Nookawarra Station

Nookawarra Station is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) carbon project located in the remote Murchison region of Western Australia, approximately 350 kilometers northeast of Geraldton. The project operates on the Nookawarra pastoral lease, a massive 243,870-hectare property situated within the Shire of Murchison, often referred to as the "Shire without a town" due to its lack of gazetted townsites. The nearest service centers for the station are the mining and pastoral towns of Cue and Meekatharra. Registered in September 2021, the project is managed by AI Carbon WA No.2 Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Australian Integrated Carbon.

The project employs the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which focuses on restoring native forest cover on land where vegetation growth has been suppressed for at least 10 years, typically by livestock or feral animals. By managing the timing and extent of grazing, often through rotational grazing or partial destocking, the project aims to allow local species, particularly Mulga (Acacia aneura), to regenerate naturally from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers. The goal is to achieve permanent even-aged native forest cover across the designated carbon estimation areas.

Environmentally, the Murchison region is characterized by an arid climate with highly variable rainfall, averaging around 250mm annually, which falls predominantly in winter. The landscape features broad alluvial plains, granite outcrops, and breakaways. The soil profile is typical of the Western Australian rangelands, consisting largely of red earth, sandy loams, and shallow stony soils that support Mulga woodlands and saltbush shrublands.

Notably, Nookawarra Station was listed for sale and reportedly sold in August 2025, marketed explicitly for its "Carbon and Cattle" potential. The property features a unique rammed-earth homestead built from locally sourced materials. The sale listing highlighted the property's transition from a historic sheep station (once running 24,000 head) to a cattle operation with a significant focus on carbon revenue, reflecting a broader trend of land use change in the Murchison pastoral zone.