General News
4 April, 2026
Traditional owners take on gully project
A GULLY behind the Malanda Milk Factory will be the site of a major rehabilitation effort by Traditional Owners thanks to funding provided by the Reef Assist program.
Local Ngadjon Jii Native Title Representative Body, the Choorechillum organisation, has won funding for a six-month project that involves the removal of an extensive amount of weeds and the planting of 1000 trees along the location.
The little-known, natural drainage gully promptly empties into the North Johnstone River that begins at Bromfield Swamp, dropping over the iconic Malanda Falls and flowing along the edge of town.
The river continues through kilometres of farmland and then winds down through the mountains of Wooroonooran National Park where it joins the Johnstone River on the lowlands near Innisfail before entering the Coral Sea.
This is the second Reef Assist project the Ngadjon Jii Noongyanbudda Rangers have worked on along the North Johnstone River.
To date, they have planted 3000 trees from Malanda Falls to just beyond the Duncan Brown Bridge and also including plantings along the Barron River on Gallos property near the Pink Bridge.
Both projects are part of the $34 million Reef Assist program, funded by the Queensland Government as part of the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.
Riverine restoration projects help improve water quality, mitigate weed spread, create habitat and corridors for wildlife and reduce silt runoff onto the Great Barrier Reef.
“We feel pride when we see the results of our hard work, caring for country and cleaning up the river banks. There are so many weeds!” Noongyanbudda Team Leader Mellina Morta said.
“When we remove the weeds, we plant the trees so the weeds don’t grow back. It’s such a great improvement for the river and the wildlife.”
Farm Sustainability and Technical Services manager for Bega Cheese Ltd, Melissa Balas, said the project was “a great initiative, we love being involved!”
After taking the contribution request to Bega Group Senior Management, Melissa was pleased to announce that they had unanimously approved to cover the cost of the trees (sourced from TRC’s Revegetation Nursery) and the important after-care of the site.
The Bana Project (pronounced Buna – the Ngadjon Jii word meaning water) constitutes a great partnership between local business, the State Government and the Ngadjon Jii Traditional Owners; caring for country and waterways and supporting the health of the reef.
