Gully remediation in the Normanby catchment

Gully remediation works are plowing ahead across the Normanby catchment through the Reef Trust IV Program. The Reef Trust IV Program is a four-year Australian Government-funded initiative focusing on reducing fine sediment flow to the Great Barrier Reef by remediating active gully and streambank erosion.

At Turalba Station, R&L Contracting from Lakeland has constructed diversion banks, installed rock chutes and grade controls, and reshaped a large alluvial gully on the Laura River. Gypsum and fertiliser have also been incorporated into the soil to prepare the site to revegetate during the next wet season. Cape York NRM has supervised the works, which will save close to 300 tonnes of fine sediment from flowing into the Laura River every year.

The diversion banks at the head of the gully will guide flowing water to two rock chutes, which are engineered ramps that safely transport water into the gully channel and stop the gully headcuts from growing.

The worst areas of erosion in the channel have been reshaped to encourage revegetation and return the landscape to a productive state with perennial pastures.

Just down the road at Spring Creek, the landholder has been contracted to reshape and revegetate a large scalded area that is losing hundreds of tonnes of sediment every year. The area is fully cattle excluded and cattle will be kept out for at least three years while grass re-establishes. The site is just next to the PDR, so keep an eye out next time you are driving past!

More gully remediation is scheduled for the next two months at Olive Vale Station and Normanby Station, with all works supervised by Cape York NRM staff. The Reef Trust IV Program will finish in June 2022.

The Scaling Up Normanby Basin gully and streambank remediation in priority areas project is funded by the Australian Government and delivered through the Reef Trust