Back in 2006, Tony Coote invited landscape thinker, Peter Andrews, to his property, Mulloon Creek Natural Farm, between Braidwood and Bungendore. That first meeting between the two men initiated a process that has transformed Coote’s property and the creek that runs through it. The meeting also signalled the beginning of the Mulloon Creek Natural Sequence Farming (NSF) Demonstration. These two visionary thinkers subsequently joined forces with Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and the Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council to repair the creek and to bring the thinking of landscape hydration to the community.
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A 3km section of deeply eroded creek was fenced, a series of erosion control structures was constructed and many thousands of trees, shrubs, reeds and rushes were planted. The objective was to slow the flow, raise the water level of the creek, de-energise and spread flood waters, and to reinvigorate the floodplain.
Stream gauges were installed above and below the demonstration area, and 12 piezometers were set up throughout the floodplain, to measure the effect of the project on the hydrology of the system.
Nine years later and much has changed indeed. The creek is now a healthy, vibrant ecosystem, filtering water through its extensive reed beds, capturing flood sediments, recycling nutrients and providing complex habitat for birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs, fish and invertebrates. Coote also says that the floodplain is now 60% more productive than it was in 2006. Critically, flows from the project site have also improved in that time.
So successful has the demonstration been that it is now set for a major expansion. Landowners all along Mulloon Creek have come together to participate in a second stage of the project. Enter - The Mulloon Community Landscape Rehydration Project (MCLRP). This new project will rehabilitate up to 40km of Mulloon Creek and its tributaries and improve agriculture and the natural environment across 13,000ha.
This latest project is only possible because, in 2011, Tony Coote put in place another visionary initiative. He established The Mulloon Institute (MI), a non-profit environmental and agricultural research and education facility. He plans to bequeath Mulloon Creek Natural Farm to The Mulloon Institute so that demonstrations such as this and the accompanying research can continue in perpetuity.
On the 8th November, the public will be able to see for itself how the original NSF demonstration is progressing. Also, on this day, The Mulloon Institute will introduce The Mulloon Community Landscape Rehydration Project and run a landscape hydration panel discussion which will include Peter Andrews, Tony Coote, regenerative farmer, Martin Royds, and reputable scientists.
For more information on the field day, check The Mulloon Institute’s website, themullooninstitute.org or call Peter on 0427 075 397.
