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154. Glen Forbes - Bass River Terraces

This information has been developed from one or more of these publications:

  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Westernport Bay Catchment (1984) by Neville Rosengren.
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Western Region of Melbourne (1986) by Neville Rosengren
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (1988) by Neville Rosengren.
  • Sites of Environmental Significance in the Flood Plain of the Upper Yarra Valley Region (1983) by Neville Rosengren, Douglas Frood and Kim Lowe (as part of a study of Sites of Environmental Significance by the University of Melbourne for the then Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Authority).
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 (external link) for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:Grantville - 723424. Bass River valley adjacent to the Glen Forbes bridge.

Image: Sites of Significance Port Phillip Bay
Upper terrace (A) and lower terrace (B) of the Bass River valley at Glen Forbes. Abandoned channels on the terraces are shown by arrows.

Access:
Dalyston to Glenn Forbes road.

Ownership:
Crown Land (Public Land Water Frontage Reserve) and private land.

Geology/ Geomorphology:
The western valley slope of the Bass River at Glen Forbes is cut into Tertiary sediments and at river level a 1.5 metre thick sequence of lignite and shaley lignite beds is exposed. These seams were first noted by Stirling (1892). The Bass valley flood plain is a major landform unit in the Western port catchment. The plain consists essentially of two sets of alluvial terraces, the highest and most extensive terrace being eight to ten metres above present mean river level and lower terrace being five to six metres above river level (Brennan 1972). The lower terrace is narrow and parallels the present river channel and on the terrace surface are a number of cut-off meander bends.

Significance:
State. The Bass valley terraces are amongst the most distinctive in Victoria. They provide substantial evidence relating to the Late Quaternary history of the south-eastern part of the Western Port catchment.

Management:
Class 2. Continuation of the present rural land use is consistent with maintaining the significant features of the site. Extensive excavation of the material of the lower terraces should not be permitted.

References:
Brennan, I.D., 1972. Quaternary studies of two Western port environments. B.Sc. (Hons) thesis (unpub.) Dept. of Geology Univ. of Melb.

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