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SPECIAL FEATURE: OUTBACK WA
wetland Wooleen Lake.
The Pollock family have
owned Wooleen Station since
1989. After traditionally working
the land for many years, in
2007 they wanted to take
drastic action to try to restore
the heavily over-grazed and
desiccated landscape. While
they were willing to financially
cripple themselves by removing
all livestock to kick-start
regeneration they actually had to
get approval from the Pastoral
Lands Board (PLB) as the law
says you must keep stock on a
pastoral lease unless you get
permission to do otherwise.
It took the PLB twelve
excessively long months to
make a decision. Since then the
Pollocks have battled to restore
a natural balance to the land.
For four years they ran without
livestock. They shut down all
pumping windmills to introduce
the natural balance of water
availability for native inhabitants
such as kangaroos. They built
ponding banks and planted
grasses to replicate natural
systems lost over time.
Today, Wooleen is the
success story many people
Introducing the next
generation to their country.
want to applaud. They’ve been
featured twice on Australian
Story, and their results were
presented to the Federal
Department of Sustainability,
Environment, Water, Population
and Communities. To which they
received a rather basic reply;
You’ve proven it could be done, so
go ahead and keep doing it.
The Pollocks have every
right to feel proud of their
achievements; for the first time
in living memory, the Roderick
river has been seen flowing
clear, clean water void of red
sediment. Wooleen proves
drastic action can bring about
change in a resilient landscape
that eventually fights back. But
it doesn’t mean a short period of
recovery will permit a return to
heavy pastoral land usage. While
running livestock can be a part
of a diversified and sustainable
approach it cannot, as the current
laws require, form the majority of
income for all landowners.
The Pollocks have diversified,
and their increasingly beautiful
property is open to visitors, but
their permit will only allow ‘lowkey’
tourism activities to be
conducted. They must continue
Which way - at Murchison
settlement.