Aqua Downs Station Regeneration Project

Aqua Downs Station Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Shire of Murweh, approximately 110km southeast of Charleville and 100km west of Bollon in southern Queensland. Registered on August 21, 2015, the project covers a substantial area of 24,116 hectares. The region is deeply agricultural, historically utilized for grazing sheep and cattle, which aligns with the land use history required for this project type.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves regenerating permanent native forests on land where vegetation was historically suppressed, typically by overgrazing or mechanical clearing, for at least 10 years prior to registration. By ceasing these suppression activities and managing grazing pressure (often through fencing or rotational grazing), the project allows native species to regenerate from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers.

Environmentally, the property sits within the Mulga Lands bioregion, a semi-arid zone characterized by variable rainfall (averaging 400-500mm annually) and red earth or sandy loam soils. The vegetation is likely dominated by Mulga (Acacia aneura) and associated woodlands. Notably, the project has undergone significant administrative updates, including a 2016 variation that removed specific land areas and a 2021 participant change from William and Cecily Douglas to Rowan and Jessica Douglas, suggesting a generational succession in the property's management.