Feral pig and woody weed control programs are beginning in the Herbert catchment as Terrain NRM and its partners intensify efforts to improve water quality in a river system extending from west of Mt Garnet to the floodplain around Ingham.

Five projects are now being rolled out as the first stage of the Herbert Integrated Project’s on-ground works, and Terrain NRM Project Manager Fiona Barron said there were more to follow.

Council leads feral pig control program

One of the first is a feral pig management initiative led by Hinchinbrook Shire Council.

“Feral pigs are a major problem for the environment and also for the sugar cane industry and other farming industries in the Herbert,” Ms Barron said. “Pigs churn up soil and vegetation and damage wetlands and riverbanks, which releases nutrients and can spread pathogens.”

Hinchinbrook Shire Council will build on an existing control program by using emerging surveillance and control technologies, including AI-enabled cameras. A remote-triggering feral-tech trap door will also be trialled near a coastal community where traditional systems have been unsuccessful.

Woody weeds removal in Upper Herbert region

In the upper Herbert, stakeholders identified the thickening of invasive woody weeds, such as lantana, as a priority.

“Dense thickets of woody weeds are a problem for graziers because they lead to less soil protection and pasture,” Ms Barron said.

“Part of the project will involve working with graziers on trials of different burn approaches at different times of the year to determine the most effective way of tackling woody weeds so that we can share best practice with other landholders.”

Whole-of-farm and whole-of-catchment planning

Other projects include developing a whole-of-catchment management plan, supporting cane farmers through integrated whole-of-farm planning led by Herbert Cane Productivity Services Ltd, and synthesising past and present water quality monitoring data to better understand what’s happening across the catchment and help farmers and the wider community.

Circular economy, natural capital opportunities

There will also be a focus on circular economy opportunities and natural capital capacity-building within the Herbert catchment area.

Ms Barron said the Herbert Integrated Project was being driven by the community, and Terrain NRM was working with a wide range of partners and community groups.

“We have engaged widely with stakeholders across the upper and lower Herbert catchment to understand how the catchment can be managed as one integrated system – to not only improve water quality but also deliver broader community and landscape benefits,” she said.

The rootballs of trees are part of a new engineered solution for erosion along the Herbert River near Ingham.

About 180 metres of flood-damaged riverbank has been repaired using five rootballs combined with more than 2000 tonnes of rock – for a rockwall with a difference.

Strengthening riverbanks, creating fish habitat

Terrain NRM’s Lana Hepburn said the result would both strengthen the riverbank and create fish habitat.

“The hardwood is wedged trunk-first into the lower riverbank so the rootballs are in the water, with rock benching holding them in place,’’ Lana says.

“The rootballs add complexity to the waterway, creating eddies and different flow rates which moves the fast-flowing water away from the toe of the streambank to prevent more erosion. They also create places for fish to rest and feed.

Erosion since 2009 wet season

She said the riverbank had been eroding at the site since 2009 and the 2021-22 wet season had worsened things, with more riverbank vegetation lost to flooding.

“Since 2009, the riverbank has retreated 20 to 40 metres on average across the site. The toe of the riverbank – the point where the riverbed meets the bank and supports the weight of the bank –became completely unvegetated. So when the 12 metre high bank was hit by fast water, it was eroding at the toe and collapsing, sending soil down the river and fine sediment out to the ocean.”

Cane farmer Mark Zatta, whose land borders the river, says he’s “stoked”.

“Originally we had about 50m of rainforest along the river but we were losing it over time. All of a sudden, in one river rise, a whole lot was gone. Once the first wall (of riverbank) dropped, it just kept collapsing. It’s on the outside of a bend in the river where the river pushes around.

A new $3.2 million project will focus on the Herbert catchment – the largest river system in the Wet Tropics which begins on the Atherton Tablelands and flows to the ocean almost 300km away at Ingham.

Workshops with a wide range of representatives

Terrain NRM is working with a wide range of industries and groups to plan for the Herbert Integrated Project, which is funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program. More than 40 people have been part of workshops in Ravenshoe and Ingham recently to help determine the best actions to further improve water quality, the land, its resilience, agricultural outcomes and co-benefits for the local community.

Whole-of-catchment approach

Project manager Fiona Barron said a whole-of-catchment outlook was important.

“We will be building on previous projects in this catchment. They include working with farmers on grazing and sugar cane management practice changes to improve everything from the land and production to the quality of water leaving properties. They also include fine-scale water quality monitoring, constructing fishways and repairing streambanks by engineering structures like rock chutes and pile fields.

Building on solid results from previous projects

“Programs delivered over the last 15 years have made good progress. But to meet the 2050 water quality targets, we need to build on past work. This new Herbert project will draw heavily on local knowledge, combined with all the data and science that’s come before, for a program that’s tailor-made to the upper and lower Herbert.

Less soil is being lost to creeks and rivers on the southern Tablelands thanks to changed grazing practices and to solutions like rock chutes for eroded gullies.

Seven farming families have been working with not-for-profit environmental organisation Terrain NRM and grazing and soil health specialists for the last seven years on changes that range from dividing paddocks up and rotating cattle differently to building up vegetation coverage where rock chutes and bund walls have been built to stop gullies from eroding any further.

Graziers say the results include better pastures

“What we’re seeing is more feed and better-quality feed,” Woodleigh Station’s Pete Waddell says. “We’ve fenced to cut paddocks up and we’re now running bigger numbers of cattle on smaller areas rather than the reverse, which is the traditional approach. I’ve seen a marked improvement in the condition of country.’’

Preventing 4,500 tonnes of fine sediment from reaching the Reef annually

Terrain NRM’s Duncan Buckle says the combined impact of 10 erosion-control structures, and grazing management changes across six cattle stations, is keeping thousands of tonnes of soil on the land each wet season and stopping an estimated 4,500 tonnes of the really fine soil particles (the equivalent of 225 semi-trailer loads) from becoming sediment on the Great Barrier Reef each year.

“Fine-tuning grazing management practices and making the land more resilient has been a big part of these two projects,’’ he says.

“It’s the key to reducing erosion in the Herbert River catchment. We’ve been working with graziers to improve the health of grassland ecosystems and cattle, and to improve production.

Managing cattle to improve soil health

“We look at ways to manage cattle to promote soil health because improved soil health results in thicker, healthier, more nutritious pastures. And getting more roots in the soil means the soil can absorb water better and hold together better.”

Grazier Curtis Archer says changes on Glen Ruth Station are creating better pastures and making it easier to handle cattle and control weeds like lantana with fire.

Splitting paddocks for a three-paddock rotation system

“We’ve split paddocks in half and gone to a three-paddock rotation system in the river country and another three-paddock system to manage the creek flats,’’ he says.

“It’s making the cattle work the country better, rather than just sitting on creek flats and always hammering them. It’s giving paddocks a more even graze and we’ve seen the dominant species take over – good native grasses. We’ve got three times the volume of grass in these paddocks, which means we can add a few more cattle now. I think there will be more and more benefits over the years.

Join us in the Tarzali region for two grazing workshops with Dick Richardson on Tuesday 9 April and Wednesday 10 April…

Graziers from across the region are encouraged to come to these free events, which will focus on ways to optimise cattle and pasture performance.

Terrain NRM is bringing grazing guru Dick Richardson back to the region for these events – the first for those who haven’t been to one of his workshops before, or want a refresher, and the second for those who’ve been before and want to delve deeper.  We will be looking at everything from reading animal, dung and pasture condition to stock movement and assessing feed availability.

Dick Richardson is an internationally recognised leader in natural grazing principles to improve soil depth, water retention, biodiversity and animal production.

He has been helping graziers in our region for more than five years.

During the workshops, which will run from 9am to 3:30pm, there will also be plenty of time to ask questions, share experiences and ideas.

These events are part of our Upper Herbert Sediment Reduction Project, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

The Herbert catchment is one of the top three contributors of fine sediment flowing to the reef. This project aims to reduce fine sediment loads entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from the Herbert River Basin, by targeting priority erosion hot spots and high-risk areas with a combination of construction works and agricultural extension support for farmers.

Register for a workshop, or find out more, by emailing Terrain NRM’s Duncan Buckle at duncan.buckle@terrain.org.au or calling Terrain NRM on (07) 4043 8000.

For those who haven’t been to a Dick Richardson workshop before, here are three short videos featuring Dick and focused on soil health in the grazing world.

Why is Soil Health Important?

How to Tell if your Soil and Pasture is Healthy

Using Grazing to Improve your Soil’s Health

A fishway close to Ingham’s town centre is the newest addition in a project that’s helping more than 100 species of fish – including barramundi, mangrove jack and jungle perch – to breed up in Wet Tropics waterways.

Terrain NRM and Catchment Solutions recently completed the 250 metre fishway at Gedges Crossing which will help fish to move through a weir. The structure is one of five fishways that have recently been built and one of 18 projects removing barriers to fish in the Murray and Herbert river catchments between Tully and Ingham.

Terrain NRM’s Deb Bass said other solutions have included bed-level creek crossings to replace causeways, culvert modifications and the removal of several creek crossings.

“We’ve also been working on invasive weed and feral pig control in these areas, and revegetation in an area where fish passage works were completed.

“This newest fishway is a curved rock ramp that’s at the side of Gedges Crossing on Pump Station Road, and is designed for lower flow conditions when smaller fish can’t get over the weir.

“It’s opening up more than 50km of upstream habitat to many different fish species.

“Fishways slow the water and create resting pools. The idea is juvenile fish can move upstream a couple of metres, then take a rest, then move up further and rest and so on.”

Terrain NRM has partnered with Catchment Solutions and OzFish Unlimited on the Fish Homes and Highways project, which is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust program.

All the fishways were constructed in the dry season and the last one was completed just weeks before Cyclone Jasper crossed the Far North Queensland coast, bringing flooding rain.

“We’d already seen hundreds of empire gudgeons and shrimp species using the fishway at Lagoon Creek, moving up with the tide,” Deb said.

“OzFish Unlimited will be monitoring the fishways over the next six months to see the number and type of native fish moving through them.”

The construction phase followed extensive surveying in the Herbert and Murray River catchments. More than 3500 potential fish barriers were identified, leading to short-listing and on-ground inspections of over 300 sites to prioritise work based on the landscape, landholder willingness, accessibility, cost and development approvals.

A century-old cattle station is getting a revamp. Minnamoolka Station, at the headwaters of the Herbert and Burdekin rivers, is undergoing changes to improve cattle production, the land, and the water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef.

Landholders Margie Atkinson and Greg Jenkins say it is never too late for fresh ideas. They are 60 kilometres into a 70km fencing project that will make 62 paddocks out of the property’s existing 28 paddocks for a switch from set stocking to rotational grazing in smaller paddocks for shorter, more intense periods.

They are also in the midst of adding extra water points for cattle.

“We’re always interested in new ideas and better ways to manage the land and improve feed quality for our livestock,’’ Margie Atkinson said.

“Next year this land will have been in our family for 120 years and traditionally our family has always endeavoured to practice sustainable land management with set stocking.

“We are excited by the possibilities that we perceive as being offered by the Grazing Naturally method.”

Better ground cover and pastures

She and Greg are working with natural resource management organisations Terrain NRM and NQ Dry Tropics on projects that they hope will lead to better ground cover and pastures across about 29,000 hectares of land. They currently graze around 4000 head of beef cattle.

Margie said a free workshop with Grazing Naturally’s Dick Richardson, through Terrain NRM’s Upper Herbert Sediment Reduction Project, had been a catalyst for change. Dick has since spent time with them, again as part of the project, to assess grass condition and work on a solid plan for their property’s dry season, including forage budgeting and determining stocking rates.

Smaller paddocks and shorter more intense grazing periods

Creating smaller paddocks for rotational grazing will mean the cattle have shorter, more intense grazing periods in paddocks and the paddocks have variable rest periods – with the long-term aim of creating better ground cover and more diverse and nutritious pastures.

Margie says it will also help with other things: “As well as improved forage for cattle we are hoping to reduce the annual fuel load. Left to free-range, during the growing season the cattle generally concentrate on small areas and when the dry season comes fire can be a big issue in the areas that haven’t been grazed”.

She said the biggest challenge of the project is provision of adequate stock watering points. By the end of 2023 they will have installed 17 new waters, and they will increase this number as they can afford to.

“Grazing cattle in a large mob through smaller paddocks means there is a much higher daily demand on water points, so with help from NQ Dry Tropics we have put in a new bore and by the end of this year with assistance from Terrain NRM we will have installed another, to be able to pipe water to additional troughs.

Join us at Woodleigh Station for a grazing workshop with Dick Richardson on Wednesday 30 August…

Graziers from across the region are encouraged to come to this free event, which will focus on ways to optimise cattle and pasture performance.

Terrain NRM is bringing grazing guru Dick Richardson back to the region for this event.  We will be looking at animal, dung and pasture condition, stock movement, the use of supplements and incorporating fire in management practices.

Dick Richardson is an internationally recognised leader in natural grazing principles to improve soil depth, water retention, biodiversity and animal production.

He has been helping graziers in our region for more than five years.

During the workshops, which will run from 9am to 3:30pm, there will also be plenty of time to ask questions, share experiences and ideas.

The day is part of our Upper Herbert Sediment Reduction Project, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

The Herbert catchment is one of the top three contributors of fine sediment flowing to the reef. This project aims to reduce fine sediment loads entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from the Herbert River Basin, by targeting priority erosion hot spots and high-risk areas with a combination of construction works and agricultural extension support for farmers.

A new $2.53 million project will reduce streambank erosion in the Ingham area of the Herbert River catchment.

Terrain NRM will be working with landholders bordering Herbert River and Stone River on projects to improve both their land and the water flowing through this catchment to the Great Barrier River.

This project is part of a $6 million investment by the Queensland Government to stem the flow of sediment into the Great Barrier Reef. Funding has been provided for projects in the Lower Burdekin, Herbert River and Fitzroy River catchments.

Building on five years of work with landholders

Terrain NRM’s CEO Stewart Christie welcomed the news, saying the project would build on five years of work with landholders in the Herbert catchment.

“With a range of engineering solutions and improved land management practices, our sediment reduction projects have prevented several thousand tonnes of sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef each year,’’ he said.

Herbert a priority for sediment reduction

“The Herbert catchment is a priority for sediment reduction in Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef zone. We’ve been remediating gully and streambank erosion sites through engineering work including rock walls, pile fields and rock chutes.

Eight hundred wooden piles are helping to solve erosion problems along a flood-damaged section of the Herbert River this wet season.

The recently completed pile field is the latest in a series of construction projects along the river system, which one of Queensland’s five highest contributors of fine sediment to the Great Barrier Reef.

Engineeered solutions for erosion 

In the last five years, erosion-control work has included engineered solutions ranging from rock chutes and Zuni bowls to gully contouring and bank battering, as well as revegetation projects and changes to the way landholders graze cattle on their land.

The end results have been a win for property owners and the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, where sediment run-off smothers corals, seagrass and other plants and, in doing so, also affects the turtles, dugongs and fish that depend on them for food and shelter.

Abergowrie cane farmer Terry Sheahan is the latest landholder to benefit from work on his property.

“We’ve had floods over the years but there was one six years ago that cut through the paddocks, taking a corner piece of land and everything on it. With the silt dump as well, we lost about 20 acres of cane. We’ve been trying to build everything up again since.”

What are pile fields?

Terrain NRM’s Jen Mackenzie and her team are confident their latest pile field will solve problems spanning several hundred metres of riverbank. Pile fields are multiple rows of piles, driven up to seven metres into the earth. They are designed to slow down water and build up sediment, to protect and repair damaged riverbanks.

“Major erosion sites need more than vegetation initially. In coming years, we expect vegetation to establish in and around the timber piles and in time, as these piles break down, the vegetation will act as the long-term erosion control measure. We’ll also be doing revegetation work at this site at the end of the wet season.”

Ms Mackenzie said the Wet Tropics region’s high volume of rain meant that more engineering and modelling was needed for pile fields, with designs tailored to the weather conditions.

The pile fields project is part of Terrain NRM’s Upper Herbert Sediment Reduction Project. This program is funded by a partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Thousands of tonnes of sediment savings

The structure is one of more than 10 engineered solutions constructed in the Herbert River catchment as part of the Upper Herbert Sediment Reduction Program and the Australian Government’s Reef Trust IV Herbert Gully and Grazing Project. It’s estimated that they collectively prevent several thousand tonnes of sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef each year.