A rare set of floods is helping the Victorian outback bloom.
While La Niña rainfall and the summer flood crisis ripped through towns in the state's north, some usually dry areas flourished.
Creeks and rivers broke their banks sending riverine floodwater into areas where locals have not seen it for decades.
Phil and Fiona Murdoch do conservation work on the 490-hectare property next to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park.
Raakajlim Creek at their property in Colignan got wet for the first time in nearly 50 years.
"It's been really dramatic," Ms Murdoch said.
"We're in a semi-arid climate so rainfall is pretty irregular and the response from the birds, and especially the ducks, was instantaneous."
'Flush of biodiversity'
The moisture from the unusually wet summer is expected to remain for years to come, giving scientists a rare chance to study the impact of flooding.
CSIRO water ecosystems expert Tanya Doody said floods were crucial for local ecosystems, and scientists would be tracking the rejuvenation of floodplains.
"The floodplain itself [normally] looks grey, but with the floods, we've got waters coming up over the banks, there's little ponds with green vegetation floating on top, and there's birds flying in and out," Ms Doody said.
"The trees themselves have become really beautiful and lush and green. I love that transformation from a drab environment to this really lush, vibrant area."
Riverside wetlands rely on riverine floods to refresh the water table.
"We had a quite a severe drought in 2019 and during these drought periods, the trees start to drop their leaves because they don't have enough water and particularly around the Mallee region, the groundwater is saline as well," Ms Doody said.
"That can also have an impact on the tree canopies. But when a flood comes, it comes up over the bank onto the soil, and it starts to flush away some of those soils, but it provides a beautiful fresh water source for those trees.
"From that, what they do is they start to grow all these lovely new leaves and just increase their biomass substantially.
"We get this flush of biodiversity."
Ms Doody said plants that were not normally visible during dry periods were starting to grow across the Mallee.
"What that also does is create shade on the ground, but also that water in the the soil itself allows seeds that are a part of the seed bank to germinate," she said.
"Without floods, we're not going to be able to maintain these beautiful environments so that we can enjoy them."
'It will thrive for decades'
Wyperfeld National Park at Patchewollock in outback Victoria experienced a different kind of flooding, caused by extreme rainfall.
Louise Nicholas and Michael Gooch are conservationists who own land joined to Wyperfeld National Park.
She describes Wyperfeld National Park as a "sea of green".
"There's been so much growth, everything from the grasses all the way up to the shrubs and the trees along with all the native species, there's been a lot more growth of the weeds as well, so it'll be really interesting to see how that goes," Ms Nicholas said.
"There's going to be so much moisture in the ground for for years and years to come so I think it'll really thrive for decades."
Ms Nicholas said the water event would have a flow-on effect for the wildlife that rely on trees for food and habitat.
"River red gums need a good drink so that they can continue to flower and provide food for lots of different species like region parrots, for instance, that nest in the hollows," she said.
"Blackbox provides food for loads of different birds, honeyeaters, and parrots and little birds as well … and it'll be great to see that just continue over the coming years.
"Away from the trees, there's things like lignum, which is a tangled mess of a shrub, and that's really good for small birds like fairy wrens and thornbills who need that sort of protection from the bigger birds, and that lignum will have had a good drink as well."
