Could goats be another tool in the fight against some of our most stubborn environmental weeds? The community will have the chance to find out when Nature Conservation Margaret River Region hosts a free afternoon workshop – with wine – at Island Brook Estate on Thursday 29 October, showcasing an innovative trial using carefully managed goat grazing to tackle blackberry, kikuyu and woody weeds.
The afternoon will take visitors behind the scenes of Island Brook Estate’s broader dam and riparian restoration project, exploring practical ways to improve water quality, biodiversity and the health of the property’s waterways.
The goats, supplied by local regenerative land management business Earth Shepherd Australia, are being used in short, controlled grazing periods to target dense weed infestations – which in turn lead to improving vegetation and water quality, restoring riparian areas and creating better habitat for frogs, birds, insects and other wildlife.
Nature Conservation project coordinator Ellie Ward said the workshop was a chance for landholders and the wider community to see the approach in action. “We’re really interested to see how the goats perform at Island Brook and what we can learn from the trial,” Ellie said. “Managed grazing won’t be appropriate for every site, but it may have a role in areas where major weed infestations make conventional control difficult.”
Jill O’Callaghan from Island Brook with Nature Conservation’s Ellie Ward
Visitors will see the goats working in a blackberry-infested riparian zone and hear from Earth Shepherd founder Sam Maisey about holistic land management and targeted grazing.
“Through planned grazing, we use high density numbers of goats for a very short period of time, and then allow the system to rest, other species to establish and native plants to grow back to full maturity,” Sam said.
The goat trial forms part of a wider restoration project at Island Brook Estate, where owners Paul and Jill O’Callaghan are working with Nature Conservation to restore two farm dams and surrounding waterways.
Goats hard at work on weed control at Island Brook Estate
The restoration work is being delivered in partnership with Nature Conservation Margaret River Region as part of the Western Australian Wine Sustainability Advancement Program (WAWSAP). Island Brook Estate is one of three Margaret River demonstration sites in the broader WAWSAP dam and riparian rehabilitation project, alongside Xanadu Wines and Margaret River Senior High School Farm, with a further three sites in the Great Southern wine region.
The sites will provide practical examples of how agricultural landholders can improve water security, biodiversity and climate resilience, with lessons shared through field days, workshops and an online knowledge hub.
The Weed Control with Goats workshop will be held from 1.30pm to 3.30pm on Thursday 29 October at Island Brook Estate, Yelverton. The event will give participants the opportunity to see the goat trial firsthand, learn about the dam restoration project and discuss practical approaches to weed and land management. The afternoon will finish with wine tasting and refreshments hosted by Island Brook Estate. Places are limited. Tickets are available HERE.
The project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust, and enabled by the Western Australian Wine Industry Partnership – an industry-led initiative supported by the WA Government.