ALMOST a year on from the completion of a cluster fence that incorporated 50 properties in the south-west Queensland district of Morven, livestock producers have seen significant gains.

About 320 kilometres of fence was erected, along with a 79km dingo barrier on the northern edge, added to 50km of private fencing, which had a 53cm footer attached.

Will and Narda Roberts run 1670 breeding Merino ewes at Victoria Downs in the district.

After scanning to a 90 per cent conception rate, the real impact of the exclusion fence and dog eradication was revealed when the marked rate proved even higher.

It’s a vastly different situation to recent years, when the scourge of wild dogs relentlessly tormented on the 13,000-hectare property.

“We lost a thousand grown sheep from August to February, which was shearing to crutching,” Mr Roberts said.

“And we scanned all our ewes last year and then went on to lose about 85pc of our lambs.”

POSITIVE IMPACT: A dramatic increase in lamb survival rate was a delight for the Roberts family this year, including Candice (pictured). Photo: Andrea Crothers

Daughter Candice returned to the property two years ago and now balances jobs at Victoria Downs with accountancy work in Roma.

“We were seeing dogs every day nearly,” she said.



“[It was] pretty devastating. We knew we were losing a lot of sheep and lambs, but didn’t expect that many.

“Going out into the paddock and coming across mauled sheep is one of the hardest things because you know there isn't much that you can do for them.



“Finding a lamb struggling to breathe because of puncture wounds to its chest is enough to make you cry.”



Candice Roberts returned home to Victoria Downs two years ago. Photo: ANDREA CROTHERS.

Pasture regeneration has benefited from the fence.

The Downs country features Mitchell grass with a component of Blue grass, and in better seasons Flinders.



Mr Roberts said the ability to block migrating kangaroos had enhanced his rotational grazing system.

“Once it rains if we’ve got control of total grazing pressure then we’ll see significant gains in total pasture production,” he said.



The Roberts are now at the point where they’re looking to re-establish threatened native fauna, such as koalas and bilbies, inside the cluster fence.



The Roberts have met invasive animal researcher Dr Ben Allen from the University of Southern Queensland, who was visiting sheep producers in western Queensland to develop his FOFI5M strategy.

The scheme focuses on eradicating five pests, reintroducing five threatened species and rebuilding Queensland’s sheep flock to five million.

Mr Roberts is avid about getting the property “in as good as order as [he] can” for the next generation.

Will Roberts. Photo: ANDREA CROTHERS.

The story Wild dog fence reboots this Qld sheep operation first appeared on Queensland Country Life.