Save Winton Wetlands!
Photo: Winton Wetlands Regeneration Project
Tucked away in north-east Victoria, Winton Wetlands is a place of extraordinary beauty, resilience and restoration. Once the site of Lake Mokoan, the area has been transformed over the past decade into one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the Southern Hemisphere — a bold and visionary undertaking to return the land to health, restore habitat, and reconnect people with nature.
Spanning over 8,700 hectares, Winton Wetlands is home to more than 200 bird species and over 30 threatened species, including the Growling Grass Frog, Brolga, and Australasian Bittern. The site is not only ecologically important, but culturally and socially significant — with partnerships led by Traditional Owners, school programs, citizen science projects, and nature-based tourism all playing a role in its revival.
But this month, the future of Winton Wetlands was thrown into uncertainty.
The Victorian Government made the decision to abruptly withdraw all funding from the wetlands — a move that has left the local community shocked. Without notice, staff lost their jobs and the much-loved Mokoan Hub and Café closed its doors. No transition plan has been shared. No clear future has been outlined. And no explanation has been given for walking away from years of public investment and progress.
As someone who cares deeply about our landscapes and the people connected to them, I believe this matters — not just for Winton Wetlands, but for how we value long-term environmental and community care across the state.
Why does this matter?
Because places like Winton Wetlands represent more than just conservation projects — they are living examples of what’s possible when science, Traditional Knowledge, and local effort come together. They are spaces of learning, healing, and regeneration. And when we defund them, we don’t just lose jobs — we risk losing hope in models that work.
What can we do?
The most immediate thing is also the simplest: speak up. Contact your local Victorian MP — whether they’re in government or opposition — and ask them to support the reinstatement of funding for Winton Wetlands. Ask them to ensure transparency. And ask them to stand up for landscapes and communities that have worked hard to restore something truly special.
We’ve come too far to let it all unravel.
📩 I’ve added details below on how you can take action. Every email counts.
Together, let’s protect Winton Wetlands — for nature, for community, and for the generations to come.
Contact:
Victorian Environment Minister: steve.dimopoulos@parliament.vic.gov.au
Shepparton State MP: kim.okeeffe@parliament.vic.gov.au
Benalla/Euroa State MP: Annabelle.cleeland@parliament.vic.gov.au
Wangaratta State MP: tim.mccurdy@parliament.vic.gov.au
Need to find the details for your local MP? Find them here.
Draft Email (Don’t forget to personalise it!)
Subject: Please Support the Future of Winton Wetlands
Dear [MP’s Name],
I’m writing to urge you to advocate for the reinstatement of funding for Winton Wetlands — a project that is not only ecologically significant, but deeply valued by communities across north-east Victoria and beyond.
Winton Wetlands is one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the Southern Hemisphere. It has restored over 8,700 hectares of wetland and woodland, brought back more than 200 bird species, and provided habitat for over 30 threatened species including the Growling Grass Frog, Brolga, and Australasian Bittern.
But the benefits go well beyond biodiversity.
This is a place where Traditional Owners lead cultural land management, where children learn about Country, where community volunteers and researchers come together, and where local tourism is supported by the much-loved Mokoan Hub and Café — now closed with no warning or explanation.
The sudden defunding of this landmark project has left staff without jobs and the community without answers. It risks undoing more than a decade of public investment and community effort.
I respectfully ask that you raise this issue in Parliament, seek answers from the relevant Ministers, and push for a clear and transparent plan for Winton Wetlands — including reinstating operational support to secure its future.
This is a chance to stand up for regional communities, for environmental leadership, and for a project that has already proven its worth.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address or Postcode]
[Optional: Your Phone Number or Email]
Background Information:
Winton Wetlands is the largest wetland restoration project in the Southern Hemisphere, covering over 8,750 hectares in north-east Victoria.
It is located on the former site of Lake Mokoan, which was decommissioned in 2009 due to its environmental and water inefficiency issues.
All operational funding from the Victorian Government has been withdrawn, resulting in the closure of the Mokoan Hub and Café, loss of staff positions, suspension of education programs, and uncertainty surrounding ecological monitoring, cultural land management, and ongoing restoration efforts.
The site is home to over 200 bird species, making it a significant site for biodiversity and birdwatching.
More than 30 threatened species live within the reserve, including the Brolga, Australasian Bittern, Sloane’s Froglet and Golden Sun Moth.
At Winton Wetlands, the Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis) is a notable example of a thriving species that has become otherwise locally extinct due to habitat loss and environmental changes.
Winton Wetlands has a rich cultural heritage, with strong partnerships involving Traditional Owners including the Yorta Yorta Nation and Bangerang Peoples. Cultural land management and knowledge are integrated into ecological restoration efforts.
It is community-driven, supporting education programs, citizen science projects, ecological research, and regional tourism.
The site is a natural carbon sink, supporting Victoria’s climate resilience goals through landscape-scale ecological repair.
Winton Wetlands has received tens of millions of dollars in public funding since the decommissioning of Lake Mokoan, with measurable ecological, educational, and economic outcomes.