WITH more than 70 kilometres of Murrumbidgee River frontage plus extensive floodplain country, water has always been a key feature of Nap Nap Station, at Maude, west of Hay, on the lower reaches of the Murrumbidgee River.
The indigenous name for the western Riverina locality, Nap Nap, means “much water”, and while rainfall has been scarce in the past 15 months, in a “normal season” that description still rings true – especially when there is a flood event.
"Nap Nap" manager, Hamish Cullenward, points to the mark where the 1950 floods reached in the property. Click to see more in our online gallery.
The 30,000-hectare property, owned by the Melbourne-based Armstrong family since 1986, producing wool, lamb and beef, along with an area of irrigated crop and pasture, has an average rainfall of 300 millimetres or 12 inches – “one (inch) a month in good years”, said manager, Hamish Cullenward.
Hamish knows this from experience – he spent the latter part of his childhood on “Nap Nap” where his father, Tony, had earlier advised the Armstrongs on the purchase of the historic run and was employed as manager.
As his father did before him, Hamish worked across a number of Riverina stations before returning to take over as manager when Tony retired in 2001.
Hamish has experienced both the best and worst of seasons on “Nap Nap”, and was there for the last major flood, in March 2012, when water covered 24,300ha (60,000ac) for three months.
He has both ground and aerial photos taken during that flood which show water stretching for kilometres across the property, with the 1867-built homestead marooned on the sandy ridge which runs through the centre of the property, and alongside the Murrumbidgee River.
“When they built the homestead they must have had a good idea of where flood water would run because it has never flooded,” Hamish said.
Water for “Nap Nap” is drawn from both the Murrumbidgee River and Nimmie Creek into a regulated main supply channel running through the station, and used for stock and irrigation, while regular environmental flows fill swamp areas benefitting not only the local birdlife but also providing stock feed.
Water – like the stock that graze “Nap Nap” – is a valuable, tradable commodity, and the property has a 6000-megalitre pumping license from the Murrumbidgee.
“We’ve added to the licence in the past decade to reach 6000ML because we recognise this is an area where the value of water licenses continues to grow,” said Hamish.
“We don’t use all the water we have, so we also engage in some water trading – this doesn’t entail any hard work, like fencing or crutching, and it’s provided good cash flow in the past seven to 10 years.”
The wider community also sees the value of this commodity and last year the federal government’s water buyback scheme in the Murray-Darling Basin reached the Nimmie Caira flood plain, which stretches between Hay and Balranald and across part of “Nap Nap”.
As a result the Armstrongs were one of 11 landholders on the “Lowbidgee” flood plain system to sign a land and water deal with the NSW government, which led to the sale of a 5000ha parcel of Nap Nap Station, on the south-eastern end of the property, to the government which proposes to turn the wider floodplain area into a mini-Kakadu.
Hamish said the sale had prompted a reassessment of operations on “Nap Nap”.
“Of the 5000ha sold, 3000ha used to be home to a 3000ha organic-certified share-farmed cropping operation,” he said.
“We’re now redeveloping the remaining irrigated cropping and pasture country and improving our water delivery system for both irrigation and stock water using large-scale poly pipe to gain efficiencies.
“At the same time we’ve started redeveloping our irrigated cropping and pasture areas and there is potential to develop new areas.”
These areas include 160ha of winter pasture utilised for weaning and finishing stock, as well as 250ha of irrigated cropping which has potential for future expansion.
Hamish said cropping expansion would depend on not only water allocations but also the value of water traded, commodity prices and the overall balance of the property’s enterprise mix.
“There’s also still areas suitable for opportunistic flood plain cropping above what we crop if flooding occurs at the right time,” he said.
“When it comes to pastures, the property relies on rainfall to grow natural herbage – irrigated pastures provided a valuable backup for when the season turns dry.”
The shearing board of the 1919-built wool shed on "Nap Nap". Click to see more in our online gallery.
Despite the seasonal trials, Hamish and his wife, Fleur, a primary school teacher who works in Hay, have three children enjoying life at “Nap Nap” and are developing an interest in agriculture.
When Darcy, 13; Iona, 11, and Finn, 9, are not attending school in Hay – Darcy at Hay Memorial High School and the younger two at Hay Primary – all are keen to help with jobs at “Nap Nap”, especially when it’s time for mustering cattle on horseback.
“You get great satisfaction in watching your kids take on the challenges that working on the farm presents and learning from both their wins and failures – as long as they have a ‘crack’ but also a bit of fun, they have the best lifestyle you could imagine,” Hamish said.
“Probably what most sticks in my mind from the years working with my father is the understanding there’s no use dwelling on the past and there’s always something new you can learn – you are never an ‘expert’ until you’re probably six foot under.”
Hamish said the children were just at the age where they’re “becoming useful”.
“Darcy seems to be enjoying the lifestyle, but I wouldn’t be surprised if all three have some sort of career connection to agriculture,” Hamish said.
“I’d love to see one or all pursue a career in the agriculture sector.
“Careers in ag offer a great future for young people willing to take them on – if you’re prepared to work hard there are jobs out there.”
