal could be the difference between this remarkable habitat being protected, or paved over.
Update 30/1/26 – Submissions to the Dept. of Planning are now closed, for further updates please visit our facebook page
Riverstone Wetlands is Western Sydney’s only significant flood-free wetland, supporting over 190 migratory shorebirds from Russia, Japan and Korea, plus hundreds of waterfowl, the endangered Australian Painted Snipe and the Green-and-Golden Bell Frogs.
Now, this vital and unique ecosystem is under threat of destruction by industrial development. The loss of these wetlands will tear out a vital piece of a continental flyway and refuge that keeps wildlife alive when the rest of the floodplain is underwater, with a proposed 4-hectare offset wetland that is flood-prone, mostly too deep for waders, and blocked by flood defence walls.
The Riverstone Wetlands highlight a broken planning process in NSW. The wildlife of this irreplaceable habitat needs your help.
Please lodge a submission via the NSW Planning Portal on the Marsden Park North Precinct proposal by 5 PM, January 30, urging full protection of the wetlands and rejecting the inadequate replacement.
Key submission points:
The Riverstone Wetlands are an irreplaceable part of Western Sydney’s natural heritage and should be retained.
The ‘replacement’ proposed is grossly unsuitable and will not support the precious migratory birdlife and Green and Golden Bell Frogs:
- Is half the size of the habitat removed
- Is deep not shallow for wading birds
- Is flood-prone not flood-free
- Bird flight paths are impeded by high flood defence walls
The Marsden Park North Migratory Bird Assessment is grossly inadequate.
- Fails to undertake suitable survey or meet survey guidelines for Green & Golden Bell Frog and for migratory shorebirds
- Fails to assess three EPBC listed migrant species present (Oriental Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Eastern Yellow Wagtail)
More info can be found here:
- Save the Riverstone Wetlands, Cumberland Conservation Network (PDF)
- Save the Riverstone Wetlands (PDF)
Who’s at stake
Oriental Plover (Anarhynchus veredus)
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis)
Green-and-Golden Bell Frog (Ranoidea aurea)
Australian Painted-Snipe (Rostratula australis)
Australian Pratincole (Glareola isabella)
Plumed Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni)
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
Pink-Eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus)
176 Species, as of 31/12/25 (Source)
Stubble Quail
Brown Quail
Magpie-goose
Plumed Whistling-Duck
Musk Duck
Blue-billed Duck
Black Swan
Australian Shelduck
Australian Wood Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Australasian Shoveler
Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal Hardhead
Pink-eared Duck
Australasian Grebe
Hoary-headed Grebe
Australasian Darter
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Australian Pelican
White-faced Heron
White-necked Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Cattle Egret
Nankeen Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Australian White Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
Royal Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Black-shouldered Kite
Whistling Kite
Square-tailed Kite
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Swamp Harrier
Spotted Harrier
Brown Goshawk
Grey Goshawk
Collared Sparrowhawk
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Brown Falcon
Australian Hobby
Black Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Nankeen Kestrel
Buff-banded Rail
Baillon’s Crake
Australian Crake
Spotless Crake
Purple Swamphen
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Painted Buttonquail
Latham’s Snipe
Australian Painted Snipe
Red-necked Stint
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Curlew Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Black-winged Stilt
Red-necked Avocet
Pacific Golden Plover
Red-capped Plover
Double-banded Plover
Oriental Plover
Red-kneed Dotterel
Black-fronted Dotterel
Banded Lapwing
Masked Lapwing
Australian Pratincole
Feral (Rock) Pigeon
Spotted Dove
Crested Pigeon
Peaceful Dove
Bar-shouldered Dove
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Galah
Long-billed Corella
Little Corella
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Rainbow Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet
Eastern Rosella
Swift Parrot
Red-rumped Parrot
Pallid Cuckoo
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo
Shining Bronze-cuckoo
Australian Koel
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Australian Owlet-nightjar
Tawny Frogmouth
Azure Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra
Sacred Kingfisher
Dollarbird
Superb Fairywren
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
White-browed Scrubwren
Weebill
White-throated Gerygone
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Striated Thornbill
Red Wattlebird
Noisy Friarbird
Bell Miner
Noisy Miner
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Fuscous Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Black-chinned Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
White-naped Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
White-cheeked Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Scarlet Honeyeater
Rose Robin
Eastern Yellow Robin
Eastern Whipbird
Varied Sittella
Crested Shrike-tit
Golden Whistler
Rufous Whistler
Grey Shrikethrush
Black-faced Monarch
Leaden Flycatcher
Restless Flycatcher
Magpie Lark
Grey Fantail
Willy Wagtail
Black-faced Cuckooshrike
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
White-winged Triller
Olive-backed Oriole
White-browed Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Australian Raven
White-winged Chough
Eurasian Skylark
Yellow Wagtail
Australian Pipit
House Sparrow
Zebra Finch
Double-barred Finch
Red-browed Finch
Nutmeg Mannikin
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
European Goldfinch
Mistletoebird
Welcome Swallow
Tree Martin
Fairy Martin
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Australian Reed-Warbler
Tawny Grassbird
Little Grassbird
Brown Songlark
Golden-headed Cisticola
Silvereye
Common Blackbird
Common Starling
Common Myna