Saltwater Creek Carbon Project

Saltwater Creek Carbon Project is a permanent mixed-species environmental planting project located at Miallo, situated within the Douglas Shire just north of Mossman in Far North Queensland. It was registered on June 16, 2022, and covers a total project area of 165.18 hectares. The Douglas Shire region has historically been heavily utilized for agricultural production, most notably sugar cane farming and cattle grazing. Situated within the Wet Tropics bioregion, the area experiences a tropical, high-rainfall climate with distinct wet seasons. The region's underlying geology produces deep, fertile alluvial and metamorphic soils that are highly conducive to supporting rich tropical rainforests.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings (FullCAM) methodology. Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent, purposefully planted native tree species on land that was predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to commencement. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the mixed-species plantings must have the potential to reach a height of at least two metres and achieve a minimum crown canopy cover of 20% to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

Beyond standard carbon sequestration, the Saltwater Creek Carbon Project is notable as a $3.74 million collaboration between the project proponent, CO2 AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd, and the Queensland Government's Land Restoration Fund. The initiative focuses on re-establishing approximately 55 hectares of tropical rainforest and eucalypt forest communities that are endemic to the region. By incorporating 55 distinct native rainforest species into the plantings, the project is explicitly designed to improve vital ecological connectivity between the property and the Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree National Park. This creates an essential habitat corridor for several threatened local species, including the southern cassowary, spot-tailed quoll, common mistfrog, and tapping green-eyed frog. Due to its rigorous biodiversity monitoring and ecological outcomes, the project also holds a certified Environmental Account under the Accounting for Nature framework. In December 2024, an administrative variation formally updated the proponent's registered name from CO2 AUSTRALIA LIMITED to CO2 AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd.