Alister Clyne's connection to the Macalister Irrigation District dates to 1932, when his family began farming at the property known as Hillside. The family had previously farmed at Leathorn, Newry, for 50 years.
When our modernisation program came knocking, Alister saw more than an infrastructure upgrade. He saw the chance to transform the business completely.
Armed with a Bachelor Degree in Applied Science (Agriculture) from Charles Sturt University and having spent two years as a dairy nutritionist, Alister returned to the family farm in 2004 with a vision for what modern farming could look like. When Phase 1B of the modernisation program kicked off in 2017, he was ready.
Phase 1B completed in 2020 and brought significant changes to the Southern Tinamba supply zone: a new offtake on the Main Southern Channel, 38 kilometres of new pipeline, and the upgrade of 28 kilometres of existing channels at Riverslea. For Alister, it was the catalyst for a wholesale rethink of how his farm used water.
Growing more grass with less water
Before the works began, Alister had already started making changes on-farm — amalgamating irrigation infrastructure and installing a 500-millimetre pipe and 20 megalitre outlet. But the arrival of the new pipeline unlocked something bigger.
His free-draining soils had always demanded a specific approach: high flow rates applied over short durations to wet the root zone quickly without losing water deep into the ground. The rationalisation work doubled his flow capacity, from 10–12 megalitres per day to 20 megalitres — a result he describes as making “a huge difference.”
But it was the shift from flood to spray irrigation that really moved the dial. Alister converted 115 hectares across his property, saving approximately 350 megalitres of water annually in the process.
“We’re now growing more grass with less water. And while it costs money in energy to pump, it’s an outstanding result,” he said.
Control from wherever you are in the country
The new pipeline infrastructure also laid the foundations for Alister’s ambitious on-farm investments: the installation of a centre-pivot spray system and 140 automated outlets across the property. Irrigation that once required constant on-ground attention can now be managed entirely from a phone or laptop.
“We’ve put in bay outlet automation, channel automation, so that we can run an irrigation programme off my phone or laptop at any time really,” he says. “So, on a weekend or if you’re on holidays and like me — a control freak and don’t want anyone else to control your water — I can still do it from wherever in the country.”
The efficiency gains from the upgraded irrigation system weren’t just about water. They freed up labour, reduced fatigue and gave Alister the confidence to take his biggest step yet: building one of Australia’s largest robotic milking facilities.
Today, the farm milks 1,200 cows through a high-performance, pasture-based robotic dairy — with better animal welfare outcomes, lower labour costs, and a system that allows the team to focus on optimisation rather than repetitive physical tasks.
What the Macalister Irrigation District modernisation program made possible
- 350 megalitres of water saved annually through conversion to spray irrigation
- 115 hectares converted from flood to spray irrigation
- Flow rates doubled, from 10–12 ML/day to 20 ML/day
- 140 automated outlets enabling remote irrigation management
- 1,200-cow robotic dairy — one of Australia’s largest
A partnership built on trust
Alister is candid that modernisation wasn’t always straightforward — but he’s equally clear about the value of having Southern Rural Water alongside him through it.
“Modernisation was challenging at times, but we worked through all the issues with Southern Rural Water and got a good result,” he says. On a day-to-day level, he values the responsiveness and practical understanding the team brings.
“The team understand the critical nature of water for our businesses and will move heaven and earth to find solutions to problems when they come up.”
Looking ahead, Alister remains optimistic — but canny too. Climate is changing, seasons are becoming more extreme, and the pressure to use water more efficiently will only grow. He plans to continue expanding spray irrigation and investing in the farm’s resilience, from shade and housing for the herd to smarter soil management.
What gives him confidence is something more fundamental: the reliability of the Macalister system itself. Lake Glenmaggie may be a small dam relative to its catchment, but it’s backed by a well-managed network that Alister sees as the engine of the local economy — and the foundation everything else is built on.