Resilience program fast-tracks farm’s fencing

2 September 2026

Owen and Penny Morgan bought their 400-acre property near Mt Charlton, 65km north-west of Mackay, almost five years ago, bringing 16 years of farming experience to a fresh challenge: converting former cane country into a productive beef enterprise.

Rising input costs, contractor shortages, pest pressure from pigs and cockatoos, and shrinking returns from sugarcane had made the switch an easy call.

Drawing on lessons from previous properties, Owen made riparian fencing the very first infrastructure investment.

"Keeping cattle out of the creek was the priority," he said.

Enter Reef Catchments, an independent not-for-profit natural resource management organisation working across the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac region.

Reef Catchments received more than $1.98 million to deliver nature-based solutions across the region through the final round of the 2023–24 Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund (QRRRF) jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.

With funds secured from Reef Catchments and the QRRRF, Owen and Penny installed more than 4km of riparian fencing.

The fencing keeps cattle out of key waterways while still allowing strategic grazing of riparian areas when conditions suit.

"We've been able to improve the pasture in the fenced riparian areas by grazing it at the right times," Owen said.

Reef Catchments’ 40 per cent grant contribution made the infrastructure upgrades far more achievable and let the Morgans invest sooner rather than waiting years to self-fund the work.

As a result, the property now carries around 75 Brangus cattle, with plans to build to roughly 200 breeders as pasture and infrastructure improve.

But the benefits have reached well beyond fencing and stock numbers.

Owen has noticed markedly clearer creek water since excluding cattle, a contrast with previous properties where stock had unrestricted access.

"You can get up past our pump and that water's clear as crystal," he said.

Riparian pasture, once at risk of becoming overgrown, is now grazed at the right time to keep growth and groundcover healthy.

There's been an unexpected bonus too: restricted property access has cut the number of pig hunters coming through, reducing weed spread and land disturbance.

Most importantly, the QRRRF grant compressed a timeline that could otherwise have stretched over many years.

"The grant from Reef Catchments helped speed up the process," Owen said.

"The materials were covered and our labour became the in-kind contribution, so it made the project achievable.

Rather than pushing it off to future you, it gets done now."

Owen and Penny already recommend the QRRRF program to other landholders, describing their partnership with Reef Catchments as "very successful" and one that's delivered for both their farm and the surrounding environment.

Penny and Owen Morgan on their Mt Charlton cattle property. Image courtesy of Reef Catchments.

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With funding from the Australian and Queensland governments’ QRRRF, Reef Catchments has worked with the Morgan’s to install 4 km of riparian fencing on the property to protect the local waterways from cattle. Image courtesy of Reef Catchments.

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New watering stations on the farm mean the cattle won’t go thirsty now they can’t get to the creek. Image courtesy of Reef Catchments.

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The Morgans with Reef Catchments’ Kimberley Bland. Image courtesy of Reef Catchments.

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Owen says he’s noticed markedly clearer creek water since excluding cattle with the riparian fencing, a contrast with previous properties where stock had unrestricted access. Image courtesy of Reef Catchments.

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The crystal clear waters of Boulder Creek on the Morgan’s Mt Charlton cattle property, protected by riparian fencing funded by the QRRRF. Image courtesy of Reef Catchments.

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