GL30 (8422) Rotomah Island

This information has been developed from the publications:

Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in Central Gippsland (1981) by Neville Rosengren, M.S McRae-Williams and S.M Kraemers.
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Gippsland Lakes Catchment (1984) by Neville Rosengren.
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in East Gippsland, Victoria (1981) by Neville Rosengren, M.S McRae-Williams

Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:	Easting 600 to Easting 700, Northing 940 to Northing 005.	Sites GL27-33
Abstract:	Barrier formations, dunes and dune lakes; relict entrance channels; tidal delta islands.
Access:	Road to Sperm Whale Head and Rotomah Island. Boat access only to other areas.
Ownership:	Some Crown Land (The Lakes National Park and Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park), private land.
Geology:	All materials exposed here of Quaternary origin and include Pleistocene and Holocene barriers, dune rings, beach and lake shore sands, and swamp deposits.
Geomorphology:	Rotomah Island is low and sandy and includes beach ridge formations eroding on the northern shore but fringed by Juncus and salt marsh on the more sheltered side. The spacing of the ridge crests, the depth of soil development indicates a Pleistocene rather than Holocene age for most of the island, hence it is a remnant of an earlier barrier formation perhaps equivalent to the inner part of the Boole Boole Peninsula and the southern section of Sperm Whale Head.
Significance:	National. (Sites GL28, GL29, GL30, GL31 and GL32). The association of features here is of major importance in illustrating the evolution of the barrier systems of the Gippsland Lakes. Many details still remain to be worked out concerning the sequence of Pleistocene and Holocene depositional and erosional events and the sites described could be the subject of major studies in geomorphology supported by stratigraphy, palynology and radiometric dating.
Management:	The area requires maximum protection. Extensive grazing, trampling, construction works, roadworks, dredging or quarrying will lead to destruction of sensitive sand ridges and wetlands and could cause mobilization of dunes.

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