GREEN SHOOTS AFTER DOWNPOUR
Acacia Turf owner Darren Poole gets amongst the new growth at his Gumlow business after last week’s rain, which has filled his dam and saved him money in power and bore pumping bills.
AT THE END OF THE DAY WE NEED A REALLY GOOD WET SEASON TO FILL THE DAM SO TOWNSVILLE IS NOT UNDER THESE RESTRICTIONS.
ACACIA Turf owners are wearing smiles of confidence after last week’s wet weather freshened up their grass and filled their on- site dam.
Owner Darren Poole said last week’s rainfall had been lovely and given his Gumlow business a timely boost.
Acacia Turf has managed to maintain trade through the dry years with the use of bore water but Mr Poole said there was nothing like rain water.
“As far as grass and trees go, they love it and it makes a big difference,” he said.
“It freshens things up, saves us money and gives a little bit of confidence that we will get through the year and there may be more to come.”
Last week’s falls made a significant impact on the dam at Acacia Turf giving the business a couple of weeks’ relief from pumping and reducing electricity costs.
Mr Poole said the rain made
DARREN POOLE
turf grow twice as fast, however just one week of rain only provided short- term relief for turf farms.
“At the end of the day we need a really good wet season to fill the dam so Townsville is not under these restrictions,” he said.
Acacia Turf has been operating for 25 years, supplying high- quality turf for commercial, industrial and residential needs. The family business had been Mr Poole’s only income stream until 18 months ago when he began sourcing other work “to keep the show going”.
“Business in Townsville has been quiet the last four to five years due to rain downturn and more recently the water restrictions have impacted majorly,” he said.
Mr Poole said the council’s turf exemption for new residential homes, allowing owners to water for the first two weeks, was the saving grace for Acacia Turf as well as others in the industry.
“That’s the factor keeping us going at the moment and without it I doubt a lot of us would still be in our business,” he said. “It would be good to know what their plans are with the exemption and whether they will keep it in place so we can have more confidence.
“They hold a switch and we don’t know if they will keep it on, or turn it off.”
Mr Poole said he had adapted to the drier conditions by selling a more drought- resistant turf.
“We have got a different variety of grass the council is happy with as it doesn’t need as much water and maintenance as original grasses,” Mr Poole said.
He said since the rainfall, demand for turf was steady, however as long as water restrictions were in place, the industry faced uncertainty.
“As much as the general public still want turf, they can only water twice a week so what we really need is longterm water to fill our dam,” Mr Poole said.