On March 5, landholders gathered on a property south of Mundubbera to learn all about ‘whoa boys’ – the what, the why and the how. John Day from Emu Ridge Pty Ltd kicked the day off with a great presentation on soil erosion and provided attendees with a copy of the newly published book ‘Gully Erosion – Options for Prevention and Rehabilitation’ co-written by John and Bob Shepherd.
The second part of the workshop was presented by Darryl Hill from Soil Save. Darryl is an expert in whoa boy construction and it was great to hear his thoughts on how to construct a whoa boy from his many years of experience in creating them. His explanations on various methods currently used to redirect water from roads and why you would use his design construction was great food for thought for attendees. Practical demonstration and instruction for attendees was also done on the use of dumpy levels (and what to consider when purchasing one).
After lunch we ventured into the paddock, where Darryl instructed the local landholder on how to construct a whoa boy using just a tractor and a pair of rippers. This workshop was particularly useful in seeing how erosion mitigating techniques can be employed with everyday equipment found on most farms. A very educational and practical workshop!
This workshop was supported by the Burnett Catchment Care Association through funding from the Queensland Government’s Reef Water Quality program