Murtho Habitat Restoration: Former vineyard revived for regent parrots; family project spans generations

An Australian couple who once managed a vineyard in South Australia’s Riverland region have taken an unusual route after leaving the wine industry: restoring their land to its natural state. Their decision has helped create a potential refuge for the threatened regent parrot, a native Australian bird whose population has suffered from habitat loss. As reported by ABC Riverland’s Jackson Byrne and highlighted in conservation updates by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and Trees For Life, Tony and Cherie Townsend began transforming their 40-acre vineyard at Murtho in 2022. Instead of replacing the grapevines with another commercial crop, they chose to bring native vegetation back to the property. The restoration is now becoming a family effort, with four generations taking part in planting native species. The project is also part of a wider conservation push to rebuild the habitat that regent parrots need to feed, move and survive.Rebuilding a lost habitatThe property, located along the River Murray, was identified as a suitable location for supporting regent parrots because of its position along the birds’ natural movement routes. The restoration has been carried out wi...