WATERCRESS

Some running streams have watercress growing along their banks and while this is not a native plant, it is edible and very good for you too. It's full of iron and calcium and even helps in the prevention of cancer.

We gathered a big bunch and had it in a salad with beetroot and fetta cheese - yum! Perfect with yabbies too.

What other things can you eat in a running stream?

YABBIES FOR THE FUTURE !

Ilford dams are full of yabbies ! This easter saw a bumper crop caught across 2 dams from Mt. Misery to Mt. Vincent during the easter weekend . A wonderful sign that our water is fresh and fabulous. Of course we checked them for eggs and threw back the females carrying eggs under their tails.

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE!

It's been a long time since we've had this much rain! All the creeks are flowing and the dams are full.

This is a photo of Windemere Dam which provides water to Mudgee so that the town can irrigate all those vineyards. They dammed up the Cudgegong River back in 1984 to make the dam and somewhere down there under all that water is the old town of Cudgegong which was flooded in the process.

People love to go fishing in this dam because it was stocked with all sorts of fish including golden perch, Murray cod and silver perch. Catfish were indigenous to the Cudgegong River before it was dammed and you can still catch one here. Goldfish also swim here as do the odd Freshwater Blackfish.

Have you ever been fishing here? If so, what fish did you catch?