School of Geography - Theses
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ItemDune morphology and the evolution of the Shallow Inlet spit, Waratah Bay( 1989)No abstract available
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ItemRestructuring of health and education services in a Victorian rural community( 1994)No abstract available
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ItemThe soil seed banks of the northern Grampians heathlands and post-fire species dynamics( 1990)No abstract available
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ItemThe influence of four geographical factors on international maritime boundaries( 1990)No abstract available
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ItemThe geomorphology of the little desert, northwestern Victoria( 1999)Extensive systems of 'stabilised', 'relict' or 'fossil' dunes on the margins of many modern deserts have been interpreted as evidence of increased global aridity during the late Quaternary (O'Connor and Thomas, 1999; Thomas and Shaw, 1991; Bowler, 1976). The primary identifying characteristic of a relict dune system is the presence of vegetation cover, which protects sediments from the effects of aeolian activity (Thomas and Shaw, 1991). Other attributes, including sediment characteristics, the degree of pedogenesis and the presence of archaeological sites can also provide evidence of a dune's relict status (Thomas and Shaw, 1991). A relict dune can be thought of as a window to the past, revealing information about the prevailing environmental conditions at the time of formation In general, lower precipitation, higher evaporation and stronger winds than today have been inferred from relict dune systems (eg. Bowler, 1970; Bowden, 1983; Nanson et al. 1995). The aim of this thesis is to examine the age and processes involved in the formation of a number of relict dunes in the Little Desert in western Victoria.
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ItemAir pollution changes in Sydney( 1999)Air pollution is one of Australia's greatest environmental concerns (ABS, 1999). It has been linked with a number of health problems, including heart attack and respiratory dysfunction (Morgan et al., 1998), and is partially responsible for Australia having one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world (Peat & Mellis, 1992). Sydney is Australia's largest city, with climatic and topographical peculiarities that favour the development of poor air quality (EPA, 1996b; Butlin, 1976). Air pollution in the form of atmospheric dust has been monitored in Sydney since 1953 (Butlin, 1976), but it has only been since the early 1970s that important air quality indicators like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and ambient lead have been monitored (SPCC, 1984). Whilst the sources and levels of pollution since the 1970s are well understood, we have no idea of air pollution levels in Sydney prior to this time. This thesis aims to partially fill this conspicuous gap in the history of Australia's oldest city.
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ItemNative title water claims and water resource management in Australia: a study of the Yorta Yorta native title claim in the Murray-Goulburn region( 1997)The High Court case of Mabo and the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) recognise native title in Australia and provide for native title claims by indigenous people. Native title claims under the NTA can extend to waters. The recognition of native title water rights by the Act has introduced a new dimension to the relationship between indigenous people and water management. However, there is resistance to the concept of native title water rights by water management and users. This thesis explores the implications of native title claims for water resource management. There are many native title claims around Australia that include water. The case study for this research is the Yorta Yorta claim on the Goulburn and Murray rivers in Victoria. The Yorta Yorta claim water ownership and propose a joint management framework for future management. This thesis concludes that the most significant implication of native title water rights may be to hasten the implementation of better environmental management practices and regimes. Native title claims may also hasten the entrance of indigenous Australians into the water resource management structure. Joint management brings indigenous people into water management as equals with the existing management. Joint management can be seen as an extension to the current role of water managers, from balancing competing interests, to also recognising indigenous interests.
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ItemWays to Woods Point: the history of a mountain goldfield and its roads( 1985)The Woods Point goldfields, extending from Jamieson to Walhalla, rank as Victoria's richest auriferous region after the Bendigo goldfields (Figure 1). Two mines in the Woods Point goldfields are Victoria's best producers over time : The Long Tunnel at Walhalla with 1,691,572 ounces of gold and The Morning Star at Woods Point with 868,407 ounces of gold. Gold mining at Woods Point spanned a century and although worthy of attention, there is no literature that explains why gold production fluctuated and finally stopped. Also lacking is an account of Woods Point's long-term history and without such a temporal background it is difficult to understand the processes responsible for today's spatial forms. There is no comprehensive record of the routes that foot and later wheeled traffic used to connect Woods Point with Melbourne and no reason given for the number of alternative roads. Some local historians appreciate Woods Point's influence on the prosperity of their province, but this recognition had not been collated into a study from Woods Point's perspective. There is no analysis of the continued survival, without obvious financial inputs, of Woods Point township. This thesis, while reconstructing Woods Point's history and deducing reasons for the erratic gold output and final mine closure, will evaluate Woods Point's significance in the evolution of road links and settlements east of Melbourne. The concluding purpose is to examine the contemporary functions contributing to Woods Point's viability. To achieve the first objective, information will be extracted from references and sorted into an historical sequence. More particularly, a reconstruction of the reasons behind human responses, apparent from this historical record, will be attempted. It is expected that some of these reasons are geographic - geology, topography and climate : some political - availability of official funds and local government policies : and some economic - international gold price and level of overseas demand.