Centenary Land Management and Conservation Award State Award winners Anne and Charlie Phillott ‘Carisbrooke’ Winton In 1990 the United Graziers’ Association of Queensland conducted a Land Management and Conservation Award in conjunction with its Centenary. Six regional winner awards were made in the first round of judging. After further judging, Anne and Charlie Phillott were awarded the state wide winner prize and have been nominated as Queensland’s primary producer entrant in Land Care Australia Ltd’s National Landcare Awards. The award was judged on the criteria of *Land use for sustainable production, *Management techniques for land and livestock, *Property planning for management and long term development, and *Wildlife habitat management and retention.
‘Carisbrooke’ The property Originally part of the large Bladensberg Station, the property was excised in 1936, and Phillotts came to the property in 1960. ‘Carisbrooke’ is approximately 20 000 ha (50 000 ac) in size. Approximately 8 000 ha (20 000 ac) is highly productive Mitchell grass downs and gidgee ridges, 4 000 ha (10 000 ac) is productive channel country, 3 000 ha (8 000 ac) is tableland or ‘jump up’ spinifex country and the remainder is gidgee ridges and water courses below the tableland. Property vegetation and soils vary. Charlie concentrates his grazing enterprise on the better pastures of the open largely treeless Mitchell grass downs. While the downs are mostly native Mitchell grass pastures with associated herbage, buffel grass has been successfully introduced into some watercourses. Ridges feature scattered gidgee while a variety of eucalypts including coolibah grow along the watercourses. The channel country is now largely buffel grass pasture which colonised the water courses initially and then spread. In common with the downs, gidgee dominates the ridges and the eucalypts including coolibah are found in the waterways. A variety of vegetation, including spinifex grass in association with mulga, lancewood, a number of wattles, eucalypts and beefwood, is found on the decomposed sandstone tableland. The tableland areas are left largely undisturbed and therefore act as a drought reserve and wildlife habitat. This aspect is used to advantage in a limited on-farm tourist enterprise that capitalises on the scenery of the area. The property has an annual average rainfall of 300 mm (12 inches) traditionally falling mostly in summer. Recently the pattern has become variable with greater winter rainfall. Grazing production ‘Carisbrooke’ produces predominantly wool although some cattle are run. An average of 6 000 sheep are carried on ‘Carisbrooke’. They are all merinos of Boonoke blood producing medium quality wool. Ewes are normally joined to lamb in February - March, sheep are shorn in early August and lambs are weaned at shearing. As a result of the keyline water control scheme used on the property, available water and plentiful feed assist early lambing. Lambs are then better able to withstand any dry conditions that might occur in August September. A Santa Gertrudis breeding herd of 400-500 head was run but due to the drought years 1981-1985 the herd was sold. Since then cattle have been periodically agisted on the property as pasture permits. While pasture species have been introduced on the property, production relies primarily on the native grass species. Converted in 2014 to a document by Geoffrey Booth for Keyline Archive. www.youtube.com/channel/UCUPgPJZAlkxt207sxcdp4DQ/about Content, layout & fonts are almost verbatim from the pamphlet of the United Graziers’ Association of Queensland 1990. P A Yeomans-Keyline at Carisbrooke (25 min) 1990 www.youtube.com/watch?v=W72y_us2Sbg
Property development and planning History During the early dry years on the property. Charlie and Anne realised that the only natural asset unable to be fully utilised was run-off water. They noted that there was considerable available water at times of concentrated rainfall. In 1965, Charlie was given a copy of the book ‘The Challenge of Landscape’ written by P A Yeomans (The book is now out of print). The keyline principle described in Yeomans book provided an opportunity to make use of the run-off water. So impressed were they with the concept that they sought professional advice of ‘P A’ and commenced developing ‘Carisbrooke’ according to the keyline principle. While modified to suit circumstances and local conditions, the principles have been followed for the last 25 years. Charlie believes that the scheme has fulfilled its aim, which is "to convert water (both run-off and stored water) to native pasture as quickly as possible". Keyline continues to provide a plan for the future development of ‘Carisbrooke’. The effect of using the keyline system has been to introduce some stability into the property’s grazing production. Available water and as a consequence more available feed have provided a drought reserve not normally found in that district. Therefore stock can be of higher quality ‘finish’, which attract higher prices. According to Charlie they also "go a lot longer in a drought". The keyline principle The principles of keyline are: -the rapid application of water to irrigation land but recognising salinity, waterlogging and associated problems, -specific cultivation methods that combine soil aeration with water control, and -earthmoving principles that are both economical and effective. Those principles are employed in accordance with the ‘keyline scale of permanence’, which considers 8 factors of property management in their order of relative permanence and effect on property operations. 1. Climate
2. Land Shape
3. Water Supply
4. Farm Roads
5. Trees
6. Farm Buildings
7. Fences
8. Soil
All these principles and factors were considered by Charlie in his property development. Both the Yeomans keyline ‘hillside’ and keyline ‘flood flow’ systems provide overall and balanced property development recognising economics, livestock production and pasture development. The overriding principle is to make the greatest use of water as it flows from the property. The object is to control the water and convert it into pasture both by increasing water infiltration into the soil and storing it for later re-use at critical times to aid pasture growth. According to Charlie, “we want to encourage adoption of this system because of the long term benefits. However, there are immediate benefits available. If landholders commence the system, there can be an immediate response because it can be implemented in small stages”. Keyline on ‘Carisbrooke’ When Yeomans visited ‘Carisbrooke’ the first project was a complete property survey which was carried out in early 1966. A series of level channels and a dam (Boards dam) were constructed commencing in October 1966. They were located at specific sites identified from the levels taken during the survey. The diversion channels were located and constructed to catch run-off water and divert it to the holding dam. Boards dam was sited off the watercourse and fed by a diversion channel.
Converted in 2014 to a document by Geoffrey Booth for Keyline Archive. www.youtube.com/channel/UCUPgPJZAlkxt207sxcdp4DQ/about Content, layout & fonts are almost verbatim from the pamphlet of the United Graziers’ Association of Queensland 1990. P A Yeomans-Keyline at Carisbrooke (25 min) 1990 www.youtube.com/watch?v=W72y_us2Sbg
One advantage of siting the dam off the watercourse is that the soil there is often more suited to dam construction and irrigation. Diversion channels are constructed by pushing soil up into a series of level banks. There are a number of benefits to using level channels. One is to ensure that any flood water flows over those banks rather than the dam wall. Because the diversion channel is level, water being transported to the dam travels slowly and deposits silt. In addition, water backs up above the diversion bank and floods the ground for a period of time and for a distance of up to 100 m. As a result there is significant water infiltration at those times causing maximum retention of sub-soil moisture. In many of these areas buffel grass has been planted on what were largely unproductive claypans. A highly productive Mitchell grass and buffel grass pasture now exists. Because the bank wall is kept moist, a significant growth of grass and trees occurs there, too. Below Boards dam a 65 ha irrigation area was established. An irrigation channel from the outlet pipe of the dam distributes water into a series of irrigation bays. As the water fills the irrigation channel Yeomans flood gates are manually opened and the water flows into each of the bays as required. Water then covers the whole area of each bay ensuring the pasture is adequately watered at times of greatest need. The irrigation area was successfully watered for the first time in March 1967. From that time, the keyline ‘flood flow’ system has been continued and adapted to local conditions by trial and error. In the years of 1971 and 1972 further construction was carried out. A larger dam (Isles Dam) and associated channels were built. Since then the capacity of the dam has been increased and the diversion system is being modified and refined. Charlie has plans to commence a further irrigation scheme to use the available water in Isles Dam. The short term aim is for approximately 200 ha to be irrigated at critical times to promote pasture growth. Then the system can be continued as required. One major requirement to maximise production when using the keyline system is the ability to aerate the soil thereby allowing water infiltration and breaking the soil ‘hard pan’. Purchase by Charlie of a Yeomans ‘Slipper Imp’ plough to replace the traditional chisel plough was a major breakthrough allowing him to use the available water to the greatest effect. The tyne design of the plough is particularly effective in breaking open the soil but not turning it over. By using a specific keyline pattern of ploughing the ‘Slipper Imp’ encourages water infiltration. Sub-soil moisture retention encourages pasture root systems to develop with the result that pasture growth is enhanced and has greater ability to withstand the moisture stress of dry periods.
After maximising pasture production, management of the pasture has become important to ensure that grasses are not over-grazed and the desirable species continue to dominate. Regular grazing and then ‘spelling’ allows pasture regrowth to take maximum advantage of available water and the soil renovation. Converted in 2014 to a document by Geoffrey Booth for Keyline Archive. www.youtube.com/channel/UCUPgPJZAlkxt207sxcdp4DQ/about Content, layout & fonts are almost verbatim from the pamphlet of the United Graziers’ Association of Queensland 1990. P A Yeomans-Keyline at Carisbrooke (25 min) 1990 www.youtube.com/watch?v=W72y_us2Sbg
While the soil aeration process is at present largely confined to the irrigation area to maximise its production, there are opportunities for broad scale use to enhance pasture growth.
Property management Charlie believes that an important aspect of keyline is that every small stage of development can produce an immediate positive response. The cost of developing the system on ‘Carisbrooke’ has been borne from within the normal day-to-day operating costs of the property. Therefore, the speed of the developments to-date have been dictated largely by seasonal returns and Charlie’s time to operate dozers and other equipment. In Charlie’s opinion time is also required to allow nature to create the correct balance between trees and pasture as a result of the more available water supply. Keyline has provided a drought strategy for ‘Carisbrooke’. Stocking rates are lower than the district average. Accessible water and more available and higher quality feed allow for early weaning of lambs and calves. Lambs are able to be weaned early at 10-12 weeks and put on to better pasture in the irrigation area. Ewes are then able to retain condition for longer in dry times. Various pasture species have been trialled in the irrigation area on ‘Carisbrooke’. They include dolichos lab lab, Nunbank and Boorara buffel, Hunter River lucerne and most tropical legumes. Due to feed requirements at the time, most have not become permanent components of the pasture. The present pasture mix in the irrigation area is lucerne, buffel grass and Mitchell grass. While there are plans to extend the keyline system (and it is able to be continued indefinitely to take in a greater proportion of the property), the rest of the property is presently managed largely according to standard practice. The irrigation area and dams provide higher quality feed allowing more flexible management of the remainder of ‘Carisbrooke’. The original property survey allowed fencing to be sited on the crests of ridges where possible and so follow natural features and ‘lines of water control’ which are determined by the placement of the dams and diversion channels. Paddocks are 1 800-2 300 ha (4-5 000 ac) in size. Although weeds were a problem in the early years on the property, they have been largely eliminated. Constant control by poisoning and chipping is required, particularly of prickly acacia.
Wildlife habitat management and retention A considerable diversity of plant and animal species remain on ‘Carisbrooke’. This is due to the minimal use of the tableland for grazing and the retention of natural vegetation along ridges and water courses. No specific management is undertaken other than to allow nature to take its course. Over 70 bird species and over 30 native plants have been identified on ‘Carisbrooke’.
Summary In the opinion of the judges, the property of Anne and Charlie Phillott demonstrated the best practical combination of all the criteria considered in the UGA Centenary Land Management and Conservation Competition. Use of an innovative system such as ‘keyline’ capitalised on available water and soils, topography and pasture while encouraging the natural balance of wildlife. Conservative stocking rates, a balanced livestock management program and long term plans to continue the keyline system to improve productivity without degrading soils and pastures were considered to be outstanding. The judges considered that ‘Carisbrooke’ demonstrated a positive and innovative example of conservation land management, particularly in this arid area of Queensland. September 1990
Converted in 2014 to a document by Geoffrey Booth for Keyline Archive. www.youtube.com/channel/UCUPgPJZAlkxt207sxcdp4DQ/about Content, layout & fonts are almost verbatim from the pamphlet of the United Graziers’ Association of Queensland 1990. P A Yeomans-Keyline at Carisbrooke (25 min) 1990 www.youtube.com/watch?v=W72y_us2Sbg