Twice a year Ecology Australia visit the Werribee River Association and camp out overnight in our office space, to conduct platypus surveys in  the Werribee River. For our autumn 2024 survey we decided to join them on one of their early net checks, to see if we could find a platypus in the Werribee.

Why do people litter? And what can we do about it? These are questions we grapple with daily as we continue to encounter discarded picnics, submerged shopping trolleys and dumped household waste in and around our precious waterways. On the latest episode of Once Upon a River, we chat with environmental phycologist Rob Curnow has also been trying to answer these questions for over 20 years, while working on campaigns to try to understand and change people’s disposal behaviours. 

This episode was recorded at the Wyndham Waste Alliance, a monthly get together with community concerned about the waste crisis. We speak with Werribee Riverkeeper John Forrester about his experience with advocacy and what he believes to be the most effective ways to push for change. Once Upon a River is a podcast from the Werribee River Association. For more info on how you can support the organisation visit werribeeriver.org.au