THE DIRT Issue 2 | Page 9

Jim and Eileen Hillier are also members of the: TropWATER’s Steve Lewis and Eileen Hillier. series of diversion banks, and this keeps soil and water on my property.” of 3P (palatable, perennial, productive) pasture species. The results speak for themselves. There were several large eroded gullies on the property. Jim began remediating these gullies by deep ripping along the contour, installing several dams and mechanically reshaping manageable gullies. As 2019 dawned, Jim and wife Eileen were looking out over a drought- affected landscape, wondering if they were going to see water in the dams anytime soon. Later that month, the heavens opened and dumped more than 300ml of rain across the property. That water stayed on Glenmore, and Jim couldn’t stop grinning. Glenmore is a 207ha property on the banks of the Bowen River, near Collinsville. When Jim began managing in 2003, the property had low ground cover, poor infiltration rates and low numbers These remediation efforts did reduce sediment loss, but during large rain events, sheet erosion was removing valuable topsoil. Through the Landholders Driving Change project, Jim was able to install sediment banks allowing for increased infiltration and sediment eduction. He designed the works himself with minimal external input, showcasing his experience and technical expertise gathered from decades of experience and a deep trust of his dumpy level. • Bowen River cluster group. Its focus is to trial holistic approaches to the management of priority weeds. • Community Water Quality Monitoring Group. • Jim is a local contractor, and has completed earthworks on a number of local properties for the LDC project. Jim is a strong advocate for sharing ideas and he opened his farm gates to neighbours allowing them to inspect the process, and gain an understanding of what he was trying to achieve – trap overland flo , stop sediment, improve land condition and create a drought reserve. “The only way we’re all going to improve our land condition is to learn from one another, and from experts who we trust,” Jim said. “I have learnt a lot from many people I have worked with over the years, people who have worked with machinery, and those who have lived and worked on the land all their lives, they all have a great deal of knowledge and skills.” After works – Glenmore station. 9