Coolibahs (Eucalyptus coolabah) dot Naree station, a property found roughly 180km north-west of Bourke in north-western New South Wales. In 2008 they were rooted in glassy water as Australian Geographic photographer Andrew Gregory documented life blooming after record floods on the Murray Darling Basin, but after some our hottest weather on record in 2013 they’re now dotting a mudflat.

Naree station coolibahs in 2013 after the floodplain has moved from boom to bust.

Consultant ecologist Andrew Lothian inspects a lesser long-eared bat (Nyctophilus geoffroyi) that he caught during biodiversity surveys of Naree station conducted by Bush Heritage Australia.

When Bush Heritage bought Naree in 2012 station Sue Akers (pictured) and husband David, took over managing the property. Among their first tasks was tackling feral goats. Here Sue stands in front of a dry lingam plain, which will spring to life when water next breaks the banks of Cuttaburra Creek.

Phil Eulo, a Budjiti elder from Naree station country, stands on a part of the station dotted with ancient fire middens where his ancestors regularly stopped.

Despite unpredictable flooding, Naree station always had a constant source of water from a large network of underground aquifers that used to well-up as natural springs and have now been tapped for bores. The ancient middens here would have coincided with a spring somewhere nearby.

This coolabah would be more than a hundred years old according to Dr Matt Appleby, a botanist with Bush Heritage Australia. When it’s not foot-deep in water, the tree’s long roots will have sought out water from water residues hundreds of metres away.

Dr Matt Appleby talks about the amazing regenerative abilities of the vegetation on Naree station.

In 2008 when Australian Geographic photographer Andrew Gregory visited the flooded property, he shot coolabahs on this plain surrounded by floodwaters. Now these tree will probably tough out 3-4 dry years on this mudflat.

In 2008, Australian Geographic photographer Andrew Gregory kayaked around the property and shot coolabahs reflected in the still waters.

Andrew took to the air and saw kilometres of wet verdant country along the Cuttaburra floodplain. Back then the road to Hungerford was partially flooded and Naree station kids were pulling kilos of yabbies from its channels.

One early priority for David and Sue Akers, who have taken over managing the property for Bush Hertiage Australia from conservation conscious cattle farmers, the Kaluder family – is renewing and upgrading the property’s 65km of boundary fencing, to control the movement of stock and feral goats.