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121. Loch - Bass River Valley

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:
Nyora - 865534 to 885535. The site extends along the Bass River valley from west of Loch towards Poowong.

Image: Sites of Significance Port Phillip Bay
Asymmetrical valley of the Bass River between Loch and Poowong.

Access:
Ferriers Road.

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

Geomorphology:
The Bass River is notable for the extensive development of two sets of river terraces that extends for almost 40 kilometres along the valley. They are well displayed between Bass and Poowong and have been studied in some detail by Brennan (1972). Upstream from the Ferriers Road bridge, several small rapids occur where the Bass River is incised through the alluvial fill and exposes the Mesozoic sedimentary rock. Tickell (1971) mapped three terrace levels in the valley here but Brennan (1972) showed that the lowest level comprised slumped material and was not due to alluvial terracing. The Bass valley narrows north of Loch as the influence of the alignment imparted by the Almurta Fault disappears. The northern valley slope upstream from the Ferriers Road bridge has a number of old landslip scars. The valley is markedly asymmetrical with a steep northern valley side slope contrasting with the gentle slopes of the southern side.

Significance:
Regional. The site represents one of the major river terraces sequences in Victoria and illustrates the control exercised by faulting on the alignment of the Bass River valley.

Management:
Class 2. Quarrying of the terrace material in the area of the site could be permitted on a limited scale. Re-grading and re-alignment of the river channel and intensive subdivision of the terrace areas 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.
Tickell, S.J., 1971. The geology of the Bass River Area. B.Sc. Hons thesis (unpub.) Dept. of Geol. Univ. of Melb.
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