Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Berry Springs is back open for the Dry Season! Chief District Ranger Louise Kean gives us the info on how best to enjoy it

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Berry Springs is back open for the Dry Season! Chief District Ranger Louise Kean gives us the info on how best to enjoy it · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And in some good news for the dry season, well,
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Verry Springs has reopened. I guess it is a true
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: sign of the dry season finally kicking in hopefully. It's
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: one of the Northern Territory's most popular swimming spots. It's
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: reopening to the public today. And joining me on the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: line right now is the Chief District Ranger, Louise Keene.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Louise.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Lovely to have you on the show, Louise. Is this
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: a late start for Very Springs or is it about
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the same time usually each year.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: It's about the place. May is a go to months.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: We were delayed a little bit with the late rain
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: that we had, but now all ready to roll. And
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: I've spoken to the ranger on side out there this
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: morning and Verry Springs is chocolate blot.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Oh really, how many people do you reckon? They have
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: been out there already this morning.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Oh look, if I had to do a headcat, I'd
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: say about one hundred people, he observes. So the car
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: parks turning over nicely. People are having a great time,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: having a nice swim and just enjoying the able to
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: swim out there at Ry Springs.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Again, Oh, that's awesome and it is fantastic. You know
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: that it's reopened. What work has to go into basically
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: making sure that it is able to be reopened.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: There's a few safety checks that we need to do. Obviously,
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: our crocodile survey, so the ranger team do their five
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: nights worth of crocodile surveys just to make sure there's
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: nothing lurking in there. They've already had the crocodile fence in.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: That's a bit of a mission in itself putting that in.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: It's like trying to put a tent up in a windstorm,
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: large panels going in along a weir wall to secure
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: the site as best we can for crocodiles. That's a
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: hefty load to do that. Then the water quality testing
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: is done. That's to check that the bacteria levels are
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: within the safe limits for allowing swimming. Then we've got
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: the cosmetic themes such as pressure washing the landings, removing
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: the flood debris and the gravel that's formed over pathways,
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: and the public safety aspects putting up the life rings,
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: making suit or all the signs are up and in place,
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: and they're a little bit of polish the mowing, the
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: brush cutting and so on that the team do to
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: make the parkbook extra well presented. There you go.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Now, is there other areas that have opened up as well?
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Look the usual fan favorites. We've got Bully and Folence
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: that are the standards.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: The one guy hasn't opened yet for swimming. The water
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: level is a little bit too high for that. The
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: guys are waiting for the water level to drop. And
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: we've had Walker Creek open. And if people keep their
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: eye on our website at NT dot gov dot au
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: and they check parks and reserve, there'll be all the
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: information captured up there where and what's open, what's not,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: and people can pick where they like to visit.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Now, Luise, obviously, yesterday we're catching up with the croc
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: team and talking about some of the different locations where
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: there are crocodiles. How much of a risk is there
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: for crocodiles in that very Springs area or is it
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: very minimal and it's monitored regularly.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Anyway, Crocodile management is undertaken at Berry Springs. Crocodiles move around,
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: that's just their method of behavior. So just because the
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: place is safe. Previously doesn't mean it's guaranteed to be
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: safe the next day. So we do the best we
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: can and we ask people to heed beyond site science
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: and information, and if there's no sign, there's no swim.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: For Berry Springs is a managed swimming site. It is
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: part of the day and Harbor connection, so crocodiles could appear.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: We've got the fence up, but again no ironclad guarantee,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: but nothing is snuck around, so there are observations in
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: checks that are done for public safety. The go.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: Well, around one hundred people out there already this morning.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: How busy do you reckon it's going to get on
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: the weekend, Luise.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: I think extra chocol block will be on the weekend, Katie.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: It's a very popular location and people gauging by the
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: interest that we've had on social media, I think quite
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: a few people will be heading out there. But look
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: if people if the car parks full, but head out
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: to Lichfield. It's close, it's reliable. There's those sand favorite
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: in Florence that are open. People can have a fantastic
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: day out there too, and then pop by a Berry
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Springs bit later in the afternoon if it's less crowded
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: and have a little dip on the way home.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, I thought you were going to say, head out
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: for a swim and then stop at the Berry Springs tavern.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: That might be just what I do, Louise.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's always favorite too. We get that, we get
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: that off.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: Oh lovely to talk to you this morning. I'm really
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: glad to hear that it's open for the dry season.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: Louise Keen, the Chief District Ranger, Thanks so much for
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: your time today.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: Fantastic. Thanks Katie, thank you.