MACQUARIE TORTOISE Emydura macquarii (Gray, 1830)
This tortoise attains 30 cm and is restricted to the Murray-Darling river systems, in eastern Australia. This species prefers to inhabit 'main course' waterways. It's entire range is within the Australian 'Food bowl' areas, and many specimens are caught by fishermen, nets, etc.
Predation of nests by foxes, cats, pigs and wild dogs, appears to be taking a major toll on numbers too, which are in sharp decline throughout it's range.
About ten elongated eggs are laid in spring and summer in a hole dug on ground adjacent to the river. These hatch about 80 days later. The Macquarie Tortoise feeds principally on fishes, molluscs and crustaceans.
Like most Australian short necked tortoises, the male has a much bigger and longer tail than the female.

The above was from the book Australian Reptiles and Frogs by Raymond Hoser and now available on a fantastic CD-Rom along with a vast amount of other information, papers and the like on reptiles, frogs and other wildlife.