Rural Strategy - Surf Coast Shire

Surf Coast Shire Rural Strategy Review
Final Report
concentrated along the Barwon River, Thompson Creek and in pockets around Freshwater
Creek. Other features include the 2 large water bodies of Wurdi Boluc Reservoir and Lake
Modewarre. Around Breamlea in the eastern end, the landscape is characterised by
saltmarshes centred around the lower reaches and estuary of the Thompson Creek.
The key characteristics of the precinct include:
An open, undulating terrain with a rural outlook from road corridors.
Long distance views to a low horizon in the west and east, contrasting with a sense of
enclosure in the centre aided by undulating topography, remnant vegetation and shelter
belt planting.
Large paddocks, occasionally delineated by shelter belts.
Indigenous vegetation emphasising some landscape features (Barwon River, road
reserves).
The character of simple farming structures and their discreet placement among the vales
and trees.
The landscape objectives for the precinct, noted in GORLASS, include:
To increase indigenous vegetation in the precinct, particularly adjacent to road corridors
and waterways, while retaining a rural outlook from inland main road corridors.
To emphasise the sense of enclosure in the hinterland landscape, maintaining shelter
belt planting as a feature of the area.
To recognise the contribution of farming structures to the character of the working
landscape.
To improve the appearance of residential and other development located on the fringes
of townships, particularly on hill faces and ridges.
To minimise the encroachment of urban structures, signs and development into the
landscape, particularly in the low lands, hill faces and main road corridors.
To protect wetlands and saltmarshes from the impacts of urban development and
agricultural practices.
Environmental Values
The precinct is within both the Victorian Volcanic Plain and Otway Plain bioregions. Prior to
European settlement in 1750 the Victorian Volcanic Plain bioregion featured extensive native
grasslands with small patches of open woodlands and riparian vegetation along the rivers
and shallow lakes. The Otway Plain bioregion featured open forests with heathy
understorey dominated by Eucalyptus particularly River Red Gum along drainage lines.
Heathy and native grassy woodlands and coastal scrubs dominated the coastal areas.
There has been substantial clearing of all vegetation types particularly those on the more
fertile soils utilized for agriculture and along the coast as a result of urban and tourism
development.
The precinct includes a series of lakes, rivers, creeks, wetlands, swamps and estuaries.
Lake Modewarre, Lake Dubin, and Lake Gherang are all shallow lakes and are significant
wetlands in the Victorian Volcanic Plain Bioregion. The lakes are flocking sites and provide
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