Bramwell Station

Bramwell Station is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the remote Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, approximately 3 hours' drive northeast of Weipa and 630km northwest of Cairns. Registered in September 2014, the project covers a massive 131,814 hectares of tropical savanna. While historically operated as the most northerly cattle station in Australia, famous for its roadhouse at the start of the "Old Telegraph Track" 4WD route, the property was purchased by the Queensland Government in 2022 for conservation purposes.

The project operates under the 2015 Savanna Fire Management methodology, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by shifting fire regimes from the late dry season to the early dry season. In the high rainfall zone (typically defined in this context as receiving over 1000mm annually), naturally occurring wildfires late in the year are often high-intensity and emit significant volumes of methane and nitrous oxide. By conducting strategic, cool burns early in the dry season (before August), the project reduces fuel loads, creating fire breaks that prevent larger, hotter fires later in the year.

Environmentally, the region is characterized by a tropical monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The landscape features open woodlands, heathlands, and pockets of rainforest, situated on soils that range from sandy loams to the iconic red lateritic earths of Cape York, famously dotted with giant termite mounds. The "High Rainfall Zone" classification is critical for the methodology, as it dictates the specific vegetation fuel maps and abatement calculations (using the SavBAT tool) required to quantify carbon credits.

A notable development for this project occurred in 2022 when the Queensland Government acquired Bramwell Station and the neighbouring Richardson Station for $11.5 million. The acquisition was part of the Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program, with the intent to eventually return ownership to the Traditional Owners, the Wuthathi and Atambaya peoples, while converting parts of the land into protected national parks. Consequently, the project proponent transitioned from private pastoralists (Wendy Kozicka and Country Carbon) to the state Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation in 2024.