We have developed several icons related to agroecology to help inform land managers about landscape functions and rehydration, pictured right. 

Through our co-design process, we have learned that improving landscape function and rehydrating landscapes is a journey, rather than a simple set of measurements. Land managers require multiple scalable actions that can be replicated over time to build confidence in the improvement of the land. Although land managers and First Nation people have an intimate understanding of their land, they often struggle to see how their actions connect to long-term landscape changes. They encounter delays between their actions and visible results, which can take a year or more to manifest. Additionally, data tools can be challenging to use consistently and often lack a clear process for implementation. There is considerable pressure to balance productivity with land health, along with a desire to leave the land in better condition.

We have learnt that change occurs through vision and storytelling, rather than data alone. Land managers and First Nation people want to understand how their land is evolving, how their actions influence ecosystem function, and seek early signs that they are moving in the right direction, all while reconnecting with their community and Country. Our aim is to empower them to steward their living landscapes, and we see a vital role for LiFT in validating and enhancing their innate ability to read the landscape while supporting the transition from observation to regeneration.  

Water has frequently been highlighted as the key to improving landscape function and serves as the most accessible starting point for change. Rather than functioning solely as a data platform, we envision LiFT as a decision support and learning system for landscape stewardship. The next phase, following the completion of the co-design phase, will involve using the insights gained to develop a prototype system for trial with land managers and First Nations groups. 

The Landscape Function Toolkit (LiFT) project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.

Over the past several months,  the team has continued supporting the long-term vision of the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative (MRI) – restoring hydrological function and landscape health across the Mulloon Creek catchment. Through a combination of field monitoring, spatial analysis, technology development and collaborative research, our work aims to better understand how landscape rehydration can improve ecological function, biodiversity, drought resilience and farm productivity. 

A major focus this period has been on strengthening the data and monitoring systems that underpin the MRI. After more than a decade of monitoring across the catchment, the project has generated a significant body of environmental data. The team has been working to catalogue and organise these datasets, ensuring they remain accessible and useful for future research, reporting and decision-making. 

Pictured at right: Sacred Kingfisher spotted near Peter’s Pond, Home Farm, Mulloon.
Pictured at top: Walbunja Rangers, Laura and Ryan sharing knowledge on brush pack work at the homestead at Home Farm, Mulloon.

Alongside this, we have continued developing automated monitoring and mapping workflows that streamline how environmental data is processed and analysed. These tools support tasks such as groundwater sensor processing and terrain analysis from digital elevation models, helping reduce manual processing while improving consistency across monitoring programs. 

The team has also been contributing to the development of the Landscape Function Toolkit (LiFT), which aims to help landholders and practitioners monitor landscape condition using practical indicators that link soil, water, vegetation and landscape processes. 

The team is currently finalising the second peer-reviewed research paper from the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative, further strengthening the scientific evidence emerging from the catchment. 

In November, we conducted the annual spring frog survey, helping track amphibian diversity across the catchment – an important indicator of wetland and riparian ecosystem health. 

Pictured right: Lesueur’s Stony-creek Frog Rhyaconastes lesueuri, taken at Home Farm, Mulloon.

We were also pleased to host members of the Walbunja Ranger Group for a visit to the Mulloon catchment, sharing knowledge about landscape restoration and discussing connections between cultural land management and catchment-scale rehydration.

Pictured below: Walbunja Rangers, Laura and Ryan sharing knowledge on the in-stream structures at Honeymoon Crossing, Palerang.
Pictured at right: Sharing knowledge on how water moves through landscapes using the Stream table at the barn at Home Farm, Mulloon.

Mulloon also hosted Soil Health Days with David Hardwick and the team from Soil Land Food, demonstrating the Holistic Assessment of Soil Health (HASH) method and providing hands-on insights into soil condition and landscape function. 

Pictured: David and the Soil Land Food team demonstrating the importance of Soil Health and the use of the HASH Tool.

Water levels were getting lower in Mulloon Creek over the drier periods lately. 

Pictured above left: View downstream from Palerang Crossing – water is still flowing through the structure. 
Pictured above right: View upstream from Palerang Crossing – water is still present in the ponds supporting vegetation regeneration. 

Tom has strong alignment with Mulloon Institute’s regenerative agriculture mission, proven farm management capability, and the leadership qualities required for this critical role. His most recent roles are as General Manager of Operations at Faulkner Farming and General Manager of Bellevue Pastoral Company.

Previous experience as a biological agronomist and managing a 400ha avocado farm adds to Tom’s experience.  He is also technically well qualified, with a Bachelor of Farm Business and a Master of Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Sydney.

“It is great to be working with livestock again and with like-minded individuals who are keen on regenerative agricultural practices”, says Tom.

Mulloon Creek Natural Farms has seen several changes in staff and direction in the past few months, and we’re working on transitioning into a more stable and local workforce.

Tom’s approach is to develop control systems for information in an open forum management style.

Tom notes that the region has experienced its driest period in some time, with Jan-Feb receiving around one-third of the average rainfall. The floodplain paddocks are demonstrating the benefits of landscape rehydration works along Mulloon Creek, with pasture stable at the moment.

The cattle enterprise is about to enter a new phase with Halter virtual fences being implemented across the Farms. This is a very exciting new development that we hope will improve grazing management and hence landscape function. We are not ready to throw away the pliers yet, but virtual fencing could be a game-changer.

Pictured at top: Halter collars going on the cattle.
Pictured right: Isobel with gorgeous new chicks as part of our egg operation. 

The poultry enterprise is seeing the standard challenges we all face in agriculture: production challenges, weather and the like. Nevertheless, the team are optimistic we are managing those issues as best we can. Drawing on some significant external advice to boost the capacity of the team and support the continued production of the renowned Mulloon eggs.

MCNF is working with local charities such as Braidwood Life Centre and St Benedict’s (Queanbeyan) to support people doing it tough. Donations of eggs have also been given to Braidwood Central School and St Bedes Catholic Primary School to go towards their breakfast cooking at the Braidwood show and the cooking classes in school. Building relationships with the local community continues to be a focus for Tom and his team.

With the Mulloon Farms being used for education and training, we are also excited to be able to teach the next generation of regenerative farm managers.

Mulloon Institute’s STREAM team are also working on the Farms, measuring the changes in grazing practices as well as the impacts of the landscape rehydration works. This information all contributes to the process of developing a farm management plan that will guide the development and production systems on our farms over the coming years.

Pictured right: Dry ridges on the Farms

Day 1 – Foundations, stories and systems thinking

Day 1 featured a “speed dating” intro to landscape rehydration fundamentals – short, lively bursts of information and discussion that quickly built shared language and confidence. 

Two formative figures in the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative, Peter Hazell and Gerry Carroll, reflected on the twists and turns of the project and offered grounded insight into what long-term catchment work truly requires. 

In the afternoon, BOHO Interactive brought the room to life with newly developed systems-thinking games exploring environmental feedback loops and social dynamics. 

These sections highlighted an important element to community and catchment-scale work – “As someone working on the ground in civil and landscape projects, I appreciated the focus on whole-of-system thinking and long-term outcomes rather than short-term fixes.” – P.I. Participant.  

Pictured right: Speed dating rounds with Landscape Rehydration Fundamentals

Day 2 – Lorrina site tour and skills-building 

Day two took us out to Lorrina, near Braidwood, to see a rehydration project on Brushy Hill Creek that is now two years old. Despite nearly three months with no rain, the in-stream structures were clearly working to retain water and moisture in the wider landscape, providing a great demonstration to the group. 

We introduced aspects of Mulloon’s monitoring toolkit, exploring methods for assessing site condition and trajectory. In the afternoon, we practised survey techniques and evaluated opportunities for natural infrastructure.  

Day 3 – River rehabilitation inspiration 

We travelled on to two more project sites. At Tidbinbilla Station, landholder Michael Shanahan generously shared his journey rehabilitating his river system and his growing enthusiasm for the work. At the Canberra Deep Space Tracking Station, site manager Stuart Hayter guided us through rehydration structures (built last year) that, despite almost no rainfall since November, only fully dried out in late January. Seeing the works exposed in dry conditions invited deeper discussion on design and construction. 

Pictured right: Senior Landscape Planner Jack shares the insights and learnings into Mulloon’s detailed design process when considering in-stream structures.  

Day 4 – Tough Mudder teamwork and hands on construction 

A fun “tough mudder” style challenge in the morning tested participants’ understanding of rehydration principles while bringing out everyone’s inner child. The teamwork and laughter were contagious. 

We then returned to Lorrina to help construct one of the first small-scale rock structures for the newly approved Stage 2 Brushy Hill Creek project. As a bonus, we demonstrated simple brush pack techniques –  brush pack weirs and pin weirs, showing how small interventions can meaningfully slow flows in gullies. 

Together the days covered all things landscape rehydration, and more – “A great foundational overview of the Mulloon theory and processes involved in their projects. Excellent presentations, great progression of content and workshop flow over the 4 days, questions answered very well, and hands-on practical experience was a great way to finish off. “.  P.I. Participant. 

Pictured right: Day 4 hands-on construction. Never mind the excavator size, this group were key to building this fiddly 0.5m tall small-scale rock structure.  

Big round of applause

The all-important BBQs and pub dinners throughout the week allowed us all to unwind, share stories and find common ground in regional catchment work. A huge thank you to Tom and Marty at Birkenburn for hosting part of the group and providing a beautiful dinner midweek, and to Ruth and Scrumpers Kitchen for the fantastic food throughout the course. 

Finally, we want to acknowledge the extraordinary people who helped make the intensive run smoothly: Erin, Jack, Tam, Laura and Ryan – your efforts, energy and generosity shaped the whole experience. 

This Intensive was a powerful reminder of the value of bringing committed professionals together to learn, connect and build capacity for landscape rehydration in their own regions. 

As one participant put it: “What an amazing opportunity to not only learn more about landscape rehydration, but to meet and share ideas and learnings with a range of other professionals working in this space.“  

In particular, it was special to witness ideas bounce between earth workers, NSW Local Land Services staff, First Nations young leaders, council representatives and Landcare coordinators – this mingling of knowledge and experience is what we know is needed to enable landscape-scale change.  Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the week so memorable!

Pictured right: Mulloon’s science and monitoring officer, Ryan, taking the group through Soil Land Food’s HASH tool and assessment and monitoring methods.  

This program is supported by funding from WaterNSW and The Ian Potter Foundation.
The Landscape Function Toolkit (LiFT) project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.

Gathering at Kentucky Memorial Hall, Mulloon Institute’s Landscape Planners Annabel and Sharni introduced participants to MI’s mission to restore degraded catchments across Australia through science-based, farmer-led solutions. Drawing on case studies from around the country, participants learned how working with natural processes can rebuild soil function, increase water retention and strengthen long-term agricultural productivity.

The morning session explored Mulloon’s farm-scale approach to landscape rehydration. We unpacked the key drivers of landscape function and examined how erosion develops when those elements fall out of balance.

We then headed to Kentucky Creek to practise the essential skill of “Reading the Landscape.” By observing channel form, vegetation patterns, soil condition and water movement, participants worked together to interpret what the creek revealed about the surrounding landscape’s health and function.

Pictured right: Annabel and Sharni present Mulloon’s work around Australia.

After lunch, we visited a nearby property where landholders Sonia and Ted generously shared their experience managing gully erosion. The group explored practical considerations for regenerative works, alongside the broader benefits of rehydration such as improved pasture resilience, greater drought buffering, healthier catchment function and enhanced habitat for native species.

The day concluded with an introduction to MI’s Landscape Rehydration Toolbox: practical structures and strategies designed to slow, spread and sink water to support long-term landscape recovery.

This event supports the Regional Drought Resilience Plan, a collaboration between Armidale Regional Council and Uralla Shire Council, and was proudly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments through the Future Drought Fund, in partnership with local councils and Southern New England Landcare.

Pictured right: Participants gather at a local landholder’s property to discuss structures and strategies for treating gully erosion.

As Program Manager, I’ve had the privilege of watching people across the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment come together with generosity, curiosity and a shared commitment to improving the health and resilience of our landscapes. 

Last autumn, we focused on listening. We engaged broadly with landholders, community groups, councils and local organisations across the catchment, responding to a remarkable number of expressions of interest to host on-ground demonstration projects. Thanks to this community energy, seven diverse project sites were selected across Kangaroo Valley, Braidwood, Hartley Vale, Moss Vale, Bungendore and Goulburn. 

Pictured right: Summer 2026, Community gathers for the Braidwood Bootcamp at Bombay Demonstration Site. Click to read more. 

Throughout winter and spring, Mulloon Consulting worked closely with each landholder to plan, design and navigate approvals, while local Landcare groups helped us deliver introductory workshops in each region. These sessions were instrumental in building local momentum and giving people the chance to shape the direction of the program. We also published a new Water Stewardship resource – The Regenerative Power of Water Book which was developed in partnership with WaterNSW by the team’s amazing Dr Laura Fisher.  

Over summer, we broke ground on our first two construction sites at Bombay Creek and Brushy Hill Creek, both located in the southern tablelands within the Shoalhaven catchment. Seeing these projects come to life—and hosting our first “bootcamp style” workshop at the completed Bombay Creek demonstration site in Braidwood—has been a major milestone. This autumn, we’re aiming to complete construction at our Kangaroo Valley and Moss Vale sites, with more opportunities to bring local landholders together to see the results firsthand. 

Pictured right: Mulloon and WaterNSW celebrate the new Regenerative Power of Water Book put together by the amazing Dr Laura Fisher, standing at left.   

A standout highlight of the year was our Professionals Intensive Course, hosted at the Mulloon Home Farm. This four-day program was designed to build awareness and confidence in Mulloon’s approach to community and catchment scale projects, and it brought together 25 local NRM professionals from councils, Landcare, Local Land Services, bush regeneration, earthworks and landform rehabilitation.

The group dynamics and energy across the four days were genuinely fun and energising, and it was incredibly valuable to have so many key program stakeholders in one place – collectively learning, sharing knowledge and deepening our collective understanding of water management. The time spent together touring project sites, learning the key elements of landscape rehydration planning, design and construction, and trialling new educational games developed by BOHO Interactive, which was a real highlight for everyone involved. 

Pictured right: Summer 2026, Dan the Waterwatch Man at the Professionals Intensive course.  

As we move into our second year, our focus will be on developing strong case studies for each project, continuing community events, progressing construction across all demonstration sites. In the second half of this year, the pilot phase of the program will wrap up, and we are looking forward to engaging with some new landholders and project sites. None of this would be possible without the incredible landholders, community members, specialists and local representatives who have walked alongside us.

Thank you for making this first year one of meaningful progress – and for your ongoing stewardship of the landscapes and waterways we all depend on. 

Erin Healy, Program Manager

This program is supported by funding from WaterNSW and The Ian Potter Foundation.  

Pictured right: Winter 2025, Kangaroo Valley Field Day at Brogers Creek.

The new report commissioned by the Macdoch Foundation and compiled by Nous Group, Fragility to Resilience: Local Meat Processing in Australia at a Crossroads, draws on insights from more than 450 producers and supply chain stakeholders nationwide. It highlights an urgent structural challenge, particularly for farmers seeking to sell under their own brand with strong animal welfare, environmental and paddock-to-plate credentials.

Resilient landscapes depend on resilient regional infrastructure. When processing capacity declines, community prosperity, producer choice and regenerative outcomes are all at risk.

The report identifies four priority areas for coordinated action and outlines how stakeholders can advocate for meaningful change.

Mulloon Institute encourages our network to read the report and join the call for practical solutions that strengthen rural economies and support nature-positive farming systems.

READ MORE

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

However, water alone is not enough. Without complementary actions, such as riparian restoration, fish screens, and sustainable land management, the full value of recovered water will never be achieved. Local efforts in integrated waterway and catchment management have shown what is possible, but they remain fragmented and under-resourced.

In November 2025, a group of leaders spanning policymakers, practitioners, researchers, First Nations experts, and innovators gathered in Canberra to consider these issues. From this gathering emerged the Basin SCALE Declaration: a call for system-wide, catchment-aligned and locally empowered action.

In February 2026, Mulloon’s CEO Carolyn Hall joined Michael Pisasale (Murray Local Land Services), Michael Stewardson (One Basin CRC | University of Melbourne), Neville Crossman (One Basin CRC) and Samantha Capon (Griffith University) for a webinar to discuss the key points of the Basin SCALE Declaration.

You can read more about the fellow panellists HERE and catch up on the webinar HERE or click on the video below.

We thank Professor Mike Stewardson, One Basin CRC and Australian Water School for the opportunity to present at this important discussion.

Organisations from across southern Sydney, including Sydney Water, Wollondilly and Campbelltown Councils, First Nation representatives from Gundungurra, Dharawal and Dharug Country, Greater Sydney Local Land Services, and Greater Sydney Landcare visited the Mulloon farms last week. Carolyn Hall, CEO and Nolani McColl, Executive Landscape Planner, hosted the group, showing them landscape rehydration works in action.

This was the first tour for 2026 and brought together a group of stakeholders who have united around the opportunity initiated by Sydney Water to explore the use of nature-based solutions to address water quality, nutrient pollution, erosion and ecological challenges in waterways across Sydney, including tributaries of the Nepean River such as Stonequarry Creek at Picton.

Sydney Water is exploring how waterway restorations can cost-effectively reduce nutrient pollution, while improving waterway health and integrating Caring for Country principles. This is an unusual project for the Mulloon Institute team: working in peri-urban areas with residential development and changing land use patterns. This has been a rewarding opportunity to explore how landscape rehydration and natural infrastructure can be applied by a metropolitan water utility to deliver on goals to improve water quality and reduce nutrient inputs, while building natural capital in partnership with a diverse group of stakeholders.