It has been a tough decade for pastoralist Bob Grinham who has watched wild dogs ravage his sheep, terrorise his lambs, and shrink his local community.

Relentless attacks by the dogs on sheep and goats have forced many people to leave the pastoral stations they have called home for generations, or work off-property just to survive.

But for the first time in years, Mr Grinham and other sheep and goat producers in Western Australia's historic Murchison region are optimistic.

Their hopes are pegged on the promise of both cutting-edge drone technology and a multi-million-dollar fencing program to restore the promise of a future on their properties.

Bob Grinham from Meka Station says wild dog attacks on his stock have been relentless. ( ABC Rural: Chris Lewis )

After a hard fight for government funds, a 1,400-kilometre vermin-proof fence designed to protect more than 6.5 million hectares of pastoral land in the region is under construction.

Pastoralists are hopeful the cell fence, known as the Murchison Regional Vermin Cell (MRVC), will pave the way for a renaissance of stock production — positioning landowners to enjoy current high meat and wool prices.

Rebuilding the region

For the Grinhams, who manage Meka Station near Yalgoo, the commitment by WA's Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan to share the cost of funding the MRVC with local and Federal governments came just in the nick of time.

Jingemarra Station in the Shire of Yalgoo contains a variety of landscapes, some of which are difficult to access in a vehicle. ( ABC Rural: Jo Prendergast )

"If she hadn't stepped in and taken over this wild dog fencing, we probably wouldn't be here in six months [or] 12 months," Mr Grinham said.

"We'd be finished. She's saved us and probably a lot of other people.

Our best stories in your inbox Subscribe to Rural RoundUp: Get our best stories from rural and regional Australia every Friday.

"The four or five towns involved and all the regions are virtually dying, economically [so] if we can stop this influx of dogs and get the stations to rebuild and restock again, it's not just about building a fence, it's about rebuilding the region."

The WA Government has spent just over $1 million on the Murchison Regional Vermin Cell, plus another $4.8 million on repair and upgrades to the State Barrier Fence, part of which forms the MRVC.

The project has also received $2.25 million of Federal Government funding, along with funds from local governments and contributions from pastoralists.

Jorgen Jensen believes returning the Murchison to small stock production will have benefits for the broader Mid-West. ( ABC Rural: Chris Lewis )

Flow-on effects from cell fence

Wild dogs forced Jorgen Jensen to destock Yowergabbie Station near Mount Magnet five years ago.

"From a greater area point of view, I strongly believe [the cell] is the best thing for the country, for the area, for businesses in the area, for ongoing employment, and down the line, [for] industries," he said.

Yalgoo pastoralist Mayne Jenour (with Indi) says sheep and goat industries "are vital". ( ABC Rural: Jo Prendergast )

Mr Jensen, also the Mount Magnet shire president, said returning small stock production to the Murchison would have large flow-on benefits for the broader Mid-West.

"There is no abattoir in Geraldton anymore because they can't find supply," he said.

"This area used to supply a lot of goats and sheep to that abattoir; I believe the sheep and goat industries are vital."

Sending in the drone

At Jingemarra Station near Yalgoo, next door the Grinhams, Mayne Jenour and Nigel Brown are working to build a helicopter drone which will autonomously identify, bait, and map wild dogs.

It is a $386,000 project hoped to revolutionise wild dog control, an issue estimated to cost agriculture $89 million in Australia annually.

Mayne Jenour in the property's 95-year-old shearing shed with a photo of an early load of wool from the shed. ( ABC Landline: Chris Lewis )

Mr Jenour owns and leases numerous grazing properties across WA but is relatively new to the pastoral industry.

He purchased Jingemarra two years ago on the speculation that the MRVC fence may be built around parts of its boundary.

"I was looking on Google Earth, and I was thinking [that] compared to the amount of area you drive on a road compared to the area that is inaccessible, it seemed there needed to be something else you could do to get [baits] into those inaccessible areas," he said.

Nigel Brown is developing a drone to fly across pastoral land, spotting and targeting wild dogs. ( ABC Rural: Chris Lewis )

Defence clearance for drone hardware

Mr Jenour eventually met with Autonomous Technology mechanical engineer Mr Brown and together the pair have been working on the helicopter drone design.

"Our idea is that we make the system as autonomous as possible," Mr Brown said.

"Currently what we are looking at is the system programmed from your computer or the onboard table.

"The flight plan is set up within the PC [and] trigger points are set for the payload, depending what we are using at the time.

"Whether it's a bait dispenser or a thermal imaging camera or day-night view camera, the system will take off, fly the mission itself, dispense baits at those locations, and then come back to base station and land again for refuelling.

"Some of the sensors and equipment do have military defence clearance, so we have to get customs clearance and permits to bring those into the country."

Mayne Jenour and Nigel Brown prepare to fly a drone at Jingemarra Station, near Yalgoo. ( ABC Rural: Jo Prendergast )

The pair said there was a balance between finding the most economical system and one which achieved the best results.

"I see it like an eye in the sky, so we can send it up there at night with its thermal imaging camera and start to find out where the dogs are," Mr Jenour said.

"[We can find out] where they're coming from, where they're going, the corridors, the highways, where most of them are drinking, find dens, and from then have a more targeted approach to dog control."

The helicopter drone is step one of a broader plan to control feral pests using aircraft.

The drone will also be used to monitor stock movements and paddock conditions, and check infrastructure.

Getting the dogs out

The Murchison Vermin Cell is due to be completed in 2021 but once built, what some people describe as the most crucial challenge begins.

For the MRVC to work effectively and stock to safely return, pastoralists say dogs must be removed from within the cell.

Grant Simpson says fencing contracts are generating income for his property, which will help fund a restocking program. ( ABC Rural: Chris Lewis )

"There needs to be a huge effort, a multi-pronged effort on getting a lot more resources in to employ a lot more doggers, [and] drop more meat as bait," Mr Jensen said.

While a staunch advocate of trapping, Mr Jensen also believes technology could play a role in removing dogs.

"I was always very cynical of using drones for pretty much anything out here, but having researched the idea more I'm a big supporter of it," he said.

"I think it has huge potential, both in time saving for existing trapping methodologies, and there is potential for drones to shrink the area that you might be looking in for dogs."

Rare employment opportunities

Construction of the vermin cell and a broader program to restore the WA state barrier fence has also created employment opportunities for local Aboriginal people.

Bob Mongoo is working on the wild dog fence. ( ABC Rural: Chris Lewis )

At Mt Wittenoom Station, next-door to the Grinhams on Meka Station, Grant Simpson has developed a fencing contracting business, employing 15 local Wajarri people.

Mr Simpson said the MRCV had created vital employment opportunities which had dwindled since livestock left the region.

"We had workers and we would get a lot of work off Meka [but] now that sheep numbers are down, there is nothing," he said.

"They love it, the work is the main thing because there is hardly anything around, jobs are hard to come by.

"It's killing two birds with one stone: we're building a dog fence and making money to maybe restock again."