Design and Construction

Completed in late 2024, Rookwood Weir will supply 86,000 megalitres of water annually to central Queensland, and a comprehensive monitoring program is now underway to assess its effects on fish communities across the Fitzroy Basin. Beginning with pre‑construction baseline surveys, ongoing monitoring upstream and downstream of the weir, the Fitzroy Barrage, and at the fish lock is tracking changes in species composition and habitat use. Early results show a shift toward lentic‑adapted species such as bony bream, mouth almighty, sleepy cod and tilapia within the new weir pool. The fish lock is being closely assessed using traps, video, electrofishing, netting and PIT‑tag detections, with acoustic tagging to follow. Across 29 sampling days in 2025, 8,153 fish from 23 species were recorded moving through the lock, revealing clear movement patterns that will guide ongoing optimisation of fish passage.

The new Tidal Lock Fishway on the north bank of the Fitzroy Barrage marks a major advancement in tidal fish passage design. Developed with AFPS, it combines two fishway systems in one structure, enabling both lavae, juvenile and adult fish to move upstream across the barrage’s 5–6 m tidal range. Since opening, the fishway has recorded nearly 57,000 fish from 20 species, ranging from 8 mm to 700 mm.

The Seaham Weir upgrade delivered new low‑flow gates and a contemporary vertical‑slot fishway on the lower Williams River. AFPS monitoring has recorded just under 400,000 fish from 18 species, ranging from 8 mm juveniles to 1.2 m eels, confirming strong fishway performance and improved river connectivity.

AFPS worked with the Corangamite CMA to provide design and construction supervision the cone fishway at Barwon Barrage, near Geelong, Victoria.