The council is developing a 900 hectare irrigation project on Old Richmond Road and has confirmed that an established irrigator from Cunnamulla is keen to grow grapes in the region.

The grape farm could cover 120 hectares, with the potential to expand with packing sheds and a transit hub.

Mayor, Jane McNamara, said the company had already grown grapes at Cunnamulla and Alice Springs and was excited for the new challenge.

“We have been in constant communication with this company and they are looking forward to working in the region,” Ms McNamara said.

“They have decided to be a part of our project as Hughenden is as far north you can go where there is a long enough winter period to set grapes.

“The grapes would be on the vine from September through to November, when Australia usually imports grapes from the US.

“The picking season is at the end of our tourist season, so Hughenden should have people travelling through town for the 12 months of the year.

“This project will prove that you can use the Flinders River and the soils here for intensive irrigation.”

The council-driven project has already progressed with the drilling of two bores. Ms McNamara said two more production bores were to be drilled in conjunction with a Great Artesian bore.

“We tried for a water allocation from the Flinders River and we were knocked back,” she said.

“Therefore we have been doing a lot of drilling exploration to try and source alluvial water, as we need to have around 3500 megalitres to irrigate one farm and be sustainable waterwise,” she said.

“We are also investigating the overland flow, as the site has some old flood plains on it, so we are looking at using them for on-farm storage.

“Once we can establish water sustainability we can then conduct intensive irrigation out there.”

Government officials visited the irrigation site this week and conducted a stepped plan with council.

The Flinders Shire Council will continue the drilling for two more bores before conducting pump testing. Council with then work with the state government to construct a business plan, water management plan and vegetation management plan.

“This is an exciting prospect for Hughenden. The idea is if we can get one irrigator here producing then others will also come.”

“There is nothing much like this in north Queensland which makes it unique to our region.”