This is what the farm looked like a week ago.

The first flood of the season

In the short term, it’s bad news in the form of fence repairs, lost gravel and porridgey paddocks. In the long term, it’s what has shaped and maintains this beautiful landscape.

The floodwaters bring silt and nutrients that build deep chocolatey soils bursting with life. The alluvial soils seem perfectly adapted to the floods too. Rather than succumb to saturation, they drain quickly but hold back just enough moisture to sustain pastures year-round.

Enough romanticism though – the focus is now on resurfacing the track to avoid a herd of tender-footed cows!