On Ballardong Noongar Country, Yaraguia Farm stands as a living example of what’s possible when culture and ecology work hand in hand.
When Oral McGuire, vice chairperson of the Noongar Land Enterprise Group (NLE), and his family began restoring Yaraguia in 2008, the property was tired and worn.
Decades of over-clearing, over-grazing and over-cropping had left deep scars in the landscape.
But Mr McGuire saw more than damage - he saw potential.
“The land was absolutely scarred and traumatised by the activities of the last 150 years,” Mr McGuire said.
“We wanted to heal the land.”
That healing began with a bold and simple vision - to plant one million trees across the property.
Each tree would play a role in bringing the land back to life - stabilising the soil, supporting wildlife, and restoring the natural water cycles that once sustained the area.
Over time, the plan has become both a symbol and a practical pathway toward regeneration.
Their approach was guided by traditional Noongar knowledge, a way of working with Country rather than against it.
The first step was to stabilise the landscape, slow the movement of water across it, and reintroduce life back into the soil.
“The hydrology of this place is an important part of understanding the waterways,” Mr McGuire said.
“We knew it was important for us to impact that water flow by slowing it.”
Cultural burning became one of the key tools in this restoration.
Low-intensity fires encouraged the regrowth of native grasses, supported biodiversity, and strengthened the resilience of the landscape.
Over time, Yaraguia has become a living model of Noongar-led regenerative agriculture - a fusion of cultural knowledge and modern land management that restores both ecological and spiritual balance.
“Our vision now is to move into an Aboriginal or Noongar-focused regenerative farming practice,” Mr McGuire said.
That vision has proven its worth through the extremes of Western Australia’s changing climate.
After a wet winter reminiscent of seasons past, Yaraguia endured weeks of searing summer heat yet remained green while neighbouring properties turned to dust.
“In the middle of that heatwave, we still had greenery that no one else had,” Mr McGuire said.
“Our trees have evolved over millennia for these conditions - in drought, they produce more seed as a mechanism of survival.”
Each of those trees, part of the family’s million-tree ambition, contributes to the land’s recovery, drawing moisture from deep below the surface, releasing it into the atmosphere, and keeping the environment in balance.
These natural systems, once broken, are now slowly knitting themselves back together.
For Mr McGuire, this work is more than environmental restoration - it’s a cultural and spiritual responsibility.
Healing Country, he believes, requires seeing the land not just as a resource, but as a living entity with which people share a relationship.
“Everything we do has a strong cultural and spiritual purpose,” he said.
“I’d like to see farmers recognise that they’re custodians for the spirit, not just the soil or the water or the food production.”
Today, Yaraguia Farm is thriving - its trees, waterways and soils telling a story of renewal and resilience.
But for Mr McGuire and his family, the work is ongoing.
The goal isn’t simply to restore what was lost, but to demonstrate what’s possible when traditional values and modern agriculture grow together - grounded in respect, guided by spirit, and driven by care for Country.
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