Vegetation management of Chenopod rangelands in South Australia

Abstract

In 1896 the leading South Australian pastoralist Peter Waite specified how the grazing of sheep on chenopod shrublands in South Australia should, in his opinion, be managed. In 1919 George Nicolson put most of Waite's specification into practice on Roopena station near Whyalla, South Australia. The present paper reproduces Waite's original article and then reviews six decades of Nicolson experience with the principles. The principles involve the close subdivision of the shrubland into small paddocks (2000 ha or less), each with permanent water, flock sizes limited on any water to 350 sheep and preferably only 250, and overall hght stocking to about 6 ha per sheep. These features aim towards a profitable and stable pastoralism with preservation of the shrubland and no destocking requirements during drought. The Nicolson experience has demonstrated the advantages of this method with profitable pastoralism, stable stocking rates even though record droughts occurred, and very well preserved shrublands.