Remediation, repair and protection of the environment has always been at the heart of caring for Country for Traditional Owners. This Reef Assist project seeks to combine modern science and remediation techniques with traditional healing of Country to bring environmental, economic and cultural benefits.
 

The Challenge

Sediment runoff from the land can impact water quality for the Great Barrier Reef, causing problems for Reef ecosystems such as seagrass meadows and delicate corals which have not evolved to cope with high volumes of land-based sediment and nutrients. Since colonisation, large-scale clearing for agriculture and housing has decreased the stability of soils, particularly during rainfall events, and increased the amount of sediment and nutrients reaching Reef ecosystems.

Repairing sources of sediment, such as gullies and eroding streambanks, can therefore have a significant impact on the health, resilience and survival of the Great Barrier Reef by improving the quality of water leaving rivers and reaching the Reef.

Australia’s Traditional Owners managed the land sustainably for over 40,000 years, but until very recently, much of this multi-generational knowledge around caring for Country and ways of managing land has been overlooked in restoration efforts. This needs to change so we can work together more holistically to repair our fragile and beautiful Australian landscape, benefit communities and economies, and help protect the Great Barrier Reef from further damage.

The Project

From 2023-2024 Greening Australia worked with the WASC, the Woorabinda Rangers, and technical experts Neilly Group Engineering to rehabilitate gullies and prevent erosion on Ghungalu/Ghangalu Country. This collaboration aimed to help repair the land as well as supporting cultural connection with Country.

Traditional understanding of the Australian landscape is invaluable and necessary for providing insights into the needs of Country. Combining this knowledge with modern engineering ensures that the repair works are resilient and continue to support the ongoing repair of gullies and streambanks over time.

Gully repair in progress. Photo credit Neilly Group Engineering.

Three different gullies have been repaired using different methods including reshaping, rock chutes, whoa boys, creating bund walls, fencing and hydromulching. These works combined are preventing approximately 3 tonnes of sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef each year.

Importantly, the Woorabinda Rangers and a local Indigenous construction business, Ghungalu Investments, have been involved in every aspect, including gully repair works, and undertook training so they can maintain the repaired areas and do other rehabilitation work in the future.

 
The Woorabinda Healing Country and Gully Remediation Program has been funded through the Queensland Government’s $33.5 million Reef Assist program under the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program and delivered by Greening Australia’s Reef Aid team in partnership with Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council.

For more information, please feel free to send us an online query.