Balurga Station

Balurga Station is a savanna fire management project located at Balurga Station, approximately 120km inland to the east of the coastal community of Pormpuraaw on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. It was registered in August 2015 and covers an expansive 116,848.58 hectares.

Savanna burning projects involve the strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season. This controlled burning reduces the accumulation of natural fuel loads, which significantly lowers the risk and severity of large, unmanaged wildfires during the late dry season, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Standard requirements for this methodology involve detailed mapping of vegetation fuel types and utilizing satellite imagery to consistently monitor and track fire scars, ensuring the abatement from avoided late-season fires is accurately verified and calculated.

The Cape York Peninsula region is primarily known for extensive cattle grazing operations, alongside conservation reserves and Aboriginal lands. The area is classified as a wet-dry tropical climate, experiencing high monsoonal rainfall in the summer wet season followed by a severe dry season. Soils in the region vary widely across the landscape but typically feature highly weathered lateritic soils, sandy loams, and alluvial clays near river systems.

Balurga Station operates as a remote cattle grazing property bounded to the north by the Coleman River. The station's remote location means it can be completely cut off from all road access for months during the wet season when the river heavily floods. Additionally, public registry data notes that the Clean Energy Regulator accepted an Enforceable Undertaking from the former project participant, Country Carbon Pty Limited, which took effect in May 2020. The project later underwent a formal participant name variation in December 2022, officially transferring from Country Carbon Pty. Ltd to Terra Carbon Pty Limited.