Todsure is a 299ha property south-west of Scottville, owned by an experienced earthworks contractor and member of the Scottville small landholder cluster group, Barry Collett.

Barry had previously partnered with NQ Dry Tropics to address erosion issues on the southern end of the property, and these efforts had proven effective, with some ongoing maintenance required. His involvement in past projects and field days had deepened his understanding of the soil conditions and helped him refine erosion control techniques, which he is now applying more broadly across the property.

This project focused on a degraded Stream Order 1 Waterway running through Top Paddock( 245 ha). It’ s the point where a watercourse originates, typically at the head of a catchment, before any streams or tributaries flow into it. A key feature of the site was a failed farm dam, originally constructed post-1985 and collapsed before 2009, which triggered a two-metre-deep gully in sodic soils on the eastern side. Due to the complexity of the site, including sodic soils, active gullies, and the dam breach, Barry opted for a staged remediation approach.

This phase of the project focused on slowing and dispersing water flow across the landscape to reduce active erosion and improve ground cover establishment. All works were carried out by the landholder.

It involved: of 0.5 – 1 m based on half-metre contour data and site features like cattle pads and rills. All constructed banks and machine-disturbed areas were seeded with a proven mix of Tropical Beef and Reclaimer Rhodes grass.

• Sediment trap dam: A sediment trap was built downslope to reduce water velocity and capture sediment, mitigating channelling. The design included a bywash on the western side to manage overflow.

• Gully and scarp reshaping: Three erosion sites on non-sodic soils were reshaped to gentle slopes and top-dressed with stockpiled topsoil to support revegetation. Two gully heads were regraded to a 1:6 slope and finished with bowl-shaped crests to help disperse incoming water.

• Use of natural materials: Logs removed during construction were placed along contours, at least 8m downslope of spreaders, while brush materials were used to create leaky weirs in gullies— 0.3 – 0.4m high and aligned with the flow direction— to slow water and trap sediment.

These practical measures combined landholder experience with effective design to reduce erosion, slow down water, restore ground cover, and improve long-term landscape function.

• Bank and spreader construction: Contour-guided banks were built to slow and spread water, reducing erosive force. These were spaced at vertical intervals

11