Headcut repair in Southern Tablelands, NSW

Inspecting the headcut.

Mulloon Consulting visited Don and Suzie Woods at Braidwood near NSW for a site visit from in August 2021, which inspired Don to have a go on his own at repairing a headcut that was moving up a flowline on his 107-ha property.

Headcuts are created by an erosion and scouring process which causes gullies to extend uphill. They can appear quickly once the surface of the soil is exposed, causing erosion to start.

The area at Don’s farm where the headcut was occurring had solodic soils in which the ‘A horizon’ had become slightly acid and the ‘B horizon’ was enriched with sodium-saturated clay, which was reacting with water and becoming unstable and prone to erosion as the water tumbled over the nick-point.

Don sourced rocks from his property and ‘in-filled’ the headcut with the rocks which has stabilised the area. Any water now flowing into the headcut hits the rocks, dissipating its energy. Over time, plants will grow, with their roots further stabilising the area.

Right: Headcut after repair.

Left: Headcut before repair.