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Moorong landholders take lead on projects
Landholders from different backgrounds are taking a united approach to managing natural resources in the Moorang area of the upper Bremer River catchment, 80 kilometres southwest of Brisbane.
They get together as need arises to identify the issues, work out what has to be done and who's going to do it.
The group is made up of graziers, dairy farmers, horticulturalists and 'lifestylers.' It includes people with district connections going back nearly 150 years and others who moved in a few years ago.
Bill Thompson, who runs a 405-hectare cattle property, thinks this is an ideal approach.
"Landowners themselves are quite capable without getting someone else in to organise projects," Bill said.
Funding
The Australian Government has given more than $78,000 towards Moorang projects. Other partners include South East Queensland (SEQ) Catchments, Boonah Shire River Improvement Trust, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), Boonah Shire Council and Bremer Catchment Association.
Activities and achievements
"Neighbours here identified they had more in common than differences and we've been working together looking at issues for around a decade now," Bill said.
Projects have ranged from establishing seven trap gates and 1.8 kilometres of fencing to keep feral cattle out of the national park, to extensive work on stream banks.
"We've put a major effort into controlling weeds and protecting 27 kilometres of river banks on the Bremer and its tributaries," Bill said.
"This has included treating Chinese celtis, and dealing with leucaena. We've been trying to ensure that we don't get rid of all the weeds at once and end up with bare banks, so we've been replanting and seeding as we weed."
The group is working on a district fire management plan in consultation with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
"Adversity is one of the best things to bring people together," Bill said. "We've had a couple of really bad fires through here in the last five years.
"We've now identified our key assets and hazards. And we've looked at what type of fire management is most applicable and tried to adapt it to suit different needs.
The Moorang landholders get the thumbs up from Jean Bray of SEQ Catchments.
"The landholder-driven approach to sub-catchment management in Moorang is a major step in managing the area sustainably," she said.
More information
- SEQ Catchments: www.seqcatchments.com.au
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