Kangaroo Valley rarely looks anything but green. Beneath that lush picture, though, local landholders have been increasingly concerned by the slow, and sometimes very quick, incision and erosion of the small feeder streams that carry water into larger waterways like Brogers Creek and the Kangaroo River. After four years of intense rainfall and frequent erosive floods, the Brogers Creek community put their hand up to join the Water Stewardship Program with one main goal: to bring back the health of the many small gullies and creeks that flow into Brogers Creek.
Beauridge Farm was the first cab off the rank. Landholders Alex and John submitted their expression of interest back in May 2025 alongside neighbour Greg Thompson of Brogers Creek Landcare. This project builds on the great work the pair already have underway across their beautiful property.
Fast forward to May 2026, new livestock exclusion fencing now gives the riparian corridor – the strip of land alongside the creek – room to stabilise, supported by localised revegetation to cycle water from the soil, rebuild shade, habitat and binding roots along the banks.
Within the creek itself, and over three weeks, Mulloon’s Jack Smart, Tony Wells and Dan Jones worked alongside Next Stage Civil operator Dan Grech to complete the on-ground works. The team installed 15 small-scale in-stream structures. These structures are a nature-based solution: built entirely from natural materials rather than concrete or steel, they work with the landscape’s own hydrology to gently slow water as it moves through the system. Beauridge Creek is a steep, bedrock-controlled gully with only small pockets of floodplain, and the structures help those precious pockets do their job – buffering pulse flows and holding moisture like a sponge, supporting the health of the wider Brogers Creek system downstream.
Wet weather made for boggy, easily disturbed ground, and Dan navigated the tight terrain with skill – the site is expected to bounce back better than ever as we move through winter and into spring.
And this is just the first step. Project design is already underway on creeks and gullies further up the Brogers Creek valley, with four more properties lined up for on-ground works. Over the coming year we’ll be hosting community events to share water stewardship wins and check in on Beauridge’s recovery – starting with a tree-planting day hosted by Brogers Creek Landcare to tackle the riparian revegetation at the demonstration site.
This project has been funded by WaterNSW and The Ian Potter Foundation.
Before and after of newly installed in-stream rock structure on Beauridge Creek.
Top banner: photo by Dan at Next Stage Civil. Only foggy mornings here in Kangaroo Valley!