A cultural burn conducted at Jervoise Station, on Gugu Badhun Country near Greenvale, in April, achieved a mosaic pattern on either side of several kilometres of access road on country dominated by spinifex grass. The timing of fire in this sensitive country is important and is based on a detailed reading and deep understanding of the landscape and its response to the seasons.

The design and implementation of the Cultural Fire Management for Grazing Landscapes project has been a collaborative effort.

The project, funded through WWF-Australia’s Indigenous Fire Management Program, is delivered by NQ Dry Tropics under the guidance of the Traditional Owner Management Group in partnership between Traditional Owners of the region, graziers, WWF-Australia, Firesticks Alliance, Indigenous ranger groups, and the Rural Fire Service.

Workshops and activities focused on rebuilding cultural fire management knowledge and practice in the region, and applying this knowledge as proof of the benefits of cultural fire to grazing landscapes.

Alongside grazing land management, the co-benefits from the project include building regional community capability, recognising and celebrating Indigenous knowledge and connection to Country, reducing bushfire risk and improving drought resilience, and Indigenous employment opportunities on Country.

Initial trial results show the benefits cultural fire can have for grazing landscapes including addressing common issues such as woody thickening and ensuring older trees are protected and able to thrive on Country.

During a recent workshop and field day at Jervoise Station, on Gugu Badhun Country in the Upper Burdekin, attendees learned about the project and visited paddocks treated with fire under the guidance of Firesticks Alliance Lead Fire Practitioner Victor Steffensen.

Gugu Badhun Traditional Owner, Dr JANINE GERTZ

Speaking at the event, Dr Janine Gertz reflected on the project, and the significant role fire played in the culture and history of her mob.

“Gugu Badhun Country was created through fire,” Janine said.

“My people are direct descendents of those who witnessed volcanic eruptions more than 10,000 years ago that shaped our landscapes.

“Our ancestors are rejoicing because our ancient practice of managing Country through fire is being revitalised.

“Doing this in partnership with pastoralists is something we have been working towards and special thanks to the Jonsson family for hosting this event at Jervoise Station.

Lead Fire Practitioner for FireSticks Alliance Dr Victor Steffensen explains the benefit of cultural burns. The workshop was attended by representatives of the Gugu Badhun Traditional Owners, Gudjuda Reference Group, graziers Paul Jonsson and Elliot Smith, and the local Greenvale Rural Fire Service.

“We’re grateful to the Firesticks Alliance crew practitioners for sharing their knowledge and it has been wonderful to see in practice what we have been taught about the role of fire in maintaining land and keeping it healthy.

“Deriving our cultural, political, and spiritual identity from a land base is inherently what makes us Aboriginal.

“Our ties to Gugu Badhun country is what makes us Gugu Badhun. So it’s how we relate to the world.

“We have to keep our practices and knowledge alive for our future, which can translate into jobs for Gugu Badhun people on Gugu Badhun Country.

“We want to be able to participate in the economy and achieve social outcomes aligned to our cultural ways of being.

“This project has been years in the making, and is the result of lots of hard work and persistence from members of the NQ Dry Tropics Traditional Owner Management Group.

“I know that those within Gugu Badhun, like Richard Hoolihan and my uncle Harry Gertz, have been integral in moving this project forward.

“It is an example of what real partnerships can do, and now we need to take the next steps to ensure it continues.”

Jervoise Station, Greenvale grazier ELLIOT SMITH

Jervoise Station grazier Elliot Smith said working with Firesticks Lead Fire Practitioner Victor Steffensen and Gugu Badhun Traditional Owners had transformed the relationship he and his family had with fire.

“When we first met Victor at the start of the project, we were afraid of fire,” Elliot said.

“Our previous experience had just been fighting bushfires and doing all we could to stop fires from happening on the property.

Jervoise Station grazier Elliot Smith, centre, explains some of the problems on the property.

“And so we met Victor and slowly over the years, we’ve been learning that we can actually put the right fire into land to produce beneficial results.

“So instead of fearing fire, we’re now working with fire to improve the land.”

Elliot said the focus from the start had been on putting fire through the most unproductive paddocks on the property.

“We had an unusable paddock that had previously been cleared, which was full of suckers, leaf litter and very minimal grass,” Elliot said.

“We could no longer ride bikes through there, the cattle couldn’t graze there, and we knew that this land wasn’t right.

“Victor explained to us the identity of the land, as in what should have been growing there before it was cleared, and that showed us what we were working towards.

“We learnt this was naturally bloodwood country, and it gave us a picture in our head of how the land should look once it has returned to health, with tall bloodwoods preventing all of the other smaller trees from growing around them and outcompeting native pastures. 

“We did our first burn to knock over the non-native grasses, and when we came back three months later, there were native rosella plants everywhere. 

“Those seeds had been in the ground waiting for that right fire to come through, and that was the moment when we realised that everything was there ready to go, and all we needed to do was make the change to start turning things around.

“By using the right fire at the right time, we have been able to slowly bring the identity back to the land and everything’s heading in the right direction, and it feels like we’re doing the right thing.

“But we are still learning and it takes time because we can’t just fix this land in a single burn. 

“Now Victor has been here three or four times now, I’ve got a clear picture in my head of different identities of land and what land should look like. I can then compare it to what I see when I’m driving around the paddocks.” 

Elliot said participating in the project had given him his first experience of working with Indigenous people.

“The project has facilitated a connection with Victor and the also the Gugu Badhun Traditional Owners,” he said.

“We have all worked well together, graziers and Traditional Owners, to create results.

“It’s brought communities together working for a common goal and we have made a lot of friends during this process.”

Elliot was keen to point out that even though he had personally taken part in several burns with Victor, he did not feel ready to read country and put fire through the landscape on his own.

The right fire at the right time.

“A little bit of knowledge is worse than no knowledge, and it would be very easy to go to one course with Victor and think I’ve got the gist of it and go out and start lighting fires around the property, but I would not suggest that,” he said. 

“We have learnt that fire can work on almost all country, but the most important part is when to put fire into the land, and producing the right fire for that land. 

“And that’s where it’s really important to have a really good understanding of the Traditional Knowledge, as they’re teaching us when and where we should be putting that fire into the land.

“It’s a team effort between Firesticks, Gugu Badhun Elders and graziers. We’ve become a lot more confident with fires, but to have the traditional knowledge on hand regularly throughout the year is something that’s been incredibly valuable for us.”

Glenalpine Station, Bogie grazier, BARRY O’SULLIVAN

A desire to connect with Traditional Owners and learn more about their land management techniques prompted grazier Barry O’Sullivan to attend the Cultural Fire Workshop at Jervoise Station earlier this year — a round trip of more than 1000 km from his home north of Collinsville.

Barry said he had dedicated himself to improving land condition at Glenalpine, a 57,000 hectare property purchased 20 years ago in an extremely degraded state.

“The whole property was almost a moonscape with a bit of fluff on it when we bought it,” Barry said.

“All the flats and the valley had been absolutely flogged so the only available field was in the hills where all the Brahman would congregate, looking like little white dots.”

Barry said many years of putting holistic management education and training into practice had brought back pastures across the property, but there was always more to learn.

“I am working with a living thing, so I have to be respectful, I have to be appreciative,” he said.

“To me, it’s like a painting. Every morning I get up and I’m working on improving it.

“What led me to attend this Cultural Fire Workshop was a desire to complement what I have learned with the different perspective that comes from Indigenous knowledge.

“I think this is probably the most incentivizing connection for cultural alliance with graziers that I’ve come across, because a lot of people like to burn, but they don’t know how to.

 “So this is going to really tick the right boxes for people interested in working with Indigenous people to use fire as a tool. 

“Indigenous Australians have been here for a long time keeping the landscape in balance, and I feel that working with them and creating those links will be extremely beneficial to everyone involved.”

FIRE AN EYE OPENER

Barry said he had primarily used cattle as a tool to regenerate poor-quality country on Glenalpine, which had considerably increased production and profitability after the first year. 

NQ Dry Tropics. Cultural Fire on Grazing Landscapes Workshop, held on Jervoise Station, Greenvale, Qld, Gugu Badhun Country 22 and 23 May 2024

He  said one of the fundamentals of holistic management was the importance of being exposed to new ways of doing and learning, and understanding the rippling effects his actions had on the wider community, which prompted him to attend the Cultural Fire day at Jervoise.

“I don’t use fire at home, and had never considered putting it into practice, mainly because I measure available pasture biomass and utilise a certain percentage for profitable and sustainable grazing.

“I can see how mosaic burning to control regrowth and to remove moribund grass would complement my holistic management planning. 

“ The Jonssons (graziers managing Jervoise) are so enthusiastic and positive about using fire because it works and they can see the benefits.

“One thing that interested me was seeing where the fire had been, how much greener the grass was, with undesirable species such as wattle either dead, or knocked about.”

Barry said listening to Firesticks Lead Fire Practitioner, Victor Steffensen talk about the complexities of reading Country before putting a match to the ground, had opened his eyes.

He said he hadn’t previously come across the concept that every area of Country had an ‘identity’ dictated by the dominant species of “ parent tree” that would have naturally occurred there.

 “Victor spoke about the need to understand different country types, how much moisture is in the soil, so when and where you can burn… that’s stuff that I hadn’t ever considered. 

“As for Glenalpine, I would have no idea what it was like prior to the introduction of grazing. We’ve only been there 20 years and it was in a very sick state when we went there. So it would be very exciting to work with Traditional Owners to work out how it used to be.

NEW FACES, NEW IDEAS

Barry said it had been refreshing spending time with a wide variety of workshop attendees, and he valued being exposed to diverse perspectives.

“The field days I normally go to are attended by people with a similar way of being, whereas here, there’s a completely different demographic.

“ For me personally, it’s very important to be around different people, and it’s all about diversity in your contacts, who you meet.”