Turning a Gully Into a Chain of Ponds
Once a barren, sunbaked gully scarred by decades of erosion, the land seemed beyond repair. In Braidwood, New South Wales, a farmer faced a harsh reality: cracked earth, depleted soils, and repeated failed attempts to restore life. The dream of a thriving ecosystem felt like a distant fantasy. But through persistence and a shift towards regenerative practices, that dream became a reality. Today, just five years later, the same gully is alive with native vegetation, stabilised soils, and renewed biodiversity—a testament to what’s possible when we work with nature rather than against it. This is the story of gully regeneration at Jillamatong, where innovation and resilience turned ecological collapse into a flourishing landscape..
Early Stage Erosion
Advanced Stage Erosion
Natural Swales
Regenerated Landscape
Working With Nature's Intelligence
When we truly understand how nutrients cycle through living systems, we stop fighting the land and start partnering with it. Healing accelerates when we align with these ancient rhythms rather than impose our own.
At Jillamatong, this understanding transformed a wounded landscape. Where a deep erosion gully once bled the land dry, a chain of ponds now flows through even the driest seasons, breathing life back into the floodplain.
The Ground Beneath Everything
We've learned that bare soil is a cry for help – so we keep 100% ground cover, 100% of the time. Our pastures have become a living tapestry of over sixty species: native perennials, introduced grasses, herbs, and yes, even weeds. We see so-called weeds differently now – as nature's repair crew, arriving exactly when the soil calls for them.
This diversity isn't just beautiful; it's medicine. Our sheep and cattle graze through this botanical pharmacy, self-medicating, balancing their gut health naturally, and reducing their need for intervention. We move them to fresh pasture every few days, letting them choose their own supplements and minerals as their bodies guide them.
Fertility Flows Uphill
Every grazing cycle feeds the soil, building carbon and carrying fertility up the slopes where it once washed away. We plant trees and shrubs with intention – not just for us, but for the birds, insects, and animals who co-create this ecosystem. The return? Nuts, fruits, fungi, and a landscape that hums with life.
Our North Star
Everything we do follows these guiding principles:
- Share openly, learn endlessly – Knowledge grows when the whole community tends it
- Dance with uncertainty – Adapt to climate variability while reducing costs and increasing what truly matters
- Build living soil – Sequester carbon, produce nutrient-dense food, and create clean fiber
- Nurture diversity everywhere – In soil, in pasture, in products, with the ground always covered
- Honor the whole animal – Fully pasture-fed meat with balanced Omega 3 and 6, rich in micronutrients
- Trust the microbiome – A healthy, diverse community of soil life reduces weeds, pests, and disease naturally
- Give more than we take – Remain carbon-positive and reduce our reliance on what cannot be renewed
"Acknowledging past practices and using a framework to work with nature is the first step in regenerative agriculture."
— Martin Royds
Why We Do This
Jillamatong exists to walk alongside farmers on this journey. We share what we've learned – the breakthroughs and the humble lessons – so you can make choices rooted in ecological wisdom rather than industrial habit.
This isn't about converting to a system. It's about remembering how to listen: to your soil, your animals, your land's unique story. When you do, the path forward reveals itself.
We're here to support that revelation.