Stony Creek Carbon Project

Stony Creek Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, situated approximately 7km northeast of Euroa and 10km southwest of Violet Town. Registered in May 2025, the project encompasses 1,162 hectares of agricultural land. The broader Strathbogie Shire and Goulburn Valley area is a well-established farming district, primarily utilized for sheep and cattle grazing, as well as mixed cropping operations.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. This high-integrity method requires proponents to measure baseline soil carbon levels using physical soil cores and then implement "new or materially different" management activities to increase those levels. Credits (ACCUs) are issued based on the measured increase in soil carbon stocks over time, minus any emissions generated by the project activities. Projects of this type typically commit to a permanence period of 25 or 100 years, ensuring the stored carbon remains in the ground.

Environmentally, the Euroa district is classified as a temperate, medium-rainfall zone, typically receiving around 650mm of rainfall annually. The local soil profiles are predominantly duplex soils (Chromosols or Sodosols), characterized by sandy loam topsoils overlying medium to heavy clay subsoils. While these soils can be susceptible to acidity or compaction, they are generally responsive to pasture improvement and nutrient management strategies, making them suitable candidates for soil carbon projects.

The project proponent, Loam Carbon Pty Ltd, is a notable player in the sector, distinguishing itself with a focus on microbial technology. While the primary listed activity is the application of nutrients (fertilizers) to address deficiencies, Loam Carbon is widely recognized for its proprietary fungal inoculum (CarbonBuilder) designed to increase the stability of carbon within soil aggregates. It is likely that this project integrates such biological amendments with standard nutrient management to accelerate the sequestration process.