Conservation Plan Hughes Creek Landscape Zone - Strathbogie ...

7) KEY BIODIVERSITY ASSET SPRING SOAKS/PERCHED BOGS
7A) Introduction Spring Soaks/Perched Bogs:
Spring-soak Woodlands are seasonal wetland communities commonly with plateaux and outwash
slopes of granite. These springs support a range of vegetation types in a radial pattern around source
of moisture. The wetter centre contains the taller sedges with species like Ground Fern surrounded by
a shrubby or h-tree, with
Golden Spray found on most intact sites. On the outer edge where it is moist, but would occasionally
dry out, a variety of herbs and small sedges occur. Species such as Yellow Star, Small Mud-mat,
Sundews and Common Bog-sedge occur. Perched bogs occur on all aspects on very gentle slopes
above drainage lines or across hillsides between drainage lines on granitic massif plateau. They are
moist year round, and very wet in winter. Soils are saturated sandy clay, which may be associated with
an impermeable clay layer or a hydrological phenomenon creating a soak or spring effect. The
scattered overstorey consists of Mountain Swamp Gum or Swamp Gum. This occurs over an almost
impenetrable shrub layer, which is a dense thicket of one or a combination of Baeckea, Prickly Teatree,
Ovens Wattle and Heath species. The sedge-rich ground layer of Saw-sedge, Rush, Common
Woodrush and Spiny-headed Mat-rush.
More than 81% of Spring Soak Woodlands and 23% of Perched Boggy Shrublands in the Goulburn
Broken Catchment have disappeared since European invasion. Many of the plants and animals that rely
on these habitats are now threatened or have become extinct. Much of the remnants now occur on
private land and therefore landowner cooperation is essential for the long term protection of these key
biodiversity assets. Current threats include, alteration of natural drainage regimes (particularly through
damming and draining, grazing, lack of natural regeneration, ploughing and pugging, favouring weed
species, weed invasion (particularly Paspalum and Phalaris), increases in nutrients.
7B) Photographic Example Spring Soaks/Perched Bogs:
Example of a Perched Bog BAP Site of Good Condition Hughes Creek Zone
Perched Bog A Key Biodiversity Asset - Hughes Creek Landscape Zone
Photo: Janet Hagen
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