The species' preferred habitat is the deeper pools of the clear-water upstream reaches of the river, where water flows continuously in most months over a bedrock basement and a stream bed of boulders, pebbles, and gravel.

[3] The preferred habitat of M. georgesi is the deeper pools of the clear-water upstream reaches of the river, where the water flows continuously in most months over a bedrock basement and a boulder, pebble and gravel bed.

[11] A high proportion of its food comes from benthic macro-invertebrate communities that are relatively sedentary and live in immediate association with the substratum, but with some terrestrial fruit and aquatic vegetation eaten.

[7] Partially as a result of the extreme population decline caused by the virus (with a 97% mortality rate), the species was listed as critically endangered by the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment in 2016.

[13] As of November 2022, while there is still no cure for the virus, the captive breeding program undertaken by Taronga Zoo has resulted in the release of 82 juvenile turtles back into the wild.