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The Lakes, rivers and marshes of Gippsland teemed with wildlife and provided an abundance of food for the local aborigines before the settlement of Sale and surrounding areas.. They acted as a nursery for birds, fish and invertebrates.
 Sale Common was proclaimed in 1863, it had included a large area of swamp land but during the next one hundred years it was burnt and cleared for stock grazing.
Today the wetlands have been recognised as an important part in the purifying of water and as flood modifiers in the region. It is now possible to see the marshes and Wetlands as they once might have been.
On visiting the Wetlands you may see migratory birds from as far away as Japan. You will have the opportunity to appreciate the varied bird life and experience the Gippsland Wetlands ecosystem.
 The boardwalk (built by a youth employment scheme) provides an excellent opportunity to observe the wetlands while you walk your way through a variety of habitats, from the edge of the swamp, past islands and reed beds. From there, a walking tracks lead you through woodlands and grasslands, along the Flooding Creek Track, passing through Red Gum woodlands and ending near the Latrobe River.
30% of the Sale Wetlands is made up from River Red Gum woodland and introduced grasslands, supporting a variety of animals, and birdlife. The Long Waterhole, is an area of permanent deep water and is an ideal habitat for fish, providing food for birds.
Much of the Sale Common is a freshwater marsh which can become dry during periods of insufficient rain. Lakes Guthridge and Guyatt also form part of the Sale Wetlands.
Maps of the Sale Common & Boardwalk below are large files and may take some time to load
Fauna Noted at the Sale Wetlands
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Birds
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| Australasian Bittern |
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Darter |
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Laughing Kookaburra |
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Sacred ibis |
| Australasian Grebe |
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Drown Goshawk |
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Little Bittern |
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Sacred Kingfisher |
| Australasian Shoveler |
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Dusky Moorhen |
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Little Black Cormorant |
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Satin Flycatcher |
| Australian Hobby |
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Dusky Woodswallow |
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Little Eagle |
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Scarlet Robin |
| Australian Kestrel |
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Eastern Rosella |
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Little Egret |
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Sharp-tailed Sandpiper |
| Australian Magpie |
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Eastern Spinebill |
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Little Grassbird |
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Shining Bronze-Cuckoo |
| Australian Magpie Lark |
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Eastern Yellow Robin |
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Little Pied Cormorant |
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Silver Gull |
| Australian Pelican |
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Eurasian Coot |
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Magpie Goose |
|
Silvereye |
| Australian Raven |
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Eurasian Tree Sparrow |
|
Maned Duck |
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Southern Boobook |
| Australian Shelduck |
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European Goldfinch |
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Marsh Harrier |
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Spotted Turtle-Dove |
| Azure Kingfisher |
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European Greenfinch |
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Masked Lapwing |
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Straw-necked Ibis |
| Baillon’s Crake |
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Fan-tailed Cuckoo |
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Mistletoebird |
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Striated Pardalote |
| Barn Owl |
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Feral Pigeon |
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Musk Duck |
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Striated Thornbill |
| Black Swan |
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Flame Robin |
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Musk Lorikeet |
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Stubble Quail |
| Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike |
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Glossy ibis |
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New 1-lolland Honeyeater |
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Sulphur-crested Cockatoo |
| Black-fronted Plover |
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Golden Whistler |
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Noisy Miner |
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Superb Fairy-wren |
| Black-shouldered Kite |
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Golden-headed Cisticola |
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Pacific Black Duck |
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Tawny Frogtnouth |
| Black-winged Stilt |
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Great Cormorant |
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Pacific Heron |
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Tree Martin |
| Blue-billed Duck |
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Great Crested Grebe |
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Painted Snipe |
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Varied Sittella |
| Brown Falcon |
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Great Egret |
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Pallid Cuckoo |
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Weebill |
| Brown Quail |
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Greenshank |
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Peaceful Dove |
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Welcome Swallow |
| Brown Thornbill |
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Grey Butcherbird |
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Peregrine Falcon |
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Whiskered Tern |
| Buff-banded Rail |
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Grey Currawong |
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Pied Cormorant |
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Whistling Kite |
| Cape Barren Goose |
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Grey Fantail |
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Pied Currawong |
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White-bellied Sea-Eagle |
| Cattle Egret |
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Grey Shrike-thrusli |
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Pink-eared Duck |
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White-browed Scrubwren |
| Chestnut Teal |
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Grey Teal |
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Purple Swamphen |
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White-browed Woodswallow |
| Clamorous Reed Warbler |
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Hardhead |
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Rainbow Lorikeet |
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White-eared Hbneyeater |
| Collared Sparrowhawk |
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Hoary-headed Grebe |
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Red Wattlebird |
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White-faced Heron |
| Common Blackbird |
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House Sparrow |
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Red-browed Firetail |
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White-fronted Chat |
| Common Myna |
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Intermediate Egret |
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Red-capped Plover |
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White-throated Needletail |
| Common Skylark |
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Latliams Snipe |
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Red-necked Stint |
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Willie Wagtail |
| Common Starling |
|
|
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Richard’s Pipit |
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Ye I low-billed Spoonbill |
| Crescent Honeyeater |
|
|
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Royal Spoonbill |
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YeIlow-rumped Thornbill |
| Crimson Rosella |
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|
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Rufous Night heron |
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Yellow Thornbill |
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|
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Rufous Whistler |
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Yellow-faced Honeyeater |
| Reptiles |
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Amphibians |
| Common Blue-tongued Lizard |
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Common Froglet |
| Common Long-necked Tortoise |
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Green and Golden Grass Frog |
| Delicate Skink |
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Peron's Tree Frog |
| Garden Skink |
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Southern Brown Tree Frog |
| Grass Skink |
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Spotted Marsh Frog |
| Lowland Copperhead |
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Striped Marsh Frog |
| Red-bellied Black Snake |
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Verreauxs Tree Frog |
| Tiger Snake |
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Flora Noted at the Sale Wetlands
| Austral crane’s-bill |
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Common centauty |
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Jimmy’s shining peppermint |
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Silver wattle |
| Bangalay |
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Downy dodder-laurel |
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Lightwood |
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Small loosestrife |
| Birchwood |
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Drooping mistletoe |
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Long-flower mistletoe |
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Spike wattle |
| Black wattle |
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Dwarf mallow |
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Manna gum |
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Spreading waffle |
| Burgan |
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Early black wattle |
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Musky heron’s-bill |
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Swamp paperbark |
| Carolina mallow |
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Forest red gum |
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Prickly tea-free |
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Swamp gum |
| Centaury |
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Golden spray |
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Red inulfoil |
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Sweet wattle |
| Cinquefoil |
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Grassland crane’s-bill |
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River red gum |
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White clover Narrow-leaf vetch |
| Coast manna gum |
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Heath tea-free |
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Running marsh flower |
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Wooly tea-bee |
| Coast wattle |
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Hedge wattle |
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Salt lawrencia |
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Yellow box |
| Common boobialla |
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Hop goodenia |
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Shiny swamp mat |
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Yertchuk |
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