Merrinee Australia Restoration Project

About our Merrinee reforestation site in Victoria, Australia

Ecological Vegetation Class: Woorinen Mallee and Woorinen Sands Mallee
Bioregion: Murray Mallee

It's hard to fathom the true scale of what Land Life is building at Merrinee I, just 25km south of the Victorian rural center of Mildura on the Murray River. You really need to visit to comprehend the size of this project!

This 2,742-hectare property was mechanically cleared in 1920 during Australia's soldier settlements after the First World War. The government-led, large-scale clearing used either steam engines or internal combustion engine tractors pulling large chains behind them.

'Mallee' roots were pulled out and sold to the cities for firewood or burnt in situ. The returned soldiers and their families were each given 600 acres (250ha) and the population density of this area was sufficient to warrant a school, channelized water and a road network.

By 1927 it was evident these parts were not productive enough and the soldiers’ families left and returned to the cities or moved to other areas. Every section of this land had seen cropping or attempts at cropping at this stage.

By 1934 the school had closed and the land was left to roaming sheep herds with no fixed property boundaries and unclear ownership. In the 1950s, a new family took ownership of the land, where it has been cropped and grazed by sheep for decades.

Site objective

Carbon Sequestration: 222,598 tCO2 / 40 years
Methodology: Verified Carbon Standard

The main objective of this Merrinee project is to restore 1,200 hectares of land by creating a biodiverse Mallee woodland community.

Before European settlement, these large Mallee tracts had a unique flora assemblage made up of low, multi-stemmed Mallee trees.

One type is a subgroup of Eucalypts that have adapted to heat and drought by growing largely underground. The other is a dense and incredibly varied mix of understory shrubs interspersed by clumps of Spinifex Grass.

This grass is incredibly important, as its fierce prickles keep predators away from the small ground-dwelling mammals that live in this Mallee bush, such as Pygmy Possums, Planigales, Dunnarts and Hopping Mice.

As our restoration project matures, we anticipate an increase in canopy cover, which will provide shade, lower ground temperatures, and create favorable conditions for various species. Soil health will also improve, with more active soil life enhancing nutrient cycling and supporting healthier plant growth.

One of the other key objectives of the restoration is the creation of a biolink to the neighboring Murray Sunset National Park, enabling wildlife to move more freely across the landscape.

The project also aims to provide additional, biodiverse, and lasting carbon storage in the newly planted woodland trees and shrubs, as well as in the soil.

Find out more about Land Life's carbon removal reforestation solution.

About the restoration

The restoration and maintenance of Merrinee is overseen by two of the best site managers in Victoria, Peter and Colleen, who bring extensive experience and passion to the project.

The Millewa-Mallee First Peoples, the Traditional Owners of this land, are also employed on the project to collect native seeds and grow seedlings.

The first stage of Merrinee's restoration works was completed in the 2024 planting season, after fencing, animal pest and weed control management. A total of 16,755 seedlings were planted, with a further 43,245 seedlings to be planted in 2025.

Forty-nine native species will be planted in this project using a combination of direct seeding and tubestock planting methods. Almost 500kg of native seed (consisting of two mixes - Woorinen Mallee and Woorinen Sands Mallee) were applied in 2024, with more direct seeding scheduled for 2025.

Starting from November 2024, four watering campaigns of the planted seedlings will be undertaken across a 1,200ha area using a unique watering technique created by Colleen and Peter.

When our trees are established in 5-6 years from now, there will be hundreds of thousands of trees stretching to the furthest horizon. Considering how degraded this land was (at the height of the millennium drought this property was nothing more than windswept dust), it's an impressive feat.

Biodiversity gains

In the coming years, biodiversity at Merrinee is set to rise with the return of native species and reestablished habitats attracting a broader range of flora and fauna.

One of the first biodiversity scoops Peter and Colleen shared when they were onsite in 2024 was a sighting of Pink CockatoosOpens in a new tab. (formerly known as Major Mitchell's Cockatoo) feeding at Merrinee on Scrub Cypress-pine (Callitris verrucosa) and Dillon Bush (Nitraria billardierei).

Pink Cockatoos are critically endangered in Victoria and endangered nationally due to a lack of habitat and food. They nest in very old native pines (Callitris gracilis) and it takes over 80 years for hollows to form. Bushfires wiped out many of these old trees and increasing numbers of Galahs now compete for the same nest hollows.

We're putting both species of Callitris back in at this site, and many other plants that the Pink Cockies will munch on. Luckily they have a really varied diet, so between now and 80 years time, they can enjoy a diverse menu of seeds, fruit, roots and bulbs.

Once very common, any sighting of Pink Cockatoos these days is newsworthy, so to see them use our site already gives hope we can significantly contribute to their survival in the long run. They were spotted feeding again in February 2025.

See more Australian reforestation projects.