Coalara Park Australian Sandalwood Plantation Project

Coalara Park Australian Sandalwood Plantation Project is a commercial reforestation initiative located approximately 15 kilometers west of Badgingarra in the Shire of Dandaragan, Western Australia. Registered in June 2021, the project originally covered an area of approximately 2,335 hectares. The region is situated roughly 200 kilometers north of Perth and is known for its "sandplain" agriculture, characterized by a mix of broadacre cropping, grazing, and increasingly, commercial sandalwood plantations.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022. This methodology allows landholders to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by establishing new timber plantations or converting short-rotation plantations to long-rotation ones. Unlike environmental plantings which are permanent conservation forests, this project is designed for the commercial harvesting of wood products. Specifically, it involves the cultivation of Australian Sandalwood (Santalum spicatum), a hemiparasitic tree that requires host trees (typically Acacia species) to survive and thrive.

The environmental conditions at Coalara Park are typical of the Northern Wheatbelt and Badgingarra sandplains. The area experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Annual rainfall in Badgingarra averages approximately 520mm. The soil profile is predominantly sandy and gravelly (sand over laterite or clay), which is well-suited for sandalwood but generally low in nutrients for standard agriculture without inputs.

Several administrative changes have occurred during the project's lifecycle. In August 2022, the project transitioned from the 2017 plantation forestry method to the updated 2022 version. More recently, in July 2025, a variation was filed to remove specific areas from the project's scope, likely adjusting the total carbon estimation area. The project is managed by Arguello Timber Pty Ltd with advisory support from Corporate Carbon Advisory.