Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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site specific
region wide
Reducing spread of weeds with washdown bay
Hitchhikers can be dangerous, particularly when they are weeds catching a ride into the Northern Gulf region in Queensland. Here they could seriously damage the region's 215 large grazing properties and its array of largely intact native flora and fauna.
Surrounded by weeds, the region needed a defence system. So a state of the art washdown bay was established at Mt Surprise to significantly reduce the spread of weeds.
Project manager Allan Smith said local governments in the Northern Gulf had work-shopped the washdown bay proposal and the result was the site in Etheridge Shire.
Funding
The facility was funded with $250 from the Australian Government and in-kind support from Etheridge Shire Council for planning, construction, promotion and maintenance. The State Government has also provided support.
Activities
"The use of this facility is purely voluntarily, but the number of travellers using it has been promising with about 20,000 vehicles coming through each year" Allan said. "Significant interpretive signage has also been installed to increase awareness of the problem of weed seed spread and educate tourists and visitors."
With the unexpected heavy use of the facility, silt traps have had to be cleaned almost daily.
Among the weeds that will be hampered from entering the region is parkinsonia, one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness. Economic costs to landholders from parkinsonia stem from increased difficulty in mustering stock, a reduction in stock access to watering points and a decrease in primary production of grasses that are replaced by this weed.
Another unwelcome intruder is prickly acacia, which currently infests more than 6.6 million hectares of arid and semi-arid Queensland. The economic impacts of prickly acacia on Queensland's grazing industry are estimated at $5 million per year. Even at medium densities, it halves the primary productivity of grasslands, interferes with stock mustering and restricts stock access to water.
Achievements
"One of the key findings from this project was the enthusiasm of travellers to use the facility," Allan said. "'Word of mouth' has also worked extremely well, with travellers often telling others of the facility and encouraging them to use it. The project was received well by the Northern Gulf community and there is support to install similar facilities in other parts of the region."
More information
- Allan Smith, Etheridge Shire Council: (07) 4062 1479 or rlo@etheridge.qld.gov.au
See also
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