Waterway Warriors
Imagine your family holiday could help save a threatened species.
Reflections Holidays are contributing $1.13 million in funding over the next 10 years, to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development – Fisheries department. The funding will help to support a wide range of research, conservation, and habitat restoration initiatives aimed at protecting and recovering threatened native fish species.
Given that for every booking made with Reflections, we will donate precious funds to the cause, our guests automatically become an official Waterway Warriors.
How can I get involved?
Simply book your next stay with us to contribute.
Current projects underway
Current projects focus on habitat restoration, improved river connectivity and breeding programs. They're designed not just to preserve fish species, but also to maintain the health of entire river ecosystems and safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage of Australia's inland waterways.
Explore DPI initiatives here or check out projects we're involved in below.
Searching for the forgotten fish - Kangaroo River Perch
The Kangaroo River Perch is a rare and genetically distinct freshwater fish once found in the remote reaches of New South Wales' Shoalhaven River system. Although closely related to the endangered Macquarie Perch, this unique lineage hasn’t been officially seen in over 20 years—yet scientists continue to hold out hope that it still survives in isolated, hard-to-access habitats.
In mid-May 2025, a team from NSW DPI Fisheries embarked on a five-day scientific expedition along the Shoalhaven River, navigating by raft through remote and rugged terrain. Their mission: to search for signs of the elusive Kangaroo River Perch. We will be releasing the results of their expedition soon.
Saving the Macquarie Perch
This native Australian freshwater fish, once common throughout the rivers and streams of the Murray-Darling Basin, is known for its sleek, dark body and graceful movement through fast-flowing waters. Once abundant in rivers such as the Macquarie, Lachlan, and Murrumbidgee, the Macquarie Perch is now listed as endangered.
Today, the Macquarie Perch survives in only a handful of fragmented and isolated populations. These include parts of the upper Lachlan River, the Cotter River near Canberra, and some areas in south-eastern NSW and Victoria, including Lake Dartmouth.
NSW DPI Fisheries has played a vital role in conserving the endangered Macquarie Perch, whose wild populations have been severely impacted by habitat loss and the spread of invasive Redfin Perch. Redfin carry a virus lethal to Macquarie Perch, making it essential to find isolated, predator-free environments for recovery.
In response, DPI collected a small group of Macquarie Perch from the wild and housed them safely at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre. There, they constructed an artificial pond and channel system, complete with circulating pumps to simulate a natural habitat.
This innovative approach provided a secure environment for the fish to survive and breed. Now, five to six years later, the effort is paying off - over 19,000 Macquarie Perch have been successfully restocked into the wild, and the population is beginning to breed naturally in their new habitats, marking a hopeful step forward in the species’ recovery.
"Our guests care deeply about nature, and so do we. Through our Waterway Warriors program, we’re proud to partner with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to help protect and restore the mighty Macquarie Perch."
Pete Chapman - Chief Marketing Officer, Reflections Holidays