Client: Centare Vineyard
Location: Healesville, Victoria – adjoining Coranderrk creek.
Community Partners: Operation Keystone
Project Overview
At Centare Vineyard in Healesville, we have delivered an integrated vegetation and restoration program combining targeted goat browsing, conventional weed control, and aquatic habitat rehabilitation.
The property includes an old farmhouse precinct, estuary lines feeding into Coranderrk Creek and the Creek line habitat zone that is fenced off as a native restoration area.
Our objective has been to restore ecological function while improving access, safety, biodiversity and introduce predatory insects to help manage the pest pressure
Goat Grazing – Farmhouse & Creek Margins
We deployed targeted goat grazing around the old farmhouse and along weed-infested estuary corridors.
The goats were used to:
- Reduce dense blackberry thickets
- Suppress long pasture grasses
- Open up inaccessible creek edges
- Lower biomass prior to follow-up works
This approach allowed low-impact access in areas unsuitable for machinery, particularly along sensitive drainage lines.
LCLW Delivery – Precision Weed Management
Operation Regeneration has also managed Landcare and LCLW (Local Community & Landcare Works) components for Centare Vineyard, providing specialised, targeted weed control.
Our methods included:
- Hand weeding of priority species
- Knapsack spraying for selective control
- Staged follow-up treatments to prevent reinfestation
Target species controlled across the property include:
- Blackberries
- Tree tobacco
- Hemlock
- Buttercup
- Winter cherry
- Broom
- pasture grasses
By combining biological grazing with conventional methods, we achieved more complete control while minimising broad-scale chemical use.
Dam Restoration Project – Aquatic Habitat Establishment
We have now commenced a dam restoration program to improve water quality, stabilise banks, and reintroduce native habitat structure.
The works include planting 10 species of locally indigenous sub-aquatic and aquatic plants, selected for:
- Nutrient uptake and water filtration
- Bank stabilisation
- Habitat provision for frogs, insects, and birdlife
- Long-term ecological resilience
This marks a transition from weed suppression into active ecological reconstruction rebuilding functional systems rather than simply removing invasive species.
Outcomes
The Centare Vineyard program demonstrates the value of an integrated land management model:
- Goats for large-scale biomass reduction
- Targeted spraying and hand work for precision control
- Aquatic revegetation for long-term ecological repair
- Ongoing staged management to prevent regression
The result is a safer, more accessible property with improving ecological integrity and reduced weed pressure along waterways feeding into Coranderrk Creek.
The farm loves exploring sustainable options so the called in the team of goats.
