Bob Davie, 1935-2026 By Catherine Watson
FROM the second highest point on Phillip Island, Bob Davie liked to look across the 92 paddocks of his Ventnor farm – tree-lined fences, cattle grazing quietly, birds moving through corridors across land that was once cleared bare.
Bimbadeen – “place of good views” – told a story of adaptation: from clearing to regeneration, from colonisation to true stewardship.
That belief shaped decades of experimentation, planting trees, regenerating soils and trialling grazing systems.
As Bob’s wife Anne Davie said at a celebration of Bob’s life held at Berninneit last week: “He loved me, he loved his family, he loved Bimbadeen, he loved Millowl, roast dinners, ice cream, Brangus cattle – and he loved carbon!”
FROM the second highest point on Phillip Island, Bob Davie liked to look across the 92 paddocks of his Ventnor farm – tree-lined fences, cattle grazing quietly, birds moving through corridors across land that was once cleared bare.
Bimbadeen – “place of good views” – told a story of adaptation: from clearing to regeneration, from colonisation to true stewardship.
That belief shaped decades of experimentation, planting trees, regenerating soils and trialling grazing systems.
As Bob’s wife Anne Davie said at a celebration of Bob’s life held at Berninneit last week: “He loved me, he loved his family, he loved Bimbadeen, he loved Millowl, roast dinners, ice cream, Brangus cattle – and he loved carbon!”
Everyone got the joke. Bob was a pioneer in the world of carbon farming. And boy, did he love talking about the stuff.
*****
Bob reckoned he became a carbon farmer by accident. When he bought Bimbadeen in the 1950s, with the help of his father, it was covered in tea-tree. “We asked the Department of Agriculture what we should do,” he told the Post in 2021. “They said to plough it all in and that built up a huge amount of organic matter in the soil.
“At an early stage we realised smaller paddocks were the way to go. We divided our paddocks up into 10ha paddocks, and they’re now about 2ha. You put the cattle in a paddock, graze it down then move them out. We’ve introduced dung beetles to increase the microbial activity. The paddock creates carbon by photosynthesis. It’s all going back into the soil. We were a bit ahead of our time.”
“At an early stage we realised smaller paddocks were the way to go. We divided our paddocks up into 10ha paddocks, and they’re now about 2ha. You put the cattle in a paddock, graze it down then move them out. We’ve introduced dung beetles to increase the microbial activity. The paddock creates carbon by photosynthesis. It’s all going back into the soil. We were a bit ahead of our time.”
The view from Hurrican Hill: Bimbadeen became a showcase for regenerative farming.
In the early years, he was just following his own interests. No one was much interested in carbon at the time but he lived long enough to see the world begin catching up with revolutionary ideas that had once seen him labelled a crank.
By 2014, Bimbadeen was officially carbon neutral. More than two decades of research convinced him that most farms actually have a balance of carbon that could be sold as offsets if an Australian government introduced carbon trading.
“He was a remarkable farmer, innovator, and community leader whose vision helped shape the future of carbon farming in Australia," wrote Mary Whelan, of Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI) which aims for zero emissions on the island by 2030.
“For decades at Bimbadeen, Bob and Anne worked side by side to regenerate their land, restore biodiversity, and prove that farming and climate action can thrive together. His legacy will continue through the landscapes he restored, the farmers he inspired, and the community he helped strengthen.”
By 2014, Bimbadeen was officially carbon neutral. More than two decades of research convinced him that most farms actually have a balance of carbon that could be sold as offsets if an Australian government introduced carbon trading.
“He was a remarkable farmer, innovator, and community leader whose vision helped shape the future of carbon farming in Australia," wrote Mary Whelan, of Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI) which aims for zero emissions on the island by 2030.
“For decades at Bimbadeen, Bob and Anne worked side by side to regenerate their land, restore biodiversity, and prove that farming and climate action can thrive together. His legacy will continue through the landscapes he restored, the farmers he inspired, and the community he helped strengthen.”
“Bob’s work transformed Bimbadeen into a living example of what’s possible when innovation meets care for Country." |
In 2018, at a TRPI open day, 350 tonnes of Bimbadeen CO2 insets were auctioned for about $7000. Some of that money helped to pay for five other farms on the island to be carbon tested as a first step to carbon farming.
TRPI open day, 2018, auctioneer Greg Price, Anne Davie, Ric Oldham, who bought the first tonne of carbon inset, Bob Davie and Bhavani Rooks of TRPI.
By then Bob was widely known as one of the gurus of regenerative farming, sought out for interviews and conferences. In 2021, aged 85, he addressed 250 farmers at a beef farmers conference in Bairnsdale. His message was that farmers had everything to gain from zero emissions targets.
“I believe most farmers can become carbon neutral fairly easily. I believe a lot of farmers are already carbon neutral and don’t know it.”
He echoed climate academic Ross Garnaut, who has stated that carbon credits could be as valuable a commodity on the world market as wool.
“I believe most farmers can become carbon neutral fairly easily. I believe a lot of farmers are already carbon neutral and don’t know it.”
He echoed climate academic Ross Garnaut, who has stated that carbon credits could be as valuable a commodity on the world market as wool.
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Not all memories of Bob involve paddocks or carbon. Anne recalled the night they first met in his parent’s guest-house, Erehwon. “It was at about 8pm on Saturday January 12th 1950 when he asked if I would like a piece of bubble-gum and then a dance. The rest is history!”
They married in 1956, after she had finished her physiotherapy studies in the city, and moved to Bimbadeen where Bob and his father had built a house. “It was like a pimple on a pumpkin,” said Anne. “There wasn’t a tree in sight.”
The early settlers had already cleared most of the forest and woodland. Now, on the advice of the Department of Agriculture, farmers were ploughing the last stands of melaleuca back into the soil. With no trees to absorb the ground water, levels rose and by the late 60s, salt scalds were spreading through the paddocks.
For Bob, it was another steep learning curve. Over the following decades, the Davies planted more than 35,000 indigenous grasses, shrubs and trees to combat salinity and provide shelter. As the vegetation grew, the magpies, wrens and kookaburras returned. Land for Nature signs attest that this is sanctuary for native animals.
And the cattle. On Bimbadeen they lead a peaceful existence, Geoff Ellis wrote in 2015. "They graze in paddocks that provide shelter from the wind. No electric cattle prods or plastic sticks are used to control them. All the cattle yard fences and rails are rubber edged. There are no cattle dogs to harass them. The only dog at Bimbadeen is Bonnie who placidly guards the front door of the house."
Community life also mattered deeply to Bob. Anne remembered him teaching swimming at the Isle of Wight pool, including a former wartime navy serviceman who had never learned to swim. Helping him overcome that fear became one of Bob’s proudest achievements.
On the Cowes Primary School committee for several years, he and another member climbed onto the roof with a hose ahead of a ministerial visit, making sure the leaking classrooms were impossible to ignore. It worked. Construction of a new school began the next year.
And he served as a life governor of Warley Hospital. Anne recalled him coming home one day and saying: “Do you know they’re using margarine on the sandwiches at the hospital!” Given that there were 45 dairy farmers on Phillip Island who were struggling, patients were soon eating sandwiches with real butter.
She also remembers his unwavering loyalty and love. As a Phillip Island councillor and long-time member and president of the Phillip Island Conservation Society, she was often involved in controversial matters. It could make life difficult in a small community.
"I was so lucky to have Bob’s support. He was beside me all the way, in everything I did. His loyalty was steadfast."
They married in 1956, after she had finished her physiotherapy studies in the city, and moved to Bimbadeen where Bob and his father had built a house. “It was like a pimple on a pumpkin,” said Anne. “There wasn’t a tree in sight.”
The early settlers had already cleared most of the forest and woodland. Now, on the advice of the Department of Agriculture, farmers were ploughing the last stands of melaleuca back into the soil. With no trees to absorb the ground water, levels rose and by the late 60s, salt scalds were spreading through the paddocks.
For Bob, it was another steep learning curve. Over the following decades, the Davies planted more than 35,000 indigenous grasses, shrubs and trees to combat salinity and provide shelter. As the vegetation grew, the magpies, wrens and kookaburras returned. Land for Nature signs attest that this is sanctuary for native animals.
And the cattle. On Bimbadeen they lead a peaceful existence, Geoff Ellis wrote in 2015. "They graze in paddocks that provide shelter from the wind. No electric cattle prods or plastic sticks are used to control them. All the cattle yard fences and rails are rubber edged. There are no cattle dogs to harass them. The only dog at Bimbadeen is Bonnie who placidly guards the front door of the house."
Community life also mattered deeply to Bob. Anne remembered him teaching swimming at the Isle of Wight pool, including a former wartime navy serviceman who had never learned to swim. Helping him overcome that fear became one of Bob’s proudest achievements.
On the Cowes Primary School committee for several years, he and another member climbed onto the roof with a hose ahead of a ministerial visit, making sure the leaking classrooms were impossible to ignore. It worked. Construction of a new school began the next year.
And he served as a life governor of Warley Hospital. Anne recalled him coming home one day and saying: “Do you know they’re using margarine on the sandwiches at the hospital!” Given that there were 45 dairy farmers on Phillip Island who were struggling, patients were soon eating sandwiches with real butter.
She also remembers his unwavering loyalty and love. As a Phillip Island councillor and long-time member and president of the Phillip Island Conservation Society, she was often involved in controversial matters. It could make life difficult in a small community.
"I was so lucky to have Bob’s support. He was beside me all the way, in everything I did. His loyalty was steadfast."
Anne and Bob at Bimbadeen, 2004. Photo: Gill Heal
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Bob’s life was full of milestones that most farmers could only dream of – awards, invitations, visits to Bimbadeen by very important people – but those who knew him best remember the humour, the welcome, the generosity and the kindness.
Over the past few weeks tributes have flowed for a man universally acknowledged as “a true gentleman”.
Lisa Wangman long-time education officer with the Bass Coast Landcare Network called him “my Landcare mentor and friend, a lovely man in every way who will be sorely missed”.
Adrianna Bootstrap wrote “It was my absolute privilege to land on the farm and to converse with Bob over lunch at the cafe and whilst sampling his soils for carbon. He had the courage and an infectious pursuit to walk a path untrodden. A kindred spirit in this way.”
Former Phillip Island Conservation Society president Jeff Nottle spoke of “listening to his wise counsel,” Cr Tim O’Brien of “a man of decency, energy and vision”.
Former TRPI convenor Zoe Geyer recalled “a truly genuine, caring and supportive person. A great pleasure to have shared so many moments with Anne and Bob over the years” while Lou Curtis-Smith noted that “Bob always had a smile and time for a chat.”
Richard Laing recalled the Davie family’s support for a New Year’s Eve music event at Hurricane Hill. “Without the Davie family support and encouragement they would never have happened,” he said.
It seems almost everyone has a personal memory of Bob Davie. Mine involves a chance encounter in 2014, the day after I first met him. I had been sent by the newspaper I was working for to cover a beef carcass competition in a local abattoir, I think because they suspected I was vegetarian.
Swaddled in white plastic protective gear, amidst carcasses hanging from hooks, Bob and I recognised each other. He also quickly recognised my discomfort. He quietly admitted that he, too, hated that part of farming. It was a kind word at the right time.
We often spoke about farming in the years afterwards. We agreed that it was the industrial farming model that we both hated, and that was the opposite of what Bob and Anne practised at Bimbadeen. They were way ahead of their time in putting animal welfare and environmental sustainability at the heart of their farming operation.
I came to realise that while my decision not to eat meat made no difference to anybody, man or beast, their determination to face reality provided a model that was helping to change farming practices, one farm at a time.
Over the past few weeks tributes have flowed for a man universally acknowledged as “a true gentleman”.
Lisa Wangman long-time education officer with the Bass Coast Landcare Network called him “my Landcare mentor and friend, a lovely man in every way who will be sorely missed”.
Adrianna Bootstrap wrote “It was my absolute privilege to land on the farm and to converse with Bob over lunch at the cafe and whilst sampling his soils for carbon. He had the courage and an infectious pursuit to walk a path untrodden. A kindred spirit in this way.”
Former Phillip Island Conservation Society president Jeff Nottle spoke of “listening to his wise counsel,” Cr Tim O’Brien of “a man of decency, energy and vision”.
Former TRPI convenor Zoe Geyer recalled “a truly genuine, caring and supportive person. A great pleasure to have shared so many moments with Anne and Bob over the years” while Lou Curtis-Smith noted that “Bob always had a smile and time for a chat.”
Richard Laing recalled the Davie family’s support for a New Year’s Eve music event at Hurricane Hill. “Without the Davie family support and encouragement they would never have happened,” he said.
It seems almost everyone has a personal memory of Bob Davie. Mine involves a chance encounter in 2014, the day after I first met him. I had been sent by the newspaper I was working for to cover a beef carcass competition in a local abattoir, I think because they suspected I was vegetarian.
Swaddled in white plastic protective gear, amidst carcasses hanging from hooks, Bob and I recognised each other. He also quickly recognised my discomfort. He quietly admitted that he, too, hated that part of farming. It was a kind word at the right time.
We often spoke about farming in the years afterwards. We agreed that it was the industrial farming model that we both hated, and that was the opposite of what Bob and Anne practised at Bimbadeen. They were way ahead of their time in putting animal welfare and environmental sustainability at the heart of their farming operation.
I came to realise that while my decision not to eat meat made no difference to anybody, man or beast, their determination to face reality provided a model that was helping to change farming practices, one farm at a time.
*****
Bob’s daughter Elizabeth remembers growing up with her three brothers at Bimbadeen, “our family home and farm, our gathering place. The thread that binds us across generations”.
“We grew up with the greatest example of enduring love and its strength. Mum and Dad’s story is one for the ages. They met at 14 and loved each other for 76 years.”
In 2020, during COVID, she pivoted from the travel business into beef cattle and large-scale egg production. Bob was delighted that his daughter had traded her heels for work boots and turned into a farmer.
“It was a special bonding time for us as Dad loved nothing more than to share his farming knowledge, and looked forward to my daily updates on our herd.”
One of the last things Bob said to his daughter was “Don’t forget how you pick a good bull. The stepping out.”
She replied, “It’s okay, Dad, I know. The back foot must land where the front foot takes off.”
He nodded and smiled. The knowledge, like Bimbadeen itself, will carry on.
“We grew up with the greatest example of enduring love and its strength. Mum and Dad’s story is one for the ages. They met at 14 and loved each other for 76 years.”
In 2020, during COVID, she pivoted from the travel business into beef cattle and large-scale egg production. Bob was delighted that his daughter had traded her heels for work boots and turned into a farmer.
“It was a special bonding time for us as Dad loved nothing more than to share his farming knowledge, and looked forward to my daily updates on our herd.”
One of the last things Bob said to his daughter was “Don’t forget how you pick a good bull. The stepping out.”
She replied, “It’s okay, Dad, I know. The back foot must land where the front foot takes off.”
He nodded and smiled. The knowledge, like Bimbadeen itself, will carry on.