North East Wiradjuri Co (NEW Co) members Emma, Kelsey and Rob recently welcomed Mulloon’s Chris Inskeep and Dr Laura Fisher for a great mapping workshop in Kandos, Central West NSW. They day was spent exploring the many layers of the Capertee Valley interactive map such as soils, geology, hydrology and vegetation communities and demonstrating a range of free and user friendly apps such as:
NEW Co are already working in the field with Garmin Montana units, and the day was partly about streamlining workflows, practicing how to import data to QGIS. The team took great advantage of Chris’ extensive knowledge!
It’s an exciting step in strengthening New Co’s capacity to scope, document and monitor the various heritage, cultural burning and water stewardship projects that are coming up in the area.
This event was part of the First Nations Water Skills Project, which is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.
Peter Hazell explains the design principles of rock weirs at the Bass Coast Boots on Ground Project Day.
Mulloon Institute and Bass Coast Landcare Network recently hosted a Boots on Ground Project Day in Woodleigh, Victoria where participants got their hands dirty constructing in-stream landscape rehydration interventions.
Presented by Mulloon Institute’s Principal Landscape Planner Peter Hazell and Landscape Planner Annabel Manning, the event gave participants a tangible learning experience in the field as they were taught the principles and mechanics of building in-stream rock structures, log-sill and rock weirs, and a brush weir.
The project day is the touchstone event of our Communities of Practice Mentoring Program (CoPP) where landholders receive one-on-one mentoring from Mulloon Institute staff to design landscape interventions to optimise water cycling and landscape function on their property.
The day began with an introduction to the six CoPP Victoria Mentoring participants where they discussed their projects, property visions, challenges and triumphs. Mentees Camilla and Joby Graves, who generously hosted the event at their property, gave insights into their land management priorities and project goals.
The group then headed to the project site to get to work placing rock and logs, weaving brush and shaping earth mounds to build seven in-stream structures. With 40 pairs of hands working together, the group made quick work of construction which left plenty of time for lengthy discussions on landscape resilience, catchment hydrology, and waterway management.
The day would not have been made possible without the help of Bass Coast Landcare’s Joel Geoghegan, who did a fantastic job of bringing the local community together for a productive, sweaty and inspiring day in the field.
This project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. Mulloon Institute’s Learning Programs have been developed with the assistance of the NSW Government’s Environmental Trust.
Hot off the back of our NSW Banksia Awards WIN at the end of 2024, we’re thrilled to announce the multi-award winning Mulloon Rehydration Initiative (MRI) has been listed again as a FINALIST in the 2025 National Banksia Awards for the Biodiversity Award!
Winners will be announced at the Awards Presentation on April 3rd, 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Mulloon Institute’s approach to catchment restoration is a community project that engages local landholders to restore biodiversity and build climate resilience. The award-winning Mulloon Rehydration Initiative (MRI) in southern NSW partners with 23 landholders to restore the Mulloon catchment across 23,000 hectares and 50 km of creeks. The community collaborates to reverse erosion, rejuvenating Mulloon Creek with natural infrastructure solutions to support a restored, thriving ecosystem. These include strategic instream interventions and regenerative land management to enhance water, carbon and nutrient cycles. The restored water cycle supports biodiversity, including threatened species like the Scarlet Robin and Yellow-spotted Bell Frog. Initially a 3km pilot, the MRI now enjoys strong community support and is recognised globally by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The project contributes to UNSD Goals 6, 13, 14, 15, and 17 and serves as a model for other national initiatives, empowering farmers and First Nations people.
Our tough field of competition is:
City of Joondalup, WA
First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation – IndigiGrow, NSW
Murdoch University – Miyawaki Forest Program: Transforming Urban Spaces through Biodiversity, WA
Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust – Project Cultivate: Melbourne General Cemetery, VIC
Trust for Nature, VIC
Some playful innovation is happening at Mulloon these days. Expert game-designers Boho Interactive recently led a first-class workshop to demonstrate how gamification can support our work bridging landscape repair, community and Country. Rather than evade complexity, better to immerse ourselves in it with curiosity and enthusiasm!
Mulloon staff were joined by Stuart Naylor from WaterNSW, and Fehin Coffey and Gabi Meeks from Country-centred design team Always Collective. We looked under the hood of game design to learn the pivotal role of narrative, tipping points, feedback loops and well-chosen game mechanics. Oh, and comedy. We rapidly prototyped a series of ‘s**tty games’ (so named by Boho to prompt fearless creativity) that brought to the surface a whole bundle of healthy dilemmas. We love how Boho’s irreverent style loosens everyone up, delivers many surprises and helps us see worlds within worlds within worlds.
Thank you Ang Collins, David Shaw, Nathan Harrison and Julia Johnson!
This workshop received support from DAFF (LiFT & First Nations Water Stewardship grants) and WaterNSW.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Mulloon Institute Chair Matt Egerton-Warburton, CEO/Managing Director Carolyn Hall and WaterNSW’s Stuart Naylor at the Mulloon Rehydration Conference in 2024.
A groundbreaking water stewardship program is taking shape in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment (SDWC), thanks to an innovative partnership between WaterNSW, Mulloon Institute, and The Ian Potter Foundation. With climate change and landscape degradation posing serious threats to water quality, this initiative is a critical step toward restoring the resilience of our waterways and supporting the landholders who help protect them.
The Sydney Drinking Water Catchment (SDWC) spans an enormous 16,000 square kilometres, with 38% of this land used for agriculture. Around 60% of New South Wales’ population relies on water from these catchments. Yet, as climate pressures mount and landscapes become increasingly vulnerable, ensuring a reliable supply of clean water is becoming more challenging than ever.
“We want to see landholders and communities continue to regenerate waterways and landscapes and increase regenerative agriculture,” says Ronan Magaharan, Executive Manager Operations at WaterNSW. “We cannot regenerate degraded landscapes and improve water quality without a much deeper consideration of water stewardship. Collaboration is central for WaterNSW and our role to safeguard the health of the Greater Sydney drinking water catchment. Mulloon Institute are leaders in this work and are an ideal partner to help drive this change.”
Orroral Valley South, an example of an intact healthy valley floor.
The newly launched Water Stewardship Program is designed to support landholders and communities in restoring local water cycles, improving ecosystem health, and enhancing climate resilience. Through funding and hands-on support, the program will help farmers and other land managers implement solutions such as revegetation, natural water retention systems, and other nature-based approaches to land and water care.
Carolyn Hall, Managing Director and CEO of Mulloon Institute, highlights the power of collaboration: “Mulloon Institute works with many motivated people eager to heal landscapes. They include farmers, Landcare networks, First Nations custodians, Fire Fighters, local councils, water utilities, universities, and school groups. Everyone wants to play their part. Unfortunately, there are many barriers to collaboration, and far too much work is falling to under-resourced volunteers. We urgently need a well-designed funding pathway for community-led projects and are thrilled that we can now make this happen. This will enable us to share our extensive experience in landscape rehydration with a broader range of landholders and communities.”
Reeds growing on a flow structure, dissipating water energy and flow
With a focus on education, hands-on training, and demonstration projects, the Water Stewardship Program aims to build a culture of water responsibility that extends across the region. By empowering communities and landholders with the knowledge and resources they need, this initiative is a crucial step toward securing the long-term health of our catchments.
Recognising the need for a strong foundation, Mulloon Institute successfully sought funding from The Ian Potter Foundation to pilot the program. This investment will enable WaterNSW and Mulloon Institute to develop and refine scalable solutions that can be implemented across the Sydney Catchment Area and beyond.
This is just the beginning of a new era in water stewardship—one where collaboration, innovation, and nature-based solutions come together to protect the future of our most precious resource.
Tam Connor, Lance Mudgway, Nat and Brett Ridley presenting their property using the table-top model
What do you get when you put two farmers, a hydrologist and science communicator in front of an audience of knowledgeable drought resilience practitioners? You get an ‘out of the box’ interactive presentation and great conversations!
Last week Mulloon’s Tam Connor and Lance Mudgway along with Mentoring recipients Brett and Nat Ridley shared our journey of the Communities of Practice Project in WA at the South-West WA Drought Hub Showcase led by Grower Group Alliance.
The event and field day showcased 19 projects that received FDF Drought Resilience funding with an incredible array of innovations and initiatives that support WA farmers in adapting to a drying climate.
Tam shared the joys of witnessing communities coming together and the strength of the mentoring program and the professionals’ course in building capabilities and skills in adoption. Key achievements of this project so far include 350+ people participating in over 12 Field Days & Bootcamps, 36 mentoring properties with several on-ground projects completed, and two Boots on Ground events in 2024 with another three planned in early 2025. Community and catchment-scale projects are the goal, and this project brings us one step closer to achieving.
Lance described the underlying principles of how landscapes function, symptoms of broken small water cycles, and the range of strategies that can be used in the saline landscapes of WA with water management and plants key catalysts for success.
Demonstrating a fun learning activity used in Bootcamps, Lance, Nat and Brett built a table-top model of their property using craft materials, pillows and sheets. They shared the property issues they intend on resolving and the types of strategies they’re considering using as part of their Mentoring Program project.
We left the audience (and Brett!) with the new award winning Landscape Kit to play with in the foyer.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our project with the WA community. We can’t wait to share the next stage of the project with the Boots on Ground events in VIC, WA and NT in 2025!
This program is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund
Brett Ridley enjoying the Landscape Kit!
In this Talkin’ After Hours podcast, Mulloon’s WA-based Landscape Planner and Hydrologist, Lance Mudgway chatted with the Lower Blackwood LCDC on the importance of effective water management in WA’s agricultural landscapes, particularly in the context of climate change and land degradation.
The conversation explores the need for a shift towards more natural systems that enhance resilience and productivity and uses the Scott River region in the south west of Western Australia as a case study, highlighting the challenges and potential solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to hydrology and landscape management
12:04 The role of Mulloon Institute
23:58 Surface water management in WA
35:48 Case study: Scott River region
42:55 Conclusion and future directions
The 2024 NSW Sustainability Success Stories is a celebration of innovation and excellence in sustainability, showcasing the winners and finalists of the 2024 NSW Sustainability Awards.
Mulloon Institute recently won the NSW Sustainability Award for Biodiversity, and as we cross our fingers and toes for our new entry to the 36th Banksia National Sustainability Awards – Biodiversity Award, we share the online book put out by Banksia to celebrate the winners of the 2024 NSW Awards.
A great read about our fellow movers and shakers being recognised for sustainability practices across a large variety of industries.
Our offices will be closed from Friday 20 December and will reopen on Monday 6 January 2020.
Social media will switch to ‘Summer Reading Enjoyment’ mode for the month of January.
Have a happy and safe Christmas Holiday period, from all of us at Mulloon Institute and Mulloon Consulting!
The following article is taken directly from the RegenWA resources page. The beautifully shot and informative video above is by Simple Ben Stories.
On October 8 2024, around 30 growers and industry stakeholders descended upon ‘Paraway’; a holistically managed organic beef property in the Blackwood Valley owned by Lori and Warren Pensini.
Warren and Lori hand select their cattle, raising and finishing them in a grass-fed, low stress natural herd environment, free from artificial growth hormones and antibiotics. Their approach to farming centres around soil health and catchment restoration; which is where their landscape rehydration work has been so critical in both regenerating their landscape and, in turn, the successful production of premium beef supplied to Dirty Clean Food.
Having been implementing a whole-farm landscape rehydration plan with the support of the Mulloon Institute for some time, Warren and Lori are no strangers to sharing their wealth of knowledge with others. This extremely valuable experience ensured they were nothing short of perfect hosts for ‘Landscape Rehydration for Improved Productivity’.
The field day included expertise from hydrologist Lance Mudgway (Mulloon Institute), agronomist Col Bowey (CB Farming Systems), and featured interactive field walks, a real-time contour bank demonstration, detailed, practical explorations of soil pits, and exceptional catering provided by Galloway Springs.
Key takeaways from the day included…
Achieving perfect adherence to all regenerative agriculture principles isn’t always feasible; adding achievable practices suited to your own context is much more important and manageable.
Pensinis, for example, see merit in selective spray use to assist with the establishment of perennial pastures, using a tine seeder in areas that a disc seeder has proven to be unsuitable for, and using once-off deep ripping as a tool for initial establishment of deep roots.
Get to know your landscape!
Identify production zones and options for rotational grazing paddock configurations based on the context of your catchment and hydrological systems.
Implement a top-down approach!
Try planting trees high in the landscape, and look into use them as a potential income-diversification source.
Utilise contours to redistribute water from salinity and waterlogging-prone areas to drier parts of the landscape.
Re-naturalise creek lines and gullies using structures like pin weirs to slow erosion and salinisation.
Plants come first!
Transforming anaerobic soils to aerobic soils, and overcoming constraints caused by heavy metal accumulation requires a plant-first approach.
Getting roots in the ground will ensure subsequent management changes are more effective.
Plants are ley to effective water use, distribution, and rehydration across a whole landscape.
This event is hosted by Mulloon Institute, through funding from the Western Australian Government State NRM Program. Support has been provided by the Blackwood Basin Group and RegenWA. RegenWA is powered by the Perth NRM Restoration Impact Framework project with funding from Lotterywest, State NRM, and Commonland.