BCCA’s engagement and investment in the Better Burnett pilot was delivered through three key components—Better Beef, Better Bush and Better Waterways—each supported by a dedicated project officer. The program placed strong emphasis on on-ground investment, which was well received by landholders across the Burnett region.

Better Beef focused on sustainable grazing in the Cadarga, Baywulla and Auburn sub-catchments, with 32 landholders undertaking projects valued at over $740,000—more than 60% contributed directly by landholders. Activities included fencing different land types to improve pasture utilisation, protecting remnant vegetation, and installing off-stream watering points to reduce cattle reliance on creeks and rivers.

These actions delivered significant outcomes:

• Over 40,000 ha of grazing land improved
• More than 3,300 ha of native vegetation protected
• Around 800 ha of riparian vegetation enhanced
• 70 km of streambank improved
• 101 off-stream watering points installed

Better Bush invested more than $100,000 across 20 projects designed to protect natural assets and address threats across the Inland Burnett. Key outcomes included the protection of brush-tailed rock wallaby and black-breasted button-quail habitat, identifying and safeguarding significant wetlands in the Boyne sub-catchment, improving biodiversity in native forestry, and advancing management options for invasive weeds such as cats claw creeper, African lovegrass, parthenium and blue heliotrope.

Better Waterways built on previous aquatic weed management efforts, with a focus on reducing nutrient and sediment inputs and addressing salinity risks. Partnerships with Bundaberg and Isis Canegrowers supported soil testing, sediment traps, sub-surface drainage, and other practical measures delivering both production and environmental benefits. In the Isis region, three reuse systems now capture and recycle 45 ML of water that previously carried nutrient loads back into waterways. Additionally, 95 ha of land benefitted from improved drainage, reducing salinity risks and waterlogging. In collaboration with Growcom, horticulturalists across Bundaberg, Gin Gin and the Central Burnett also trialled new practices and technologies, such as TriSCAN, to monitor soil nutrient movement and enhance water quality outcomes.

Together, these three components created widespread benefits for agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and waterway health, showcasing the success of the Better Burnett pilot in building a more sustainable future for the region. This project was awarded the “Outstanding Project Implementation” award from BMRG in 2008.