A South Australian father and son are walking from Adelaide to Parliament House in Canberra, with a petition calling for better treatment of refugees.

Lawyer and father Adam Richards says he wants the Government to stop misleading people and to treat refugees humanely.

The pair passed through Renmark yesterday where they collected about 200 signatures - since the 28th of December they've collected a total of about 700 signatures.

Mr Richards says the petition also calls for refugees to be processed in Australia.

Aired on the 10th of January 2017, on 1062 ABC Riverland.

Refugee Walk - Adam & Ned Richards

A study has identified what the Murray-Darling Basin was like before European settlement in Australia.

The Australian National University (ANU) research team have been studying a sample of sediment retrieved from a 32m long deep-sea core, which was collected near Kangaroo Island opposite the Murray Mouth about 13 years ago.

Researchers from ANU said results have exposed the 90,000-year history of the basin.

Co-lead researcher from the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences Emeritus Professor, Patrick De Deckker, said human activities, such as irrigation, damming and vegetation clearance have contributed to an increasingly arid climate, with alternating wet and dry conditions.

"The study explains what the basin was like during significant climatic changes, such as when small glaciers adorned the Snowy Mountains and the very wet period when Lake Mungo was full of water and humans occupied its shores about 50,000 years ago", he said.

"We know that when Lake Eyre and adjacent bodies of water are full, rain usually comes from the northern part of Australia. But we didn't know the source of the rain for the Willandra Lakes or the snow that was needed to maintain glaciers news Charlotte Pass about 20,000 years ago."

He said the research emphasises the importance of taking water from the basin with extreme care, as there is less water travelling through the system.

"From about 90,000 years ago to approximately 80,000 years ago most of the waters in the basin that reached the sea came from the Darling area where since then things have changed and more importantly the last 5,000 years it really shows a much drier system and we're very much aware of an alternation ... between wet and dry year so the basin is drying up and has been so well before European arrival."

"In recent years, both the Murray and Darling rivers and many for their confluents have been altered by human activities, especially damming, irrigation and vegetation clearance."

ANU researchers said the results, for the first time, identified the sources of water in the the basin during the past 90,000 years, including periods of floods and drought.

Professor De Deckker, said the study explained the geology of the Darling River and River Murray.

"The chemistry of the sediment will tell us where the sediment came from through time, and so what we were able to determine or to find, that for a large part of the record most of the waters came from the Darling region, from the Northern part of the basin and we now know also that the water has come from the north from monsoonal rain", he said.

Studies into the soil sample have shown where rain, which fell over the Murray-Darling Basin, came from and explains the fluctuations in water levels through different regions.

A deep history of the Murray-Darling Basin - Patrick De Deckker

Ringbalin is a traditional Indigenous river ceremony that has travelled to 11 locations along the Murray-Darling Basin to tell the creation stories of the two rivers and to promote healing of the river system.

The ceremonies began on the 25th of March at Walgett in New South Wales and concluded with a grand finale in Goolwa last night.

Laurance Magick Dennis, the songman for Milan Dhiiyaan a family dance group, says he's shocked at the health of the river.

He says his role in the ceremony is to dance for the earth and for his ancestral spirits and he disconnects from everything around him to concentrate on nature.

Ringbalin, Indigenous dance ceremony - Laurance Magick Dennis

The story of South Australian nurse Elaine Balfour-Ogilvy and her execution during World War II will be served up with lunchtime meals in her hometown on Anzac Day. 

She features on a placemat memorial, a laminated tribute to be placed squarely in front of diners at the hotels and clubs in the Murray River township of Renmark. 

Vietnam Veteran and a relative of Elaine, David Balfour-Ogilvy attended the Renmark Dawn Service this morning.

Brian Schwartzkoff was also in attendance at the dawn service this morning and met up with me at the RSL in Renmark.

Anzac Day Live Cross - David Balfour-Ogilvy & Brian Schwartzkoff

Scientists testing the visual activity of honey bees say the insects' eyesight is much better than originally thought.

The new research published in nature journal Scientific Reports will be used in designing bio-inspired robots and robot vision.

Lund University Researcher Dr Eliza Rigosi says the smallest object a bee can detect is one-third the size of a human thumb, that's five times smaller than originally known.

Dr Rigosi says the results show a lot about the everyday life of the honey bee.

Honey bee's used to develop robot vision - Dr Eliza Rigosi

ABC Riverland news read 12052017

A Mallee couple involved in a serious car crash has spoken to a group of Riverland school students about the dangers of inattentive driving, as part of an education program.

The head-on crash happened more than three years ago, and left Elise Summerton a C-6-7 quadraplegic, while Luke Kennedy suffered facial injuries and a shattered hip and pelvis.

It's the first time the program, called Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth, or "P.A.R.T.Y.", has come to the Riverland.

Pinnaroo resident Elise Summerton says she's happy to share their story, so others can learn.

Touching trauma prevention talk - Elise Summerton & Luke Kennedy

Progress is being made in the almond industry with new varieties of trees that do not rely so heavily on nature.

Trials in South Australia's Riverland show self-pollinating almond trees could be a more productive way to grow the nut.

The trees don't rely on pollination from bees, and are hoped to improve water efficiency, increase yield and reduce disease.

Self-pollinating almond trees offer hope for better yield

Students from around the nation are working in Renmark this week to get some first-hand experience at being a scientist.

Years 10, 11 and 12 students are living at Calperum Station, monitoring tree health ... and small insects and animals on the land.

The Earthwatch program aims to inspire students to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Calperum Station AIRED

Calperum Station short

Brittany Evins is a journalist working in the ABC's Riverland office in South Australia.

Brittany Evins

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