The plant species found at Nelwart Street include river red gum, black box, cooba, lignum, spike sedge, nitre bush, and spreading emu bush. Before watering started at the site in 2017, the condition of the vegetation ranged from healthy to dead. Vehicle track proliferation and the pest plant golden dodder were also issues. Since then, vehicle access has been restricted to protect the site and allow plant regeneration to occur.
The site received its first watering in 2017 and since then there has been a marked increase in the health of river red gum and other species. The watering schedule has intermittent dry and wet years to mimic natural cycles. The dry years were in 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The habitat supports a great diversity of bird and frog species. During bird monitoring at the site, seven waterbird species and 13 bush land bird species have been recorded. Frogs are abundant at the site when water is present, with four frog species recorded – the eastern banjo frog, spotted marsh frog, Peron’s tree frog and Murray Valley froglet.
