Tarrawonga Soil Carbon Project

The Tarrawonga Soil Carbon Project is an agricultural soil carbon project located at the "Tarrawonga" property, approximately 60km northeast of the major regional town of Goondiwindi in southern Queensland. Registered in September 2024, the project covers a substantial area of 2,890 hectares. The region is a significant agricultural hub known for both cropping and grazing, situated within the Border Rivers catchment.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon levels through changes in land management. Standard requirements for this method involve baseline soil sampling followed by the implementation of new activities, such as altering stocking density or introducing legumes, to sequester carbon. Over time, subsequent sampling rounds and modelling are used to measure increases in soil carbon stocks, for which Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) are issued.

Environmentally, the Goondiwindi region is characterized by a sub-tropical to semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm, often summer-dominant. The area typically features fertile clay soils (Vertosols), which are highly productive but can become impassable when wet. The proponents, the Lahey family, run a cattle operation involving Angus and Wagyu breeds. They are known advocates for regenerative agriculture in the district, utilizing cell grazing systems and experimenting with multi-species pasture cropping to improve soil biology and resilience. The project is managed in collaboration with Carbon Link, a leading aggregator in the Australian soil carbon sector.