"The drought really knocked the property down to a very sad state, with dead ground cover and bare earth. Trees and grapevines died.
"Lack of water was a problem, it cost me a fortune to keep feeding the remaining cattle I had. I have dams, but they soon drained (or had poor water quality). The Gloucester River that I am on reduced to a trickle and having a water license is useless if there is no water to be had.
"I needed to do something about a backup water supply, and I saw an online article about farmers in Queensland that had used Sustainable Water Solutions to help them and they were getting some good results.
"I contacted this company as it seemed to be a sensible way forward. I accepted the quote for a geological survey as I saw that they knew what they were talking about, and also based on the results they were getting elsewhere.
"They explained the science of locating water and I likened it to an ultrasound or seismic testing of what might be under my property when it came to water.
"The science that was explained to me helped me make the decision. On-site testing and the report that came back built further confidence.
"I applied to the State Government water regulatory body and got approval to proceed with drilling a water bore on my property, and as predicted, water was found at the 20, 80 and 138 metre levels. From the seismic survey the deeper level was the more likely to produce good quality water in sufficient quantities.
"I set up bore head taps and piping to be able to measure and control in a predictable way the water coming up out ofthe ground.
"With this water supply, I feel in a better position to get through inevitable future droughts. I don't want the trees, gardens, and the vineyard to again die nor my cattle to suffer or be sold off as they were in the last drought.
"The volume and quality of the water are within the range tolerances that I wanted, fit for human consumption.
"My result from the investment made is great and the service from Louis and the Sustainable Water team was outstanding."