AAP General News (Australia)
12-25-2000
Vic: Tammy breaks marathon swim for Christmas
MELBOURNE, Dec 25 AAP - Long-distance swimmer Tammy van Wisse took a break from her
marathon Murray River swim today to sit down for Christmas lunch including traditional
Dutch doughnuts - ollie bollen - prepared by her mother.
Speaking by satellite phone from Wemen in Victoria, between Robinvale and Mildura,
Tammy said she took it easy today, swimming just five-and-a-half hours.
After a 6.30am start Tammy swam until midday, when her mother surprised her with the
ollie bollen.
"They're one of my most favourite things of all," she told AAP.
"While I was doing the hard yards in the water mum was making these to surprise me
with, along with Christmas lunch."
She said she ate ham and turkey with roast vegetables, gravy and salad followed by
a long-anticipated nap on the houseboat.
Tammy is just past the halfway mark in her marathon 2426km Murray River swim, on which
she embarked on November 5 at Corryong, in
New South Wales.
She expects to reach Mildura about
New Year and finish her swim at Goolwa, on Lake
Alexandrina in South Australia some time in February.
Her epic swim is partly an attempt to break the standing record of 138 days set by
56-year-old Graham Middleton in 1991.
In order to fulfil the requirements of the attempt she must spend a minimum of 30 minutes
swimming each day and must not miss a day's swim.
Tammy is also swimming to highlight environmental concerns about the degradation of the river.
Today she said that apart from some erosion of the banks there has been little obvious
evidence of serious problems with the river.
"The locals all say the biggest problem is the lack of environmental flow," she said.
"The flow of the Murray is so regulated, they turn the tap on upstream for the irrigators
and what have you and everyone down river misses out on the water."
She said recent rain had increased the flow of the river but it was now beginning to slow again.
"The flooding's given the river a good flush out but the level's dropped a foot yesterday,
so it's slowing down a lot now," she added.
She said the local wildlife was flourishing with the benefit of the recent rain but
the river's flood cycle was an essential component of the life cycle of the riverine fauna.
Over-regulation of the Murray's flow rate has changed the flood cycle, which is jeopardising
many species whose breeding cycle depends on seasonal flooding, she said.
"We're losing a lot of native species, we've got to get the flow up so they get a chance
to rejuvenate."
She said even now, just past the halfway mark she was noticing the lack of flow in the river.
"There's not much of a current now. Lack of flow - it's the big issue with all the
locals," she added.
AAP ra/pc {
KEYWORD: WISSE (CARRIED EARLIER)
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