Rural Strategy - Surf Coast Shire

Surf Coast Shire Rural Strategy Review
Final Report
10.5 Precinct 3 Mixed Farming
10.5.1 Description
Precinct 3 extends east – west across the Shire, with the Princes Highway forming the
northern boundary of the precinct, and the Cape Otway Road and Hendy Main Road
generally defining the southern boundary.
Current land use
This precinct is predominantly used for beef and sheep grazing, though farms across the
centre and eastern end of the precinct have a greater predominance of being managed for
rural lifestyle and landscape purposes. A small, but economically significant, irrigated
horticulture industry has developed based on the availability of recycled water from the Black
Rock Sewerage Treatment Plant. Products include hydroponic tomatoes and turf and these
businesses make a significant contribution to the Shire’s economy.
Settlement patterns and urban development
The settlement pattern is generally scattered farmhouses with a more dense settlement
pattern in the east, including the Freshwater Creek area and two low density residential
hamlets of Lower Duneed and Connewarre, and a more sparsely settled pattern in the west.
The township of Moriac is centrally located in the precinct, with Winchelsea on the northernwestern
boundary and Bellbrae, Torquay & Jan Juc on its eastern boundary. West of Moriac
on the Cape Otway Road is an old, undeveloped township (Modewarre) which is not
acknowledged as an urban settlement by way of its rural zoning.
Allotment and tenements sizes
There is a pattern of medium to smaller allotments and tenements, generally less than 60
hectares, interspersed with larger holdings through the central and eastern end of the
precinct, whereas in the west the predominant land holding is greater than 80 hectares. The
Modewarre township comprises numerous small lots held in only a few ownerships.
Agricultural quality
The agricultural quality of the land across the precinct is predominantly Class 2-3 (high to
moderate) with pockets of Class 1-2 (high) adjacent to the Barwon River in the west and
Class 3 (moderate) and Class 4 (low) interspersed throughout. Agricultural quality is
generally fairly consistent throughout the precinct.
Future access to recycled water for irrigation could result in a reclassification (upgrading) of
agricultural quality class for land in the south-eastern end of the precinct.
Landscape characteristics and objective
The landscape character type is predominantly that of the Western Plains (GORLASS,
2003) comprising the sub-categories Winchelsea Western Plains in the west and Undulating
Mixed Farming in the east. The landscape comprises flat to gently rolling topography
occasionally divided by shelter belts, with some stands of remnant vegetation mainly
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