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First identify the cause of the problem
The Upper Wimmera Catchment has some of the worst erosion sites in all of Australia. The loss of vegetation from hill tops, the introduction of crops and annual pastures along with many decades of land misuse has caused large gullies to dominate much of this rural landscape. Before any work is done to directly address erosion, the cause of the problem must be identified and rectified. This often involves Whole Farm Planning, Land Class Fencing, perennial pasture establishment and revegetation. Once a farm is divided into its land classes, it can then be better managed to ensure pastures are protected and soils are stabilised. Better management will also ensure that rainfall run-off is slowed down before entering erosion gullies, reducing soil disturbance and damage to control works.
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Planning and consulting to find solutions
Many people are involved in the planning of erosion works. Rarely will a gully be only on one farm; therefore many different landholders are consulted to ensure a co-operative approach occurs. In many cases whole sub-catchment groups such as the Six Mile Catchment Community will work together to address large areas of land. Following the principles of Landcare, Project Platypus works very closely with landholders at all times, taking into account past successes and failures. We also work closely with other agencies such as the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and Department of Primary Industries, along with engineers and earth moving contractors to determine the best way to address the issues.
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A variety of erosion control techniques are employed
Each erosion site is different and each requires a different approach to addressing its issues. Erosion control measures may be as simple as fencing off a site to exclude stock, allowing natural revegetation of trees and grasses to stabilise soils. However many sites require more intensive intervention. Engineering solutions often involve diverting water away from the head of the gully, constructing rock chutes or gully plug dams, battering of banks, sowing of deep rooted perennial pastures or using pipes to divert water and allow it to enter the stream bed beyond the worst erosion at a slower flow rate. This work is generally expensive so a major role of Project Platypus is to attract funding to undertake these works. Addressing these issues is considered to have a large community benefit, with the results affecting waterways for many miles downstream and ultimately increasing the health of the Wimmera River.
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