Improving water quality at Dunmore station

Because they know prevention is better than the cure, one of the first things on the minds of Dunmore Station's new owners was to protect sensitive waterways from their 420 head of cattle, 200 steers and 2,000 breeding ewes.

Funding

In 2004 Roland and Anne Breckwoldt applied to the Australian Government for support to help them fence off a number of creeks on their 9,387-acre property on the Namoi River, near Manilla on the NSW North West slopes. The following year a $24,000 grant came through.

Activities

"Dunmore Station was pretty run down and had been neglected for some years, and we figured fencing off waterways would be a good start towards reducing environmental damage and a more sustainable property," Station Manager Nic Bliss said.

"We're hoping to encourage natural regeneration, increase biodiversity, and reduce the erosion of topsoil that ends up in the creek, which then washes into the Namoi River.

"It's all part of a big picture to help improve water quality in the creeks and in turn protect the river."

Widely used for irrigation, stock watering and domestic use, the Namoi River is suffering from nearly 200 years of use.

The Dunmore Station project has only just begun but when completed, 4.3 kilometres of fencing will prevent stock from accessing the creeks and further damaging the banks.

"Because we've had such a dry and hot period, a lot of the stock go into the gullies during the heat," Nic said.

"This damages the groundcover and when it rains the topsoil gets washed away, so while the creeks are well tree-lined, keeping the stock out will increase groundcover regeneration.

"Keeping stock away from waterways will also help platypus, fish species including the Murray Cod and other animals that live in the river."

Knowing the waterways will be fenced off, Nic has already installed alternative watering systems to provide livestock with fresh water.

"Where we fenced off Halls Creek we put in a new watering system. In other places we only had to extend the existing system to spread the water a bit further," he said.

More information

1. Nic Bliss, Dunmore Station Manager: (02) 6786 1468 or nic@dunmorestation.com.au

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

DEWHA  | DAFF  | australia.gov.au  | NAP  | NHT 
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