Avondale Soil Carbon Project

Avondale Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon project located approximately 40km northwest of Blackall and 90km south-southwest of Barcaldine in the Central West region of Queensland. It was registered in March 2026 and covers a vast area of 18,565.28 hectares.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. Soil carbon projects of this type involve increasing carbon levels in agricultural soils by introducing eligible new management practices and verifying the sequestration through rigorous measurements and modeling. In this specific project, the proponents are altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of grazing to promote soil vegetation cover and improve overall soil health.

The Blackall and Barcaldine regions are historically known for broadacre sheep and cattle grazing. The area features a semi-arid climate with moderate to low rainfall. The local environment is predominantly characterised by Mitchell grass downs, with soils generally consisting of heavy, cracking clays and vertosols (black soils) that are well-suited to grazing pastures.

Interestingly, this project is part of a massive regional soil carbon push by the proponent, Graeme McDonald, and project participant Carbon Link Operations Pty Ltd. Together with the nearby Moonbria Soil Carbon Project, these adjacent sites cover over 37,000 hectares, representing almost 4% of all land under active soil ACCU projects in Australia.