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Contour furrows at the Bundaleer Reservoir Reserve in the 1950s

The reservoir reserve is some 10 km north west of Spalding and comprises some 400 ha of undulating land. It was traditionally leased to farmers for grazing with little or no control of stocking rates, resulting in severe overgrazing and erosion. The soil was washed into the reservoir, reducing its capacity by one third.

From about 1950/1951 Soil Conservation Officers surveyed contour furrow lines and the furrows were ploughed with a hydraulically operated reversible mouldboard plough mounted on a tractor owned by the Soil Conservation Branch.

The furrows trapped water and seeds of grasses and clovers – the favourable micro-environment resulted in prolific growth in the furrows, further protecting the soil from erosion. Run off and erosion was virtually eliminated on the reserve by this method.

(Source: Bill Matheson)