Field day under blue skies on the Monaro
Engaging field walks allowed time for discussion, questions and co-learning.
Mulloon Institute recently hosted a successful field day at Cathcart, NSW, attracting around 30 local landholders from the Cathcart and Bombala areas. The day began with a foggy morning, showcasing the small water cycle over Dragon Swamp Creek in full force. As the fog lifted, the weather transformed into a balmy, blue-sky day, perfect for the outdoor activities planned.
Key figures in the event included Charlie Maslin, who helped initiate the field day, John Moreing, who generously hosted the day’s field walks on his property, and Mark Shepard from Snowy River Interstate Landcare, whose efforts made the day possible. The event kicked off with a series of indoor presentations at the Cathcart Hall by Erin Healy, Peter Hazell, and Penny Cooper. These presentations covered essential topics such as reading and interpreting rural landscapes, understanding the fundamentals of water in landscapes, and assessing the health of a farm’s hydrology.
Erin and Peter provided an introduction to Mulloon and the fundamentals of Landscape Function and Rehydration.
Erin and Peter provided an introduction to Mulloon and the fundamentals of Landscape Function and Rehydration.
Following the indoor sessions, attendees participated in a casual hose demonstration, which provided practical insights into landscape rehydration techniques. The remainder of the day was dedicated to field walks along Dragon Swamp Creek at the Cathcart Commons and John’s property. These walks allowed participants to learn about the principles of the small water cycle, the importance of plants, and strategies for managing water across the entire farm landscape.
The field day also focused on building confidence in reading landscape patterns and processes, inspecting creek, gully, and runoff areas, and discussing long-term plans to mitigate the extremes of high rainfall years and drought cycles. The event was a great success, with the group fully engaged throughout the day. Mulloon Institute looks forward to more collaborative projects that may emerge from this enthusiastic and knowledgeable community.
Erin highlighting some key concepts of water movement at the hose-demo scale.
This event was made possible with funding and support from South Coast Rural Relief, NSW Environmental Trust and Snowy River Interstate Landcare.
