The Victoria River Carbon Project

The Victoria River Carbon Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on the historic Limbunya Station, a remote pastoral lease approximately 600km southwest of Katherine and 100km east of the Western Australian border in the Northern Territory. Registered in April 2023, the project covers a massive expanse of 523,951 hectares. The region is predominantly used for extensive cattle grazing, with Limbunya Station itself being a well-known property in the Australian pastoral industry, previously capable of carrying over 40,000 head of cattle.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects focus on restoring native forest cover through assisted natural regeneration rather than planting. The methodology requires the proponent to suppress activities that previously prevented regrowth, such as unmanaged grazing or mechanical clearing. By managing the timing and extent of grazing and controlling feral animals, the project aims to allow native vegetation to recover and reach forest status.

The project is situated in the Victoria River District (VRD), an area characterized by a semi-arid monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The landscape features rolling downs and open plains, typically dominated by Mitchell grass on cracking clay soils (black soil plains) and areas of red earth. These fertile soils support the native vegetation required for the carbon project while sustaining the station's pastoral operations.

This project is operated by Wonga Ag Pty Ltd, an entity associated with the wealth management group Wealthcheck and investor Sam Mitchell, who acquired Limbunya Station in 2022. The aggregation of Limbunya with neighboring stations created one of the largest landholdings in the territory at the time. Recent reports indicate significant financial restructuring and legal proceedings involving the proponent's parent entities, highlighting the complex corporate environment often surrounding large-scale carbon and agricultural aggregations.