Barrabool Land System

Download the pdf version of this document: Barrabool Land System (PDF - 544 KB)
To view the information, PDF requires the use of a PDF reader. This can be installed for free from the Adobe website (external link).

Rolling hills with fertile soils to the west of Geelong lie mainly to the north of the present study area, but a small section forms the northern part of the catchment of Thompson Creek. These hills are on Lower Cretaceous sandstones and mudstones similar to those outcropping extensively in the Otway Range, but the landscape is more subdued and the rainfall is significantly lower.

The original structure and species composition of the native vegetation are difficult to determine. The are has been extensively cleared for cropping and grazing and subdivided into somewhat smaller paddocks than the less fertile areas to the south. From the presence of isolated trees, Eucalyptus globulus and E. cypellocarpa formed part of the original vegetative community, and it is probable that E. radiata was also common.

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

These rolling hills have been extensively cleared, and only
single trees remain as indicators of the former native vegetation.

Area: 115 km²	Component and its proportion of land system
Area: 115 km²	1 10%	2 60%	3 25%	4 5%
CLIMATE Rainfall, mm	Annual: 650, lowest January (30), highest September (60)
Temperature, 0^oC	Annual: 14, lowest July (9), highest February (19)
	Temperature: less than 10^oC (av.) June - August
	Precipitation: less than potential evapotranspiration and October – early April
GEOLOGY Age, lithology	Tertiary and Quaternary clay, silt and sand cappings	Lower Cretaceous feldspathic sandstone and mudstone
TOPOGRAPHY Landscape	Rolling Hills
Elevation, m	100 -170
Local relief, m	25
Drainage pattern	Dendritic
Drainage density, km/km²	3.1
Land form	Hill		Valley Floor
Land form element	Crest, upper slope	Crest, slope	Lower slope	-
Slope (and range), %	4 (1-5)	11 (1-15)	8 (2-10)	2 (10-4)
Slope shape	Convex	Convex	Linear	Concave
NATIVE VEGETATION Structure	Woodland	Open forest	Open forest	Open forest
Dominant species	E. ovata, E. viminalis	E. globulus, E. cypellocarpa	E. globulus, E. cypellocarpa	E. viminalis, E. cypellocarpa
SOIL Parent material	Clay, silt and sand	In-situ weathered sandstone and mudstone	Colluvial weathered sandstone, mudstone	Alluvial silt, clay, sand, sandstone, mudstone
Description	(Variable soils)	Brown duplex soils	Brown duplex soils	Grey gradational soils
Surface texture	Sandy loam	Loam	Fine sandy clay loam	Clay loam
Permeability	High to moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Low
Depth, m	>2	1.0	1.4	>2
LAND USE	Dairy farming; cropping; beef and cattle grazing.
SOIL DETERIORATION HAZARD Critical land features, processes, forms	Low inherent fertility and high permeability lead to nutrient decline.	Steeper slopes are prone to sheet erosion.	Steeper slopes are prone to sheet erosion.	Run-off from adjacent hills may result in gully erosion. High seasonal water table leads to waterlogging and soil compaction.

Page top