After more than a century of heavy grazing and cropping, an agricultural property, Neds Corner in far north-west Victoria is being returned to its traditional owners.
The 30,000-hectare property was purchased by Trust for Nature in 2002, which worked to restore the site over the last 20 years.
Now the trust is giving the property back to the Ngintait traditional owners in the largest private land transfer of its kind in Victoria's history.
Standing on land that will soon be returned to his mob, Ngintait elder Norm Wilson said he "couldn't be more blessed".
"It means a lot to me," he said.
"To take the country back as traditional owners, we're ready to care for the land the same way Trust for Nature have done in the past."
Completing the cycle
Trust for Nature chair Gayle Austen said Neds Corner was barren when the group purchased the property from a private agricultural company.
"This incredible property had been degraded by over 155 years of constant grazing and cropping," she said.
"It was just red dirt — no plants, no animals.
Now native vegetation has been reintroduced and pest numbers have dwindled.
Ms Austen said the rejuvenation process was "very rewarding" and now it was time to "complete the cycle" by transferring the land back to the Millewa Mallee Aboriginal Corporation.
"If you look at the history of the property, it had thousands and thousands of years of traditional owners on country," she said.
"Then it had 155 years of farming.
"That didn't suit the land. Then we had 20 years to rejuvenate it and we've made an enormous difference.
"So what do you do now? The natural cycle, it seems to us, is to return it to the traditional owners and make a real contribution to self-determination in Victoria."
Ms Austen said the group was also working to develop legal protection for the site in order to ensure it was maintained sustainably in perpetuity.
Setting a precedent
Mr Wilson hopes the transfer will start a trend.
"I have a lot of respect for [station managers] Peter and Colleen Barnes," he said.
"What they've done out here I've been very happy with and very pleased with.
"We've also got plans to get the country up and let it get back to nature as it once was, make it look like the old times.
"I hope we can set the precedent for other traditional owners around the country and Victoria, so they can get their country back the same way that we are getting our country back."
Victorian Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the state government was contributing $2 million to continue conservation works, including building a fenced "haven" to protect at-risk wildlife from predators.
Mr Wilson said he wanted the land to become a learning site, with the opportunity to invite people from all different cultures to experience the its history.
"We want to show them the country, the scar trees, the coolamon trees, all the artefacts," he said.
