Wooleen Station, Outback WA needs support

Across the country historically the conditions set on many leases were a recipe for disaster of one kind of another. Much environmental damage was caused by requirements either directly or indirectly for total or near total clearing of "scrub", removing all fallen timber (= loss of habitat for many small animals), while prescriptive stocking rates and so on worked against financial viability. While those practices might have been understandable during the first wave of European landuse, it is simply unbelievable that it is still happening. Have we learned and remembered nothing in 2 centuries or a we just chronic slow learners - or simply stupid?

I do hope that that courageous young couple can make a go of it, and that the WA Govt can come up with lease arrangements that reflect what we have learned about rangelands management.

Cheers,

Val.

Cheers,

Val.

It's protein production, a subset of food production. It's a costly way of feeding people on several levels.

Hi Michelle,
I think what we are seeing in these leasing arrangements is just a remnant of earlier times when seasons may have been going through wetter times and before years of overgrazing not just by sheep or cattle but by feral animals too. A real trap for the early farmers and graziers was to see land in good seasons and extrapolate from that year to thinking the seasons will always be good. The SA Goyder line is a classic story in that regard.

Also the rangelands are overall suited to grazing rather than agriculture ie growing crops. So the parcels of land are very large compared to land in better watered places. Too large for fertiliser and herbicide applications to be viable either practically or financially. I agree with what is being tried at Wooleen - reducing grazing pressure to give the native ecosystems a chance to get back into some kind of balance. Tourism is the obvious income generator while that is happening, as many outback properties have already discovered.
I would love to see the day when beauraucracies could come up with such a rational way of looking at things as you propose. I wont be holding my breath though.
Cheers,
Val.

Hoofed belching protein at that Sigmund.

Should have added that there's plenty of far more valuable crop land being "resumed" by miners and others on the east coast. Money talks.

And there is absolutely no reason why grazing and tourism can't operate together on the same place. They compliment each other beautifully.

Hi Sigmund,

I had the same problem and I have just received an email from Wooleen. They have identified a problem and suggested copying and pasting the following URL address.

http://wooleen.com.au/home/acres/

Hope this works. Haven't tried this one as I've just got the email.

Cheers Kerry