Project Moonie

Project Moonie began in 2012 near the town of Moonie, west of Brisbane and is conducted on a bimonthly basis. It comprises of 12 adjoining properties and a national park covering more than 100,000 acres. More properties seem to come on board regularly as the good work and reputation of SSAA’s CWM group grows in the area.

The private properties graze cattle and grow various grain crops throughout the year. The central feature of this project is an area of remnant brigalow-belah forest, of which few examples of this vegetation type remain on the Western Downs. The scrubby forest is a refuge for wildlife and hosts more than 92 species of birds. A geological feature of the area are the depressions in the ground known as gilgais (locals call them melon holes), which are scattered throughout these properties. Thick clusters of lime bushes in the area of the melon holes often make for surprise encounters, as feral pigs burst from cover after holding their ground for what seems like a painfully long time (both actually and figuratively speaking) as the likely sites are methodically searched and investigated in thorny conditions.