DISTRIBUTION
Elseya georgesi is restricted to the Bellinger River of mid-eastern New South Wales and its tributaries. This river starts as a narrow stream but once it reaches Thora 30 krn downstream and enters the Bellinger Valley, it broadens considerably. From Thora it passes the township of Bellingen and the 12 km to sea are negotiable by boat.

This turtle species also occurs in the Kalang River, known locally as the south arm of the Bellinger, and both rivers share a common entrance to the sea.

BREEDING BIOLOGY
Nesting by Elseya georgesi is known to occur at the Bellinger between October and December, with clutches of 10 - 15 eggs. These average in size between 33.6 x 21.5 mm to 29 x 21 mm and can weigh 7.5 - 8.5 g. Hatchlings appear after 72 days at an average nest temperature of about 27°C and vary in shape from 3 1 mm long x 32 mrn wide, to 29.25 mm long x 28.25 mrn wide. They weigh 5.5 - 6.1 g. Eggs from other batches have weighed 4 - 6 g.

NATURAL HISTORY
Like all turtles in the E. latisternum group, the Bellinger River species is no exception in its feeding habits, being mainly carnivorous and to a lesser degree, herbivorous. The turtles I sampled were eating insect matter and what appeared to be predominantly algae; like most turtles, they would probably have seasonal or even daily dietary preferences. The water clarity in the flatter country of the Bellinger Valley is often affected by cattle and small creek run-off, yet when clear enough to dive, I saw short-necks from near the headwaters to just below the Bellingen Bridge.

To my knowledge, only short stretches of the Kalang have been studied. A major tributary on the north arm of the Bellinger River is the Never-Never River. This is a substantial run of water, probably 30 km long and has some good areas of sufficient depth to sustain short-neck populations, although I have seen them only a short distance up from the mouth. Upstream from Thora, boulders and pebbles form the riverbed and weed is found in patches, in many parts probably not establishing effectively in the fast flow caused by rain periods. The general terrain ensures that the water is well filtered and gives excellent clarity for observing turtles. There are many areas where the upper river is deep enough for diving and here turtles can be found. The further upstream, the larger the populations. Usually the deeper sections of the upper river average 1.5 - 2 m deep.

These turtles are not often seen swimming and it appears that once they have detected a diver, they settle on the bottom, relying on the camouflage of the carapace's cryptic colouration among the pebbles and sediment to conceal themselves. Occasionally, turtles are seen basking on fallen trees along the deeper stretches of the river but they are also known to bask on the bank and amongst vegetation. Although they are in good numbers, they are not as numerous as Emydura in some adjacent coastal rivers.

SYMPATRY
Chelodina longicollis, although present throughout the drainage, are rarely encountered. An Emydura species inhabits several locations and is currently under investigation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My thanks to Ross Sadlier who made comment on the manuscript and assisted with specimens. Barry Nicol who dived with me when the first specimens were collected. Thanks also to Kylee Lennon who put on disk my four descriptions, and Ian Smales and Colin South for their skillful art work.