Mullagalah II Regeneration Project

Mullagalah II Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 50km southeast of Bourke, near the township of Byrock, in western New South Wales. It was registered in March 2017 and covers a total area of 5,253.08 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve regenerating permanent native forests by changing land management practices. The projects rely on assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers, on land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been suppressed for at least 10 years. To meet the standard requirements of the methodology, which typically defines forest cover as achieving a minimum of 20% canopy cover and a height of at least 2 metres, the project conducts specific activities such as carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, alongside the humane management of feral animals.

The Bourke and Cobar region is well known for its pastoral operations, primarily extensive sheep and cattle grazing. The region features a semi-arid outback climate characterised by hot summers and low average annual rainfall, generally ranging between 200mm and 400mm. Soils in this landscape are predominantly red earths, desert loams, and alluvial clays typical of the Cobar Peneplain and broader Mulga Lands.

An interesting note about the property is its geological significance; the area shares its name with the Mullagalah breccia pipe, an unusual local geological formation containing baryte-bearing hybrid basalts formed at extreme mantle depths. Additionally, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) from the project have been sold on the secondary market and surrendered for voluntary offsetting purposes, such as under the Climate Active program. For the project's commercial history, it successfully secured a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC787990) with the Clean Energy Regulator in October 2020 for the fixed delivery of 92,045 ACCUs to the Commonwealth, which has since been completed. The participant structure has also experienced a few variations, with Kurrajong Partners Pty Ltd joining the project in August 2020 before their removal in August 2025, leaving Michael James Marshman and Tanya Joleen Marshman as the ongoing project proponents.