Twenty years ago, Brad Wedlock despaired over the state of Queensland's Mary River at Kenilworth, where every flood cut away thousands of cubic metres of farmland, releasing sediment to smother the southernmost section of the Great Barrier Reef.
Tree clearing, sand and gravel mining and the misguided practices of the past had turned what was once a shady, meandering river into a denuded waterway ravaged by erosion.
Fast-forward to today and despite three floods this year, once-eroded banks are standing strong and stable along a reach of river that is being restored, thanks to community will and the commitment of dozens of people.
"This site here looked terrible, there's no two ways about it; it was a terrible, terrible site. Not a lot of habitat for the aquatic species like the [endangered] Mary River cod," Mr Wedlock said.
"This is immensely different, the habitat values are here, the site is progressing."
Environment at stake
The Mary River is the fourth-highest contributor of fine sediment out of 35 catchments flowing onto the Great Barrier Reef.
But as a project officer with the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC), Mr Wedlock has witnessed the transformative power that community will, funding and careful planning can make.
In 2015, earthmoving equipment started reshaping eroded sand cliffs in sections of the riverbank at Kenilworth, driving in rows of 6-metre-long timber piles that have slowed the flow of floodwater.
ABC Rural last visited the project in 2019, and returning with Mr Wedlock to see how the restoration project had coped with nature's recent extremes was uplifting.
Although trees had been hit by debris, their roots stood firm and fertile silt is building up around the wooden pile fields that will eventually rot away.
Habitat saved
A ribbon water plant called vallisneria, vital to the prehistoric lungfish that swim in these waters, had survived the third highest flood on record.
"After the 2013 floods they all got washed out, so the lungfish didn't have any habitat to spawn in," Mr Wedlock said.
"To see vallisneria still here means that maybe we've slowed the system down enough that it can hang in, whereas after 2013 it took three years for that to come back.
More than 45,000 native riparian seedlings have been planted on Kenilworth's riverbanks.
Ruth and Stephen Carter worked hard to help water hundreds of them on Ubi Station during the height of the drought.
As the native plants grow, the pile fields are disappearing and the 10-metre cliffs threatening their land and livestock are now just an unpleasant memory.
"Each flood, beautiful soil just kept falling into the river," Ms Carter said.
"We've lost a good 10 acres [four hectares] in 40-odd years, so this [project] has certainly protected it beyond any dreams that we ever had."
Seven sites have been remediated at Kenilworth with the help of federal funding, the MRCCC, Seqwater, the Burnett Mary Regional Group, Alluvium Consulting, Noosa and District Landcare and willing landholders.
Erosion repair wishlist
The MRCCC would like to repair at least another 35 more of the worst eroded areas along the 320-kilometre-long river.
"If we had $50 million we could probably remediate them all," Mr Wedlock said.
"There's an investment strategy we've prepared, so it's all doable, and we can't do this all at once either, so the next 10 to 20 or 50 years, we've got work ahead of us."
Ms Carter said she and her husband would strongly encourage other landholders to get involved.
"This project has been a wonderful success and we're overwhelmed by the support we've received from all the stakeholders. They've all collaborated so well, it's a huge credit to them all."
