Project Overview

In 2022, BackTrack was gifted Cubba Cubbah, a farm in the New England region of NSW. The property represented a generational opportunity to connect young people with place, purpose, and possibility, while also securing the long-term sustainability of BackTrack’s work. Training in agriculture, conservation, and land management is steadily transforming Cubba Cubbah into a site of learning, healing, and regenerative enterprise.

In 2024, Macdoch Foundation provided a grant to support this work by funding a flora and fauna survey to guide stewardship, installing stock water infrastructure, and building safe, functional cattle yards. Now, BackTrack is looking ahead with its 100-Year Vision, an ambitious project led by Bernie to imagine the future of Cubba Cubbah over the next century, spanning environmental sustainability, farming, food security, recreation, training, and community use. Young people, alumni, Elders, futurists, and the local community are all contributing to shaping this vision.

Why this Work is Important

BackTrack’s model succeeds because it meets young people where they are and builds pathways toward the futures they want. Cubba Cubbah extends this approach onto the land, creating a place where young people can gain qualifications, learn practical skills, and build a sense of belonging.

The development of the farm aligns with our commitment to healthy communities, nature-positive systems, and intergenerational thinking. Supporting BackTrack’s land-based enterprise helps strengthen rural youth pathways into employment, improve ecological stewardship, and secure a long-term home for the organisation’s work. The vision is bold: embedding learning, wellbeing, and regenerative practice for the next 100 years, creating a multi-generational legacy for the farm and its people.

Outcomes and Impact

Our support has already enabled BackTrack to establish safe, functional operations at Cubba Cubbah and put in place an ecological care plan to guide its stewardship. These early steps are now opening the way for the farm to become a place of genuine transformation.

Over time, Cubba Cubbah will provide accredited training in agriculture, conservation, and land management, while also creating pathways into employment across rural industries. The property itself will serve as a therapeutic environment, supporting mental health and resilience by giving young people the chance to work with Country and see the tangible results of their efforts.

As the enterprise develops, regenerative farming practices will be demonstrated on-site, helping to influence the wider region. Revenue from farm activities will also help sustain BackTrack’s broader youth programs, ensuring that future generations gain not just skills and qualifications, but also a strong sense of connection, purpose, and belonging.