MEDIA RELEASE –
9 March 2010
Yarra property a prime example for commercial farmers
A vineyard and cattle operation in Victoria’s Yarra Valley is leading the way to show how a
working farm can thrive while helping to protect the environment.
Tibooburra Vineyard and Angus Stud is located at Yellingbo in the upper Yarra Valley, 60kms
east of Melbourne. It is a working farm, producing premium grapes from an 85-acre vineyard
and supplying branded Angus beef to the domestic market including Melbourne restaurants.
A successful offshoot of the vineyard operation is the Tibooburra estate wine label and its
premium Solitude range, with its 2008 Pinot Noir rated in Gourmet Traveller Wine’s Top 100
new wines (Oct / Nov 2009).
Most recently, Tibooburra’s beef and wine featured at a paddock – to – plate celebration at St
Jude’s Cellars, Fitzroy, as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
The Tibooburra property, which is owned and operated by three generations of the Kerr family,
prides itself on its commitment to the environment recognising that best practice land
management has benefits for both the farm and the environment.
The property has also taken advantage of funding available through the Australian
Government’s ‘Caring for our Country’ program in conjunction with the Port Phillip and
Westernport CMA and the Yarra4Life Program, to help protect important environmental assets
in the area.
Tibooburra has been allocated over $20,000 to help fund the supply and installation of fencing
around more than 30 hectares of remnant woodland present on the property and to undertake
blackberry control which will be completed this autumn.
A portion of the fencing work was completed in February, to help keep cattle out of remnant
bush and gullies, which in turn helps the woodlands to regenerate, provides improved habitat
and helps protect wildlife in the Yarra Valley.
From a commercial point of view, fencing cattle into grazing areas and out of waterways and
woodlands can also help prevent stock from getting stuck (cattle can be time consuming for
the property manager to retrieve) and help protect the quality of water in streams and dams.
Yarra4Life Program Coordinator Adam Shalekoff says “Both the farmer and the environment
will benefit from this program. The farmer can have healthier and more productive cattle, and
at the same time be working to protect and improve the local woodlands, wildlife and
waterways.”
Tibooburra Production Manager Greg Kerr says the funding helps the family to continue its
commitment to the environment. ”Tibooburra has implemented improved environmental
management practices in a number of ways across the property. We minimise our chemical
and fertiliser use, we work collaboratively with Melbourne Water and Yarra 4 Life to protect
eco-systems and stream habitats and we have protected and increased the area of local
native vegetation on the property.”
Wedge-tailed eagles, wallabies, kangaroos, goannas, owls, kingfishers and echidnas find
sanctuary on the property. Some of the more elusive inhabitants include the platypus, sugarglider possum and lyrebird.
The works done are part of the Yarra4Life Program and contribute to the Australian
Government’s national target of “Increasing by 6,700 the number of farmers in priority regions
adopting activities that contribute to the ongoing conservation and protection of biodiversity”.
Adam Shalekoff says “working in the Yarra Valley to help protect and enhance important
environmental sites is important, and working with land owners like Tibooburra who have a
commitment to doing it the right way makes a big difference to helping us achieve our goals.”
“Tibooburra is a wonderful example of environment and business working together. We still
have funding available and other farmers in the eligible area who are interested in the
Woodland Program should see if the program might also be right for them.”
For more information about the program and Woodlands funding contact:
Adam Shalekoff - Yarra4Life Program Co-ordinator
P: 03 8781 7962
M: 0409 231 756
E: adam.shalekoff@ppwcma.vic.gov.au
www.yarra4life.com.au