Fivebough Wetlands

Fivebough Wetlands is a seasonal wetland located 4 km north-east of Leeton, New South Wales.

It covers an area of 400 ha and has a mixture of shallow fresh to brackish waters in the east and north-west, and permanent water in the south-west.

Recognized as a valuable environmental site since 1920, Fivebough Wetlands was suggested as a sanctuary by ornithologist Samuel Albert White. In the late 1970s, it became a popular spot for bird watching. In the 1990s, the wetlands were surveyed as part of the RAOU (Birds Australia) Murray-Darling Basin Waterbird Project, leading to their recognition as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2002.

Fivebough Wetlands gained its recognition as a Wetland of International Importance due to the presence, abundance, and diversity of waterbirds, including migratory waders and threatened species. It serves as a habitat and refuge for waterbirds in an agricultural landscape. The wetlands also benefit from human uses such as livestock grazing, flood mitigation, and sewage treatment, which contribute to its habitat values.

Part of the land covered by Fivebough Wetlands has been identified by BirdLife International as a 328 ha Important Bird Area. This is because it is home to the endangered Australasian bittern and supports over 1% of the world populations of glossy ibis and sharp-tailed sandpipers. The wetlands also provide habitat for the Australian painted snipe.