Yallalie Downs Carbon Project 2024

Yallalie Downs Carbon Project 2024 is an environmental planting project located in the Shire of Dandaragan, approximately 200km north of Perth in the Western Australian Wheatbelt. It was registered in July 2024 and covers 193.71ha.

Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent plantings of mixed native tree or mallee species. These trees must be planted on land predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior, and must be planted at a density sufficient to establish forest cover, typically reaching a height of at least 2 metres and 20% canopy cover.

The Dandaragan and broader Wheatbelt area is known for broadacre mixed farming, including winter cropping (like wheat, canola, and oats) and livestock grazing operations. The area experiences a Mediterranean climate and is considered to have moderate, winter-dominant rainfall (typically 400 to 600mm annually). The soils across the region are generally sandy, gravelly, and duplex in nature, which can sometimes be prone to non-wetting.

This project is particularly notable for its location on Yallalie Downs, which is Western Australia's first and only Aboriginal-owned and operated cattle backgrounding operation, proudly managed by the Beemurra Aboriginal Corporation. The property is uniquely situated on the edge of the Yallalie Meteorite Impact Crater, a 12-kilometre-wide crater formed roughly 75 million years ago. Additionally, in 2026, the property is scheduled to become a "Camping with Custodians" site, an initiative blending agritourism with Indigenous cultural tourism. The carbon project itself is driven by INPEX New Energy Business Australia, highlighting corporate energy sector investment into native reforestation on historically and culturally significant agricultural land.