A landscape rehydration project near Nimbin in Northern NSW will contribute to the landholders’ vision to stabilise the site, protect the catchment from erosion and bushfires, and support productive farmland.
Southern Queensland and Northern NSW (SQNNSW) Innovation Hub Extension Officer, Janelle Schafer, is leading the work as part of her involvement in the Mulloon Institute’s Communities of Practice Project (CoPP) Mentoring Program.
This program will enable Janelle to build her capacity to plan, design and undertake landscape rehydration projects using low-risk, nature-based solutions for drought resilience.
She said the Nimbin project was a good opportunity to stabilise the eroded gully, slow the flow and force of water, and reduce fire hazards.
“Once we put a good spillway on, about 3m wide, and made the dam wall 3m wide it took up most of the space where we’d planning to put in leaky weirs,” she said.
“We decided to continue with the dam and an armoured spillway, which will flow into a swamp with a rock ramp at the base. This then leads into the next gully, which we will pack big rocks around.”
“Over the summer break the landholders are planting lomandra across the dam wall to help with heavy flow periods, and sedges for basket weaving in the swamp area. The sedges will help stabilise the leaky weir.
“The landholders plan to continue packing rocks for stabilisation across the gullies which have formed since the 2022 landslides. Now that they’ve been trained in the construction, they will have the skills to install these rock weirs as time and resources allow.”