Restoring 28 Hectares – One Tree at a Time

When the Slater family first stepped onto Yarnbala in 2015, much of the 28-hectare property was under siege from invasive weeds one being Aleppo pines—a species that was smothering native grasses, orchids and the fragile Grassy She-oak Woodland on Calcrete. Heavy machinery would have destroyed the very ecosystem we were trying to save, so the work had to be done by hand.

Over more than a decade, every mature and seeding Aleppo pine was individually cut, carried and walked out of the property—piece by piece—so the surrounding remnant vegetation remained untouched. What began as a daunting task became a family commitment. Kane and Brooke worked alongside Arj and Tallara, learning the landscape as they cleared it. Seasons were measured not by calendars but by the gradual return of native plants, birdlife and open woodland.

This project became the foundation of Yarnbala’s conservation philosophy: patient, low-impact restoration guided by respect for what is already here. Today the recovering ecosystem stands as proof that small, persistent actions can reverse decades of damage and create hope for critically endangered habitats across the Eyre Peninsula.

Removal of Aleppo Pines