Power couple Craig Carter and Nicky Chirlian are the pioneering figures behind the project. They are watching their visions for landholders come together, despite some setbacks.

And recognition for their landmark work is beginning to spread right across the region. The project is set to feature in a documentary from Nviro Films, with Suzannah Cowley and team already getting the tape rolling.

Their efforts have also garnered them a nomination for the New England North West Landcare awards, the nod coming from a farmer and landholder in Inverell.

The pair are no stranger to the awards. They were named runner-up at the awards in 2019, for Excellence in Landcare Farming.

They then took home the Champion gong for Australian Government Innovation in Agricultural Land Management at the 2019 State Landcare Awards.

"It's great to see that support coming from within the region," Ms Chirlian said.

"Projects like this work if people work hard to stay in touch and to support each other, and I think that's working."

The project arose from the LLS Check, Ready, Grow program, aiming to regenerate the water holding capacity and functions of the soil profile in the Upper Mooki catchment.

While the long-term visions remain firmly in place if years out of sight, the difference in the short term can already be seen.

"The plan was conceived during a drought. Now we've had rain, it's set us back mainly with the earth works required," Mr Carter said.

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Now six projects have been completed, and the others are "well and truly ready to be finished in a reasonable time".

"One of the projects involved fencing country and fencing the creeks out so they could manage grazing in the riparian areas separately to grazing the paddocks and grasses on the flood plain," Mr Carter said.

"That's something that could take almost 10 years to really impact, because we have to see the creek bank start to revegetate."

Other parts worked immediately, like diverting water away to stop erosion issues and put it into dams.