As droughts become more frequent and severe, it’s crucial for our communities to build resilience and adapt to changing climate conditions.
Thank you to the Future Drought Fund, via the Victorian Government and Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) for funding our drought resilience projects during 2024 and 2025.
Reflecting on two years of drought resilience work in WSM
Drought resilience building is an ongoing task for anyone who lives in the Wimmera Southern Mallee. Over the past two years we’ve worked to collectively build that resilience through a range of projects which bring together people and groups from across the region. The following videos, created by FRRR, provide a snapshot of the impacts the following 11 projects have had in WSM and across the nation.
Social Resilience building video
“From small things big things can happen. All these projects have been ideas we’ve known we wanted to do but we just haven’t had the resources to do it …and the opportunity FRRR has created… has enabled these projects to be really exciting” Chris Sounness
Wimmera Southern Mallee – a regional case study video
“I love our community and this funding has given us an opportunity to uplift and build existing connections and strengthen them and it will hold us in good stead in times of drought.”
State Government funded projects
1. ‘Hot property’ – Resilient Housing Audit (led by Wimmera Housing Innovations)
- The Hot Property – Resilient Housing Audit assessed housing resilience in five small Wimmera Southern Mallee towns: Minyip, Rainbow, Berriwillock, Pimpinio and Goroke. These towns have small, ageing populations, low household incomes, predominantly detached dwellings, and very limited formal rental housing. Most are among Victoria’s most socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
- Housing stock is largely older weatherboard construction, poorly insulated and unsuited to projected climate conditions to 2040. Climate science indicates the region will become progressively hotter and drier, with more extreme heat days, reduced rainfall, fewer cold and frost days, and greater climate variability, including storms and fire risk.
- Between 63% and 76% of occupied dwellings in the five towns could benefit from climate-resilience renovations such as insulation, draught sealing, selective double glazing, solar panels, water tanks, and heating and cooling upgrades. However, most dwellings are not suitable or affordable to upgrade to best-practice “passive house” standards. Total renovation costs across the five towns are estimated at $29.3 million, rising to more than $400 million if scaled across the wider WSM region.
- Low property values (generally under $250,000) mean renovation costs are unlikely to be recovered, limiting private investment. While smaller dwellings are needed, downsizing options are constrained by the poor condition and economic viability of existing housing stock.
2. Energy and Agriculture – Resilient Farming
In response to some important questions being raised by farmers around being involved in energy projects, WSM Development engaged the services of independent consultants to produce research to help landholders make informed decisions.
- Macquarie University’s Dr Madeline Taylor launched the Justice-Driven AgriWind (JAW) Framework
- Dr Kate Burke from Think Agri and Tayla Blight from Pinion Advisory delved into economic impacts on a farm business of being involved or not being involved in a wind energy project.
- Adrian Roles from JMAJ estimated effects of transmission lines on two of the main agricultural technologies employed on today’s modern farming businesses: GNSS and mobile telecommunications.”
- Chris Stallard and Mark Callanan from Amroc Advisory produced a feasibility report about the impacts of energy infrastructure projects on farming businesses. They have talked to 50 farmers and will continue to talk with farmers, energy companies and governments to gather input on concerns and solutions.
See research reports, presentations and webinars here.
3. ‘Midday at the Oasis’ – Resilient Green Spaces (led by Wimmera Catchment Management Authority)
- In 2023 community members identified the need for regional towns to have at least one priority green area for people to use when the next drought hits. The result was Midday at the Oasis project.
- Six participating council scored open spaces based on a range of factors including shade, water and facilities, historic use, vegetation, capacity and services. They were also asked to identify and to suggest any shovel-ready schemes for future funding.
- Horsham Rural City prioritised four sites at Dudley Cornell Park, the Riverfront and Gardens Precinct, May Park and Natimuk
- Yarriambiack listed 16 sites: one site in Murtoa, Yaapeet and Beulah, two in Hopetoun and Brim, and three in Minyip, Hopetoun and Warracknabeal.
- Hindmarsh identified eight sites, including two spaces each at Nhill, Dimboola, Jeparit and Rainbow, with a shovel-ready project at Jeparit Swimming pool
- West Wimmera flagged 13 sides including two projects at Kaniva, Edenhope, Apsley and Serviceton, one at Goroke and four at Harrow. These included four shovel ready projects.
- Buloke prioritised 15 sites in total, three at Birchip, Donald, Charlton, Wycheproof and Sea Lake. Five of these were deemed ready for further development.
- Northern Grampians selected 21 sites across eight towns, including four projects which were ready for development.
Read the full report Green Spaces FINAL REPORT Midday at the Oasis – Wimmera Green Spaces
4. ‘We’re Better Together’ Partnership Network
In early 2025 Harrow and District was dry, paddocks were bare and the community facing one of the worst droughts in decades.
In spite of these challenges a dozen locals signed up for a new We’re Better Together partnership aimed at bringing people together to build resilience and connection.
Over the next six months many things happened.
Partnership members asked the community what they wanted and needed to build their resilience and connections and then successfully organised and ran six events to support the community – young and old. People sang, cooked, feasted, listened, talked, honed their mental health skills and even produced a children’s book.
They also made new friends, laughed and learned plenty – and it even started to rain.
As members said at the end of the process:
“I feel it supported the community through an extremely difficult and demoralising time of relentless drought, directly impacting farming families but with the emotional, financial, etc. effects felt throughout the community. It brought light, laughter, gathered people around food…”
“Got everyone together, thinking, discussing and hopefully giving people a little hope.”
WVPHN_We’reBetterTogether_EvalReport
We’re Better Together Partnership – The Road Ahead Report – FINAL
5. Action Stations (led by Wimmera Catchment Management Authority)
- Survey and interviews with farmers user will be carried out to establish baseline information on use and confidence in interpreting soil moisture portal data, recommendations for extension and follow up assessment to measure growth in use and confidence.
- CMA to allocate $5000 to acquire an additional five units to the network, with priority given to existing gap areas. Work with Integrated Irrigation to identify Wimmera farmers with installed units. Offer to pay/reimburse for their upgrade from 3G to 4G, in exchange for adding their data to the portal until EOFY 2026.
The Wimmera CMA is helping landholders to improve their understanding and use of the Soil Moisture Portal, which is supplied from a network of 72 on-farm weather stations. When used well, this soil data can be critical in good farm decision making and business resilience.
6. Drought-Ready Think Tank – July 3, Horsham Town Hall
- This event provided an opportunity to build community capacity, capability or connectedness around drought preparedness and resilience and review and consider the next steps to further build drought resilience in WSM.
- Participants heard about each of the 11 project’s background, outcomes, lessons learned.
- They then collectively contributed to the region’s next steps in drought preparedness, including embedding drought resilience into other regional and local strategic planning processes.
Drought-Ready-Think-Tank-Master-Slide-Deck
Images from Drought Ready Think Tank
FRRR Projects
7. Connection and Community Communications
Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience (CACR) group – oversees projects and discusses issues around climate and resilence.
Community connector role – Coordinates the 11 drought projects and connects across the community. See Simone Dalton profile here.
Federation University Service mapping project – Found business connects too little too late to resilience services and identified need for more active ways to engage business in early resilience responses.
Future Drought Fund – Community Impact Program – Small Business Resilience Supports – Fed Uni report
Development of WSM Business Connect – Formerly the HR Network this group aims to connect, inform, engage and support business in our region.
WSM Get Ready for Drought Survey – In October-November 2024 WSM people were asked about their experiences in previous droughts and things needed to better prepare and respond to future droughts and challenges . This is a short summary of their responses. Get ready for drought survey (3)
WSM Get Ready for Drought campaign – Stories of resilient people, communities, responses and activities to inspire and support our region in good and bad times. Include ways to seek support and is published in an array of communications channels.
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Elisabeth Cuming
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Jo Bourke
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Adie McDermott
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Ron Penrose
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Kangaroos
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Girls and Grass
- Get Ready for Drought Story – The Brolga
- Get Ready for Drought Story – Talk the Talk
- Get Ready Stories – Multicultural Youth
- Get Ready For Drought Stories – Building fences and hope after fire
- Get Ready Stories – Sky’s the Limit for mature workers
- Get Ready stories 200 years of drought resilience
- Get Ready for Drought Stories -We have done this before – stories from Climate Eyes
- Get Ready Stories – Busness Ready for Disaster
- Get Ready Stories -Steven Hobbs
- Get Ready Stories – Top 10 resilience tips and list of all tips
Get Ready Magazine
We’ve combined all our inspirational stories of resilience into one large magazine – Get Ready. It is a celebration of our region’s strength and wisdom and includes more than 100 home grown tips to help us all continue the ongoing process of building and maintaining our personal and collective resilience.
8. Migrant Youth Project (led by WSM Development Settlement Services)
Provision of migrant youth activities in Nhill and Horsham.
Regular events and discussion about drought and resilience building activities to help young people and their families better understand and be able to respond to drought and other challenges.
Activities include family days, camps, farm visits, art classes and regular meetings at both Horsham and Nhill.
Drought Resilience: Multicultural Youth – Wimmera Southern Mallee Development (wsm.org.au)
9. Ranch Billabong (led by Wimmera Catchment Management Authority)
Ranch Billabong, a small body of water, now connected to the Wimmera River with a pipeline. This is a significant site for the Wotjobaluk Nations peoples and is managed by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council (BGLC
This project has created a siphon to bring water from the Wimmera River across the road to this billabong.
It involves engagement around future water management at the site.
10. Masterclass Project (led by WestVic Business)
Creating business networks to future-proof towns
Spark Strategy is working on consultations with communities in WSM, Southern Grampians and Ararat LGAs, as well as progress associations action groups and community groups.
They have explored how to prepare their precinct or small town for times of drought. In smaller rural townships business is critical for the wider community.
11. Rural Leadership Opportunities (led by Australian Rural Leadership Foundation)
‘Change Makers’ Workshops November 2024 and May/June 2025.
- Assess your region’s readiness for change.
- Explore how change happens and how to overcome resistance.
- Learn what it takes to be a positive change agent, have the drive to build new things, how to manage setbacks and work creatively and purposefully with others.
Read more here: ‘Natimuk workshop helps locals to make change’
Drought Supports Available to the Community
As of March 2025
Federation University Campus
Level 1, Building C289 Baillie Street, Horsham VIC 3400
0429 811 744
info@wsm.org.au