Resource Management and Geography - Theses
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ItemAltitudinal distribution of vegetation in the headwaters of the Wongungarra River, Victoria( 1993)Changes in vegetation composition with respect to altitude were investigated in the sclerophyllous forests of the Australian mountain region. Vegetation was surveyed at 148 sites along two transects which were located to maximise variation in altitude and minimise the influence of environmental factors not directly related to altitude. The measurement, simulation, and estimation of environmental variables revealed that this aim was met except at the end-points of the transects where secondary influences are present.
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ItemEstablishment of grassland forbs in modified urban environments( 1998-04)The use of nature-like plantings to ameliorate degraded public landscapes in Europe and North America is extensive. There is a growing trend towards the use of ecological urban landscape design in Australia. Meadow landscape may have broad applications in the treatment of degraded landscapes in Australia. An examination of suitable establishment and management techniques for flowering grasslands was undertaken at Fawkner Memorial Park. This site contains large areas of severely disturbed and degraded soils, due to past burial practices. Trials on the establishment of forbs via direct seeding and plug planting were undertaken. The management of bulb species by mowing was examined through foliage removal treatments post anthesis. The management of grass biomass through herbicides was also examined. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemThe physiography of coastal dunes, East Gippsland, Victoria( 1978)Coastal Dunes – East Gippsland. Coastal dunes occur extensively in south-east and East Gippsland, Victoria (Fig 1.1). Bird (1965, 1978) and Jenkin (1968) discuss the geomorphology and Quaternary history of the Gippsland Lakes region, outlining several stages of barrier and dune formation. The outermost barrier extends from Corner Inlet to Red Bluff as the gently curving Ninety Mile Beach, interrupted only by intermittent stream outlets and the artificial opening at Lakes Entrance. Along its entire length the barrier is surmounted by dunes behind which lie elongated lagoons and salt marsh. Landward of these are earlier formed barriers. The coastal hinterland is a lowland with relict coastal terraces mantled by fluvial and Aeolian deposits. Active dunes are confined to the narrow outer barrier but older stabilized dune systems occur on the earlier barriers and the coastal terraces. The East Gippsland coast is here considered to extend from Lake Tyers to Cape Howe at the New South Wales border. East of Lake Tyers, the foothill ranges of the Eastern Highlands are closer to the coast and Palaeozoic and Tertiary rocks form bluffs and bold headlands. The sequence of parallel barriers and lagoons is less well defined and the zone of Quaternary coastal deposits less continuous. Sandy shoreline however is dominant – of the 185 kilometres of ocean coast between Lake Tyers and Cape Howe, approximately 145 kilometres (78%) is backed by sand deposits that range from a mere fringe to a broad zone up to 7 kilometres wide. (From Introduction)
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ItemThe interaction between the environment land use and hydrology of the Bogong High Plains area from 1850 to 1985( 1990)The Bogong High Plains form part of the' Australian alpine area which contributes significantly to the water resources of south-eastern Australia. The dual factors of a high average annual runoff and low levels of variability by Australian standards point to the value of the area for water production and the need for optimum management criteria. However, the hydrological response of the streams draining the alpine area to changing environmental and land use factors has not been previously addressed. In this thesis the environmental and land use history of the Bogong High Plains Area has been documented. On the basis of historical reports and photographs, management decisions affecting the Alps, and ecological studies in the Area since the 1940s, trends in the environmental condition of the Bogong High Plains Area between 1850 and 1985 have been ascertained. The land use history of the Area has been documented, including: the Aboriginal visits to the area to exploit the Bogong moth; the use of the subalpine and alpine environments by graziers and their stock: the impact of gold milling activities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the frequency, cause and extent of fire in the region; the construction and management of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme; the operation of logging activities in the area; and the tourist use of the region for summer and winter recreation. An examination of the hydrological characteristics of the Bogong High Plains Area then followed. Twelve catchments were selected for analysis, ranging in size from 1.35 to 146 square kilometres, and in altitude from 634 to 1922 metres. Differences in the physical, geological, geomorphological and vegetation characteristics were related to the average annual water balances and hydrological variability. A review of the literature on the effects of fire, forestry, mining, tracks and roads, engineering works and grazing on runoff was made preparatory to an assessment of the effect of land use practices on the runoff characteristics of the twelve catchments. Standard hydrological techniques were used to assess the impact on streamflow of bushfire, insect attack, forestry operations, mining activity, road construction, construction works for the hydro scheme, and cattle grazing. Some of the results were unexpected. Although grazing was the land use of longest duration, the long-term trends in streamflow and inter-catchment comparisons based on differential grazing pressures only partially demonstrated grazing had a noticeable impact on runoff characteristics. The effect of fire, forestry, insect attack and mining activity also yielded indeterminate results. By contrast, the construction of roads and the development of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme resulted in statistically significant changes in streamflow characteristics, including runoff volumes, baseflow properties, and the magnitude of flood events. A model of the environmental history of the Bogong High Plains Area is proposed, incorporating trends in climate, fire frequency, vegetation cover, land use activity, and hydrological characteristics. From the model it is suggested that the occupation of the Bogong High Plains Area by Europeans since the 1850s has resulted in irreversible changes to the hydrological regime which predated the period of stream gauge operation and which could only be partially correlated with ecological trends. The model is used to ascertain the hydrological response of catchments to different combinations and intensities of grazing, fire and site disturbance, in association with present and alternative climatologically conditions.
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ItemDryland salting in Victoria and Western Australia: a literature review( 1982)Soil salination is the accumulation of soluble salts in the root zone in excess of the level able to be tolerated by the vegetation community. There are two processes by which this may occur; irrigation induced soil salinisation, and a group in non-irrigated areas, collectively known as dryland salting. Irrigation salting has been recognised for thousands of years (Jacobsen and Adams, (1958) quoted by Peck, 1978). However no such ancient references are presently known in the case of dryland salting. Dryland salting appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon. In order to review the literature relevant to dryland salting only the major contributions from Western Australia and Victoria are discussed. Dryland salting is known to occur in every Australian state, though as yet discussions of it have not found their way into the scientific literature. The Northern American literature was also omitted as the nature of their problem is different – owing to the geological type. Although their literature would be useful if the review was orientated towards solutions to the problem of dryland salting. The review discussed the changing nature of the literature noting the move from the “qualitative” approach of the early authors (Burvill, 1945; 1950 and Teakle, 1953) to a more recent detailed and “quantitative” one (Peck and Hurle, 1973 and Holmes and Talsma, 1981) . Furthermore it contrasts the amount and type of research completed in Western Australia and Victoria, noting the dominance of the first mentioned state.
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ItemLong-term landscape evolution: a case study from the lower Snowy River, Australia( 1994)The Snowy River which drains the south-eastern flank of the South-eastern Highlands of Australia, has frequently been taken as an example for various models of landscape evolution of the Highlands despite a paucity of primary field data on which to base an adequate description of the river's behaviour. In this study the lower part of the Snowy catchment has been investigated and, based on detailed fieldwork, a reconstruction of its morphological history since the late Eocene has been carried out. In so doing, it is demonstrated that detailed fieldwork provides the key to better the understanding of the Highlands' history. The Snowy River has experienced two phases of rapid incision since the late Eocene. Evidence of the first rapid incision is provided by karst caves formed in the phreatic condition which have not been modified by vadose waters, indicating rapid draining. In addition, fluvial sediments preserved as ridge-cappings indicate the Eocene course of the lower Snowy, as judged by their position relative to basalt of Eocene age. Further, below the Eocene river level there is another consistent level of gravel deposits. These former river levels suggest two stillstands of the Snowy River during its evolution since the Eocene. The modern fluvial system in the vertical plane, which is often overlooked in the literature, shows that many tributaries join the Snowy in the form of high waterfalls. Large knickpoints are features of the long profiles of both the tributaries and the master channel of the Snowy River, and provide further evidence showing the two phases of rapid incision of the Snowy River. The many lines of field evidence from this study show that i) the total incision of the lower Snowy over the last 40Ma is only two hundred meters, half the rate of downcutting previously inferred in the literature; ii) river incision proceeds in bedrock channels by knickpoint migration and the manner of this is different to that in alluvial channels; iii) two major knickpoints, each 100m high, have migrated headwards through the lower Snowy River, the first one resulted from a river course change soon after the late Eocene basalt flow while the second one can be attributed to sea level lowering in the Miocene; and hence iv) it is not necessary to propose tectonic uplift as an explanation of the landscape evolution of this area since the mid-Tertiary. Detailed field examination of this part of the South-eastern Highlands also shows that some of the assumptions underlying existing models for landscape evolution of the Highlands are not valid, such as tectonic uplift by Wellman (1979a & b; 1987), isostatic rebound by Stephenson and Lamberk (1985), and palaeoplain downwarping and scarp retreat by Ollier and Pain (1994). They have all based their models on over or up to 1000m of assumed post-Eocene (or even Miocene) uplift. In this study, it is demonstrated that the size, the diversity and the antiquity of the Eastern Highlands of Australia dictate that initial research into landscape evolution must concentrate first on collecting primary data from individual areas before a general model or models can be proposed.
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ItemSquatters, merchants and mariners: an historical geography of Gipps' Land 1841-1851( 1975)This thesis is a study of some of the processes which created a new geography in a particular region of Australia. Though localised in space it has a wider relevance for the study of its time, for this regional settlement was not an isolated, unique expansion but part of a nation-wide and world-wide movement. And though localised in time, it has a wider relevance for the study of this particular region because the patterns established in these few years set a framework which endures in many respects to the present. The study presents a reconstruction of the geography of a region for the first decade of its settlement, its pioneering phase, by tracing the establishment, growth and change in themes which created the regional character. By looking at the region as an open system, the influence of external forces is studied to see what effect these had on regional development.
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ItemGrazing the high country: an historical and political geography of high country grazing in Victoria, 1835 to 1935( 1980)Someone once said that if there is one lesson man can draw from history it is that man learns nothing from history. In my experience this observation often relates to the commonly held belief that history has little to contribute to the day to day "nuts and bolts" functioning of society. The thinking goes if history cannot supply the answers to practical problems then what is it worth? Such is the view of the pragmatist. Consequently some people will regard this thesis as being interesting in a purely antiquarian sense. If, however, one has a somewhat broader perspective and can see beyond the immediate problems of each day to underlying trends and inherent philosophies, then one will appreciate what this thesis has to offer. For, while it does not provide immediate solutions to existing land use conflicts associated with high country grazing, it does shed light on their origins and development, and hence their basic character.
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Item'It's in your hands': an assessment of the Australian Landcare movement( 1995)Australia's 'Landcare' program is a community-based, participatory program, established by Government, to tackle the problem of land degradation. It has been hailed by some, as the most imaginative sustainable development policy anywhere in the world. There have been many studies which have sought to measure the success of Landcare, using quantitative indicators such as the number of Landcare groups. This thesis seeks to devise alternative ways for Landcare to be assessed and thought about. It focuses upon the practice of Landcare in one particular region of Victoria: a practice which is formed out of the complex interaction of state policy, community aspirations and capabilities and the broader political and economic context. At a theoretical level, this thesis is informed by several areas of the academic literature. In particular, the role of the state apparatus in environmental management, the environment and political economy, and theories of ideology. These theoretical arguments are elaborated in several ways: through a detailed review of the emergence of Landcare as policy, both in Victoria and at a Federal level; through consideration of the complex bureaucratic arrangements which have grown around Landcare; and through a case study. The case study draws upon the experience of Landcare by farmers on the Dundas Tablelands in Victoria's Western District. Through participant observation and in-depth interviewing across seven Landcare groups, some insight is offered into the practice of Landcare in a local setting, for example: the ways in which government rhetoric about Landcare is enacted at the local level; the way in which the Landcare bureaucracy works with, or against, the program; and the way in which funding arrangements contribute to Landcare's effect on-the-ground. The case study draws upon the experience of Landcare by farmers on the Dundas Tablelands in Victoria's Western District. Through participant observation and in-depth interviewing across seven Landcare groups, some insight is offered into the practice of Landcare in a local setting, for example: the ways in which government rhetoric about Landcare is enacted at the local level; the way in which the Landcare bureaucracy works with, or against, the program; and the way in which funding arrangements contribute to Landcare's effect on-the-ground. It is argued that without an improved understanding of its limitations, the Landcare program is unlikely to succeed in the long-term. In the meantime, there are indications that calls for the expansion of Landcare may be to the detriment of the program’s original objective, which was to ensure more sustainable use of agricultural land in Australia. Renewed consideration is urged, of the ways in which Landcare's 'success' is measured.