Mowanjum / Knowsley / Fitzroy Valley Mowanjum irrigation The project will: • Underpin the community’s aspiration to become a viable trial – Derby pastoral operation This project will be driven through a research • Provide a field-training facility for Derby TAFE’s Pastoral Management agreement and funding partnership between Studies program for both Mowanjum and Derby students the State Government and Mowanjum Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), a 350-strong • Provide vocational training opportunities for Derby High community on the outskirts of Derby. MEDA STATION School students DERBY The intensive grazing trial will use local • Assist Mowanjum to negotiate approvals for a land tenure change groundwater for an initial 38 hectare centre on parts of the lease to a more flexible land use tenure and attract CONCEPTUAL BOREFIELD pivot grazing and silage operation to support third party investment May and Meda M the community’s vision to establish itself AY MED Investigation Areas DERB as a cattle fattening and beef breeding centre. Y GIBB RI Derby Airport VER RD A RIVER It is envisaged that additional pivots will be Land tenure project installed as Mowanjum’s productivity increases. POTENTIAL Mowanjum Field Trials This initiative aims to add value to pastoral leases, attract investment KNOWSLEY The trial will serve as a demonstration model and allow diversification into irrigated agriculture by improving land DEVELOPMENT MOWANJUM STATION for other Aboriginal pastoral stations MEDA STATION tenure options. AREA in the Kimberley with access to water.

DE

R B The policy framework developed in the West Kimberley will support Y H While Mowanjum’s 55,000 hectare pastoral

W economic development across all of the State’s rangelands. Y lease contains large tracts of prime grazing land on the doorstep of Derby, it requires a The project will develop products around robust and replicable land dry-season feeding capability to realise its tenure options that promote and support investment in potential

CURTI aspiration of reaching its initial target of 10,000 N AI intensive agricultural sites. The Water for Food program will help R BAS to 15,000 head. This includes its own branded E develop new opportunities for intensive agricultural activity. cattle and stock agisted for other Aboriginal stations along the Road that would otherwise be isolated from markets during the “Ideally, the pastoral lease of the future will not Broome wet season. only run stock, but contain commercial-scale Approximately irrigation islands where a diverse range of cash 200km YEEDA STATION crops and high value food products can be “The West Kimberley Knowsley Agricultural Area water investigation – Derby offers significant potential grown, alongside fodder.” to launch Water for Food The Knowsley Agriculture Area (KAA) is an area of unallocated Crown New public policy positions will be developed utilising the full scope of CONCEPTUAL BOREFIELD land on the outskirts of Derby that provides potential for future irrigation Colourstone with four targeted projects current statutory provisions of the Land Administration Act 1997 and the Abattoir and intensive cropping. This project aims to identify water supply options 60km that can utilise new water and prepares suitable land parcels within a 5000 hectare envelope for Native Title Act 1993 to attract new business ventures on higher forms discoveries to enhance the irrigated development. “We have a glowing of land tenure. Land tenure facts MT ANDERSONN SSTATION region’s economic footprint history of success in Knowsley provides potential for staged irrigation development, The new policy framework aims to provide: • There are 452 pastoral stations Lower Fitzroy and create additional the fiercely competitive intensive horticulture and high-value cropping at a scale that is likely to in Western made Investigation Area resources sector and are wealth, employment • Pastoralists with better security of tenure and opportunity to attract up of 507 pastoral leases be attractive to third party investors, if sufficient water can be identified. and industry now suppliers of choice investment and diversify into irrigated agriculture which are defined for pastoral Irrigated farming, including high-value horticulture on KAA, will provide to China and Japan. We diversification.” • Information packages about options for appropriate tenure for purposes significant potential as a new industry opportunity for Derby and the West must now apply the same project activities FITZRO Kimberley region. Further dry season irrigation is dependent on defining a principles of investment, • They cover nearly 87 million Y RIVER DEBESA STATION sustainable water supply and achieving approvals, including Native Title. market reliability and • Tools to obtain government approvals and licences with guides hectares or 34.4 per cent of innovation to the to negotiate Native Title, Aboriginal heritage and associated the State This project aims to define sustainable water supply options in shallow and considerations deep aquifers and evaluate the potential to source water from the May- agricultural sector.” • Potential to utilise an Meda Rivers alluvium to the east of Derby and from the lower Fitzroy River Currently, pastoral leases are restricted to grazing stock on natural estimated 1000 billion litres alluvium to the south. vegetation and while permits to diversify are available, crop species of sustainable fresh water in must be used for pastoral purposes Kimberley and

“In we must embrace • Diversification will support Provided courtesy of Department of Regional Development. irrigation, far beyond the estimated potential for expanding the 50,000 hectares we irrigate today.” northern cattle industry * Hon. Mia Davies MLA, Minister for Water; CEDA Leadership in agriculture: Seizing the opportunity conference, 20th June 2014. West Kimberley Water for Food Fitzroy Valley Markets in proximity Department of Water groundwater Department of Regional Development # Department of Lands investigations Department of Agriculture and Food

This Fitzroy Valley landscape scale groundwater investigation aims to confirm groundwater availability and increase confidence West Kimberley projects 1 among pastoral station owners wanting to diversify FACT SHEET their operations and lift productivity. and alternative

Current RFR investigation area Current RFR investigation Potential areas investigation Land Crown Unallocated Freehold and water Pastoral Lease (Except DPAW, Aboriginal or Special) Pastoral Lease (Aboriginal) Reserve Lands (Except Marine Parks)DEC Managed Lease (Special, General & Other) Rivers Area Study Road Centrelines Towns Airfield OCTOBER “There is an opportunity of land tenure options 2014 a lifetime to engage with

Aboriginal pastoralists, LE

traditional owners and GE

N Water for Food precinct: indigenous leaders to negotiate D Western Australia’s West Kimberley partnerships and pathways to lift productivity in the Kimberley.” The Water for Food initiative is a four-year $40 million Royalties for Regions funded While much is known about water availability in the State Government program aimed at Fitzroy Valley, more work is required to define the potential increasing economic growth and regional to harvest and store floodwater from the river and draw employment. from its alluvial aquifers. The program will use water source This investigation between Willare and Fitzroy Crossing will discoveries to develop new irrigation areas Kununurra • focus on a number of pastoral areas where operators have and increase the size and productivity of already moved into irrigated fodder and where owners are existing irrigation districts. expressing a desire to expand operations and diversify into irrigation. The first four projects reflect a $15.5 million investment in the West Kimberley that A primary focus is to confirm the groundwater potential of Western Australia’s geographic location on the edge includes funding to develop a policy Derby the Fitzroy Valley alluvium to support expanded irrigation • Mowanjum of the rapidly growing Asia region offers many framework to smooth the way for around the Willare, and Gogo areas, and potential advantages. pastoralists to change parts of their leases Broome Knowsley irrigation start-ups at a number of Aboriginal pastoral to a more flexible, investor-friendly land • Fitzroy Crossing stations. • Wide open spaces use tenure. The land tenure project will identify Fitzroy Valley The project will build on existing Department of Water The Kimberley region boasts expansive landscapes, pathways to an alternative tenure, where data along the Fitzroy River between Willare and a reliable climate and established industries with the land use is more flexible and can attract Fitzroy Crossing, which has identified a potential potential to diversify its agricultural, pastoral and third party investments to fund on-farm 200 billion litres per year of available water in the alluvium, horticultural profile to become a significant food improvements, such as new irrigation with a yield of 25-50 billion litres per year in the bowl for the State. 50 kilometres upstream from Willare. infrastructure. Proximity The State’s close proximity to the burgeoning Asian markets means produce can be harvested and delivered fresh to key international markets. The four West Kimberley Water for Food Time zone Stage one projects aim to stimulate irrigation on suitable land near common-user infrastructure, Sharing time zones with major trade partners allows projects for real-time engagement with support industries and including all-weather roads, ports, air services distribution channels. Mowanjum and airport facilities.

Transport corridors Department of Water Telephone: +61 6364 7600 www.water.wa.gov.au Knowsley Each of the projects has an Aboriginal WA’s existing air, land and sea transport corridors are 168 St Georges Terrace Facismile: +61 6364 7601 © Government of benefit component and offers the potential Western Australia 6000 National Relay Service 13 36 77 Western Australia October 2014 Fitzroy Valley well positioned to upgrade and expand to cater for for creating sustainable jobs and training growing demand as production increases. Land tenure Some images courtesy © The West Australian 11674 200 1014 opportunities.