Appendix A - Flora and Fauna Survey - Grange Resources

3. Existing Environment
3.1 Physical Context
The Study Area is located within the South Coast region of Western Australia. The closest Bureau of
Meteorology weather station to the Study Area is located at Mettler. In Mettler, the highest mean
minimum and maximum temperatures are experienced in January and February and range from 14�C to
25.1�C, while the lowest mean minimum and maximum temperatures are experienced in July and August
and range from 6.1�C to 16.2�C. The historical average annual rainfall for Mettler is 605.1 mm, most of
which occurs in the April to October period (Plate 1) (BoM, 2011).
Plate 1 Average Annual Rainfall and Rainfall for 2010 for Mettler
The Study Area is located between Albany and Bremer Bay, dominated by the Stirling Ranges. The area
ranges from 200 m AHD in the north-west to 50 m AHD in the south-east along the coast and is
composed of sand plains and sediment. The region is also characterised by wetlands that lie between
the sand plain and the coast, and contains seasonal lakes that form in depressions in the landscape and
are directly linked to aquifer recharge (Rockwater, 2005a as cited in Ecologia, 2007).
The Study Area is located within the Biranup Complex of the Albany–Fraser province. This area is
characterised by amphibolite to granulite facies Archaen and Proterozoic metamorphosed granites,
gabbros and sediments. The Albany area is characterised by many different types of soils including
seasonally waterlogged gravels and loams, sandy gravels and hill soils and waterlogged peaty acidic
sands.
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