Jodi & Matthew Wyllie

Business Type

Small/Non-commercial farm

Farming methods

Regenerative Agriculture

Short Property Description

‘Coolabah’ is a 16 acre Equestrian Centre with stables, 3 bedroom house, gardens & paddocks backing on to the Logan River. We have lots of native wildlife on the property including birds, kangaroos & possums.

We have recently joined a ‘Land for Wildlife’ program working with local government to regenerate the natural river ecosystem on our property.

Farm work includes mowing, whipper snipping, chainsawing tree branches, building fences & gardening. Horse work – cleaning stables & paddocks, filling stables with bedding, cleaning & filling horse troughs, oiling tack & feeding horses.

Accommodation  for 2 within our home, or BYO. Shared meals, mixed diet. Vegetarians catered for. No children. No smoking on property. Initial stay 2 days, then negotiable. Prefer 2 week stays, however may accommodate longer depending on work available.

Organic/Biological methods we use

Hand-pulling or cut-and-paint methods.
Mulching heavily with horse manure, hay or green waste to suppress weeds and build soil.
Encouraging native groundcovers to outcompete weeds.
Composting stable bedding and manure for garden and paddock use (instead of burning or dumping).
Use of biological soil stimulants like worm juice.
Rotational resting of paddocks to prevent bare soil and erosion into the Logan River.
Companion planting around the house gardens for natural pest deterrence (e.g., marigolds, basil).
Planting local native trees, shrubs, and reeds to stabilise soil and provide habitat.
Use tree guards instead of chemical sprays around young trees.
Keep some fallen timber and leaf litter for invertebrates.
Leave strips of long grass and wildflowers for pollinators.
When fencing, allow “wildlife gaps” or install wildlife-friendly designs (e.g., plain wire rather than barbed on top/bottom).
Chainsawing fallen branches → cut for habitat piles instead of removing everything.