Mandagery Creek planting project

'Island View' property owners at Mandagery Creek in Eugowra, NSW, are carrying out a major project to protect the area over a three year period.

Funding

Funding from the Australian Government and support from the State Government has helped 'Island View' staff plant 14,000 trees and fence out sheep and cattle.

The first component of the project has seen fencing built along both sides of a seven-kilometre stretch of the creek bed.

Activities

'Island View' Manager, Gary Pearsall, said the idea of the project was to limit stock access to improve the creek and develop a plant corridor.

"We're going link the old vegetation around Mandagery," Gary said.

"The stock - 6,500 sheep and 300 cattle - will have limited access to the creek. But they'll still be allowed in there at times to control weeds in the corridor.

"We want to be able to control stock as well as the woody weeds, as there's a big weed burden there.

"Stock will be rotationally grazed. There won't be environmental damage because the stock don't get to camp there - so they won't trample, erode or pollute the area."

While the drought has stalled some activities, areas have been prepared for work and will be planted during the coming winter.

'Island View' will also use the project funding to help them provide alternative watering sources for stock across 17 paddocks.

"We'll build 17 troughs, which means about 12 kilometres of pipes and pumps," Gary said.

"At this stage we're looking at reducing our cropped area and increasing stocking rates through pasture improvement - out here it's all river flats and dryland lucerne country."

Gary said an additional project benefit is the return of a group of local platypus.

"There's a small population of platypus in Mandagery Creek," he said. "We've seen about four or five, which means there could be even more out there."

More information

• Gary Pearsall, 'Island View' Manager: (02) 6859 2770

Australian Government NRM Team
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
1800 552 008 (toll-free)

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Caring for our Country is an Australian Government initiative jointly administered by the Australian Government departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts