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11. Black Swamp Barrier (Charles Hall Road Site)

  1. Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance - Site C11 - Black Swamp Barrier (Charles Hall Road Site)

This information has been developed from the publication:
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the South Gippsland Marine and Coastal Parks (1989) Neville Rosengren.
    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 (external link) section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location302100. Extending north from Charles Hall Road to the embankment across Golden Creek.

Access:
Charles Hall Road.

Significant Features:
The site extends from the eastern end of Charles Hall Road to the spit at the mouth of Golden Creek. It is an eroded coast that has been greatly modified by construction of embankment and drains the hinterland. The site is the outer edge of a drained tidal embayment and estuary of Golden Creek and is a remnant of a more extensive wetland and sand barrier. The present coast has 5 main elements: 1) a shore platform of cemented but rotted and weathered Haunted Hills Formation gravels and coarse sand; 2) a narrow moving barrier ridge or chenier of coarse sand; 3) a low eroding salt marsh terrace (partly covered by the barrier ridge with peat outcropping at the seaward edge; 4) a recurving spit (Golden Creek spit) built of parallel sand ridges; 5) a mangrove and salt marsh north of Golden Creek which is included for comparison with the coast to the south of the creek.

The shore platform is not a primary abrasion feature but is a surface exposed due to erosion of overlying salt marsh. The apparent cuspate foreland just north of Charles Hall Road is really a chenier ridge beach plastered on an eroding salt marsh. Mangrove stumps seaward of the beach mark the position of the outer edge of the marsh and it is likely that mangroves once fringed the coast north to Golden Creek. Black Swamp is a drained mangrove and salt marsh swamp and the remnant pattern of tidal creeks across this indicate that the swamp was only partly impounded by a barrier formation. The swamp probably extended seaward behind a broad mangrove fringe, the extent of this now shown by the exposed "platform" surface. The barrier/chenier ridge and beach and the Golden Creek spit are therefore recent features post-dating the drainage and enclosure of Black Swamp.

Significance Level:
Regional. The site is one of substantial recent change. It illustrates a change in the style of coastal sedimentation (mangrove and salt marsh to sand chenier) and erosion of a former swamp coast. These may be closely related to drainage and enclosure of Black Swamp.

Management Issues:
No drainage or removal of sand, gravel or rock materials should take place. Vehicles should not be permitted to drive along the beach.

Research & Monitoring Requirements:
The explanation of coastal change given is tentative. More detailed work is required to verify the nature of recent changes.

Public Interpretation Possibilities:
The site could be used to show the substantial and rapid changes that may occur on a mangrove, salt marsh coast.

Main References:
Ferguson, W. H. & Kenny, J. P. L. (1927). Yanakie, Waratah North, Toora, Wonga Wonga North geological mapsheets 40 chains to one inch, Geol. Surv. Vict.

Sites of Geological & Geomorphological Significance - Figure 45
Site 11
Image: Marine and Coastal Parks Sites of Significance
Eroding sand barrier and wide platform north of Charles Hall Road

Image: Marine and Coastal Parks Sites of Significance
Rotted Haunted Hill Formation gravels on shore
platform at Charles Hall Road

Image: Marine and Coastal Parks Sites of Significance
Eroding salt marsh peat and sand chenier
(giving appearance of cuspate foreland) north of Charles Hall Road

Image: Marine and Coastal Parks Sites of Significance
Edge of eroding peat terrace and sand chenier
near mouth of Golden Creek
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