Paraparap Land System

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Between the lateritic plateaux of the Gherang Gherang land system and the basaltic plains of the Freshwater Creek land system, a long narrow plain extends from the Barwon River near Winchelsea to the middle reaches of Thompson Creek.

Deeply weathered duplex soils are found on most of this land system, with occasional areas of aeolian sand. Remnants of woodlands and open forests are found along many reserves with the unusual occurrence of Eucalyptus pauciflora on many of the better-drained and less fertile sites.

Most areas have been cleared for agriculture and, despite the fairly low rainfall, dairy farming is common. Other uses include sheep and beef cattle grazing and cereal cropping. Soil salting is a problem in many areas and some minor gully erosion has also occurred.

A Study of land in the catchments of the Otway Range and adjacent plains - paraparap

Clearing has been widespread, but an abundance of vegetation
in the road reserve adds an appealing dimension to the landscape.

Area: 138 km²	Component and its proportion of land system
Area: 138 km²	1 35%	2 30%	3 10	4 15%	5 10%
CLIMATE Rainfall, mm	Annual: 600 – 650, lowest January (30), highest August (65)
Temperature, 0^oC	Annual: 13, lowest July (9), highest February (19)
	Temperature: less than 10^oC (av.) June – July
	Precipitation: less than potential evapotranspiration October – mid April
GEOLOGY Age, lithology	Plio-Pleistocene sediments consisting of clayey sand, sandy clay and lateritic detritus
GEOLOGY Age, lithology			Recent aeolian sand
TOPOGRAPHY Landscape	Gently undulating plain lying between basalt to the north and lateritic plateaux to the south
Elevation, m	40 – 130
Local relief, m	20
Drainage pattern	Dendritic
Drainage density, km/km²	2.5
Land form	Gentle rise				Valley floor
Land form element	Crest, upper slope	Middle slope	Crest, slope	Lower slope	-
Slope (and range), %	3 (0-11)	4 (1-7)	5 (2-10)	4 (0-7)	1 (0-2)
Slope shape	Convex	Linear	Irregular	Convex	Concave
NATIVE VEGETATION Structure	Open forest	Woodland	Low woodland	Woodland	Woodland
Dominant species	E. viminalis, E. ovata, E. pauciflora, Acacia melanoxylon	E. viminalis, E. ovata, Casuarina stricta, C. littoralis	E. viminalis, E. obliqua	E. ovata, E. viminalis, Casuarina stricta	E. camaldulensis, E. viminalis, Acacia melanoxylon
SOIL Parent material	Sandy clay	Sandy clay	Siliceous sand	Sandy clay	Sand, silt and clay
Description	Mottled yellow and red duplex soils	Yellow-brown sodic duplex soils, coarse structure	Grey sand soils, uniform texture	Yellow sodic duplex soils	Brown gradational soils
Surface texture	Sandy loam	Fine sandy loam	Loamy sand	Sandy loam	Fine sandy loam
Permeability	Moderate	Low	Very high	Moderate	High
Depth, m	>2	>2	>2	>2	>2
LAND USE	Cleared areas: Dairy and beef cattle grazing on mainly improved pastures; cereal cropping; some sand extraction.
SOIL DETERIORATION HAZARD Critical land features, processes, forms	Low inherent fertility, phosphorus fixation and leaching of permeable A horizons leads to nutrient decline.	Dispersible subsoils are prone to gully erosion and slumping of road batters.	Low inherent fertility and high permeability lead to nutrient decline. Weakly structured surfaces with low water-holding capacity are prone to wind erosion.	Sodic subsoils with high seasonal water tables are prone to soil salting. Dispersible subsoils are prone to gully erosion.	Seasonal saline water table development leads to soil salting. Rapid surface run-off from adjacent areas leads to scouring and gully erosion. Weakly structured surface soils in poorly drained areas are prone to compaction.

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