The Festival vision is to bring the Mary River communities together to celebrate the wealth and abundance that the river brings to our region through drama, music, art, fun, education and discussion.

Throughout the day there will be environmental displays and speakers to raise awareness of the uniqueness and value of the Mary River to our and the earths sustainability, and to celebrate our wonderful environment and lifestyle.

The Mary River Turtle:

Little is known of the Mary River Turtle, and it wasn't’t until 1987 that a fully grown specimen was seen for the first time. This led to its formal scientific description as a new species as late as 1994. It has a very restricted distribution and can only be found on the Mary River in south east Queensland.

The main threats to this species in the wild are based in habitat degradation, and include problems such as a deterioration of water quality through riverside vegetation being cleared, water pollution through siltation, agricultural chemical contamination and water flow disruptions through the construction of weirs for irrigation and predation.

The Festival aims to help educate urban and rural populations and to retain habitat for some of the rarest and most unique creatures on earth.

Mary River Festival 2009:

	The campaign to Save The Mary River has grown from the initial response coordinated by Mary Valley residents fighting for the future of their river and community to a truly broad-based national and international response

	The Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Inc (BMRG) is the peak coordinating body for natural resource management in the Burnett Mary region

Landcare is a national network of thousands of locally-based community groups who care for our country. Through Australia's people and communities, the Landcare movement is making a big difference in caring for our country.

The Mary River Festival is Coordinated by Cooloola Community Arts Council, Multicultural Information Network Services Inc., Community Development and Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee.

Information on Funding & Sponsors