Kendall River Station

Kendall River Station is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the remote Western Cape York Peninsula of Queensland. Situated approximately 160km south of Weipa and west of Coen, the project operates on a massive 267,954-hectare pastoral lease. The project was registered in December 2014 and has been generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by managing fire regimes across its landscape.

The project operates under the 2015 Savanna Fire Management methodology, which focuses on emissions abatement. This involves conducting strategic, cool burns during the early dry season (typically before August) to reduce the fuel load. By so doing, the project mitigates the risk and intensity of late dry season wildfires, which burn hotter and release significantly more greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. The project was previously supported by a carbon abatement contract (CAC244817) with the Commonwealth, which was completed in June 2021 after the delivery of 50,000 ACCUs.

Environmentally, the station lies within the high rainfall zone of the tropical savanna, characterized by distinct wet and dry monsoonal seasons. The landscape features extensive river systems, including the Kendall, Sinclair, Archer, and Holroyd rivers. The terrain is noted for its high-quality, deep, well-drained red soils and supports diverse vegetation typical of the Cape York region.

A significant recent development is the change in project proponent on January 23, 2026, from Kendall River Station Pty Ltd to the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. This shift indicates that the Queensland Government has acquired the property, likely to transition the pastoral lease into the protected area estate (such as a National Park or Conservation Park), consistent with other recent large-scale state acquisitions in the region for biodiversity conservation.