The ecology of dryland rivers is shaped by infrequent flow events that reconnect habitats and drive productivity. Restoring fish passage is a key management priority in the Murray–Darling Basin, where dams and weirs fragment these rivers. We monitored two newly constructed fishways on the Warrego River at Toorale National Park, New South Wales: (1) a vertical-slot fishway at Boera Dam and (2) a rock-ramp fishway at Homestead Dam. Sampling spanned three flow events between December 2024 and April 2026, under a range of flow conditions including one of the largest on record. Nearly 60,000 fish were captured moving in both directions at the two fishways. Six native species were recorded, including golden perch (Macquaria ambigua), spangled perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor), bony herring (Nematalosa erebi) and Hyrtl's catfish (Neosilurus hyrtlii). Ontogenetic movement patterns were apparent, with smaller fish moving predominantly downstream and larger fish upstream. Golden perch and spangled perch accounted for 46% and 31% of downstream movement respectively. On both major flow events, downstream-moving golden perch were dominated by a similar juvenile size class (~40 mm), consistent with flow-driven recruitment. Our initial findings highlight the ecological significance of fish passage infrastructure in dryland rivers, restoring connectivity and supporting movement of both resident and wide-ranging species.