Hydroperiod is a critical controller of the ecological character of wetlands. For floodplain wetlands the frequency of connection to the main channel is an obvious factor influencing hydroperiod – wetlands experiencing connection several times a year can be expected to support very different ecological communities than wetlands that are connected only once every few years. Establishing connection frequencies by determining the river discharges at which wetlands begin to be connected to the main channel (often referred to as commence-to-fill or CTF thresholds) has been a focus of much research. This focus reflects the potential to tap into both gauged discharge records (often several decades long) and flow modelling to provide a long-term perspective and a sound basis for estimates of connection frequency, as well as trends in connection frequency in the context of highly temporally variable flow regimes. However, connection frequency is only one factor controlling hydroperiod in floodplain wetlands. Hydroperiod is also influenced by how long a wetland retains water after filling and inputs from sources other than flooding by the parent river. The persistence of a wetland is largely determined by depth, because this controls how long it takes for water to be lost by evaporation. Inputs from other sources can include local runoff and groundwater inflows, with the former controlled by both rainfall volumes and intensity as well as the size of the local catchments of individual wetlands. This study explores the relationships between CTF thresholds and wetland persistence through examination of long-term records of wetland surface character based on 30+ years of satellite imagery, as well as fine resolution depth logging. Results suggest a weak and potentially inverse relationship between CTF thresholds and persistence and highlight a hitherto under-appreciated importance of local runoff to the persistence of aquatic habitat on the floodplain.