Discussion Paper - Part A - Victorian Environmental Assessment ...

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ulk milk collection, further increased production. Morerecently, dairy deregulation has led to rationalised andlarger farming units. Dairying remains an importantindustry within the study area, particularly around theKerang, Echuca and Shepparton districts see chapter 13.HorticultureViticulture enterprises centred on the areas of Mildura,divided into irrigation blocks by the Chaffey brothers in1886, and Mulwala from the 1890s. Irrigation todaycontinues to support vineyards, as well as the cultivationof fruit, olives, nut groves and vegetables in Victoria.Major production areas are the Goulburn Valley,Robinvale–Mildura, Swan Hill and Cobram areas.Tobacco and hops are grown in the King, Kiewa andOvens valleys. Each region has its own characteristicsand produces a range of different products (seechapter 13).ForestryTimber ProductionThe river red gum forests of the study area have beenutilised for timber production over the years of Europeansettlement, and before that time, were extensively usedby Indigenous people. The first white settlers harvestedtimber for fence posts, housing and fuel. The cypresspine of the Riverine Plain and the Mallee, for instance,was sought for constructing outbuildings and fenceposts. Similarly, swamp woodlands in the study areawere felled for construction materials and fuel. Theexploitation of red gum forests was most evident duringthe paddle-steamer and gold eras, especially with theoperation of quartz reef mining during the 1860s and1870s. Estimates suggest that on average, a steamerburnt half a tonne of fuel an hour in its boilers (LCC1987). The massive demand for timber for boat building,underground timbering and fuel for boilers had taken asignificant toll on forests by the early 1870s.Early sawmills were established at sites where timbergrew. Commercial sawmills were established alongcreeks, rivers and on swamps. With the opening of therailway from Melbourne to Echuca in 1864, several millsset up in the area to provide red gum to the exportmarkets of the British colonies which were heavilyengaged in railway and wharf building (Priestley 1984).In some parts of the study area timber tramwaystransported logs to mills. The remains of a timbertramway are in evidence east of Echuca.Foresters experimented in planting non-endemic speciesespecially from the 1930s. Softwood plantations wereestablished near Myrtleford between about 1930 and1980. Commercial forestry is conducted today in bothhardwood and softwood plantations on private andpublic land using modern machinery, in contrast to thehard physical labour of hand felling. Forestry on publicland in the study area is discussed in more detail inchapter 14.Charcoal BurningCharcoal burning occurred during the gold rush to meetdemand for blacksmiths. By the early 1900s, goldminingcompanies were attempting to reduce firewoodconsumption by introducing steam boilers and gasproducerplants to power crushing batteries. Theseplants were fuelled by charcoal. The industry receivedFigure 7.5 Alf (left) and Frank Corry, near MoiraLakes, early 1900s River Murray.Source: Reproduced with permission National Library ofAustralia Image: an24548312-v.another boost during World War II when charcoalbecame a vital alternative to liquid fuel used in themilitary, such as kerosene. Today charcoal burning is stillconducted in red gum forests, but is a small industrylargely used for specialised purposes.Forest ManagementThe Land Act 1865 enabled reserves to be declared for‘the protection and growth of timber.’ Timber reserveswere put aside, and from 1866 state forests wereestablished. Timber reserves were to be used by settlersuntil the supply was exhausted, while state forests couldonly be used by approved licensed timber millers andfellers. Under this legislation, the Moira, Barmah andYielima state forests were proclaimed in 1870. Furtherreserves were created at Gunbower, Nyah and Walpolla.An export duty was placed on red gum in 1877 causingsome mills to close, however red gum forests on theMurray continued to be heavily exploited for saw logs.Such was the ongoing denuding of the forests that aseries of bills to actively conserve forests, repair damageand encourage growth were presented to Parliament in1879, 1881, 1887 and 1892 (DSE 2003h). None ofthese bills were enacted by successive governmentsbecause of their commitment to land settlement andpressure from interested parties (Dingle 1984).The 1901 Royal Commission on State Forests and TimberReserves noted that the Barmah Forest had been cutover several times, and that at the current rate of cuttingwould yield no more than five years supply (Fahey 1987).In 1908 the first effective forests legislation in Victoria,the Forests Act 1907, came into operation. ADepartment of Forests was formed to more effectivelymanage forest resources. The Forests Commission wasestablished in 1919. Initiatives such as fire protection,thinning and coppicing and reafforestation of forestswere put into place in the 1920s and 1930s (Fahey 1987).Discussion Paper105
FisheriesThe collapse of the Murray cod fishery is one of theearliest, least known and most dramatic examples ofpoor natural resource management in Australia’s history.In 1855 Joseph Waldo Rice established the Murray RiverFishing Company at Moira Lake and along the RiverMurray to Picnic Point—probably the first inlandcommercial fishing enterprise. By 1869 the company wasnetting the lakes and over two hundred miles of theriver. The majority of the fish were Murray cod but alsoincluded golden perch, silver perch and goldfish (notcarp). Murray cod typically weighed over a hundredpounds. In the late 1860s the catch varied seasonallybetween 1 to 6 tons per week equating to an annualfigure of approximately 160 tonnes of fish. At the timethe company was criticised for taking large quantities offish during the spawning season and there was conflictbetween commercial, recreational and Indigenousfishing.By the 1890s, the catch had declined substantially withan annual catch of about 35 tonnes, primarily of goldenperch. In 1896 the Victorian Government introduced aclosed season, aimed at protecting Murray cod (Leslie1995; King 2005). Current limits such as closed seasons,size and number apply to fishing for Murray cod in NSW,South Australia and Victoria. There are now nocommercial fisheries based on the River Murray, howeverrecreational fishing attracts many visitors to the region(Figure 7.6, chapter 11).Other IndustriesOther industries in or near the study area included saltharvesting and gypsum extraction across the Mallee, andthe quarrying of granite at Mount Hope. Chapter 16describes these industries in more detail.RecreationLeisure activities enjoyed by European settlers havecentred on the natural features of the study area. TheRiver Murray and its tributaries have been the focus ofsocial interaction since the first days of settlement. Sandbars attracted swimmers who bestowed them withfamiliar names such as ‘St. Kilda’. Favourite swimmingholes in later years sported other facilities. HorseshoeBend near Swan Hill, for example, was a popularswimming place made more so by the addition of afloating platform in the 1920s. Picnics were traditionallyheld on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Some of theearliest picnics were those organised by the Officerfamily of Murray Downs station near Swan Hill in the1870s. A punt was provided to ferry children to theother side of the river where they were transported to anearby lake to play games. Sunday School picnics wereheld regularly at Pental Island. The information centre atTorrumbarry Weir gives a sense of riverside recreationfrom the 1920s onwards.Fishing, camping and water skiing have proved popularrecreational pursuits. Yacht clubs have been formed atLake Boga and Lake Mulwala. The forests of the studyarea have continued to provide popular picnic spots(Figure 7.7), as have the weirs built for water storage.Current recreation and tourism on public land in thestudy area are described in more detail in chapter 11.Figure 7.6 Murray cod fishing on the River Murray.Source: Reproduced with permission Museum Victoria collection.Figure 7.7 Picnicking on the River Murray in the 1930s.Source: Reproduced with permission Museum Victoria collection.106 River Red Gum Forests Investigation > 2006
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2 GeologyGeology underpins the dive
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Figure 2.2 Schematic diagram of fol
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et al. 2000). This Selwyn Block is
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Figure 2.4 Murray Basin during the
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quartz sand and gravel beds, carbon
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Box 3.1 River MeandersRivers rarely
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lakes by flooding from Chalka Creek
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major valleys. The large, older fan
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ecommending representative areas fo
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Box 3.2 Barmah Area GeomorphologyTh
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4 Climate andHydrological SystemsAu
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Figure 4.1 Annual anomalies (based
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such as messmate have a thick prote
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Natural Hydrology of the River Murr
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Table 4.3 Stream flow in major Vict
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GroundwaterHydrology also relates t
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FloodplainsThe floodplains of the R
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5 BiodiversityBiodiversity is impor
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Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Species
Page 51: Figure 5.2 Hairy darling-pea on a r
Page 57 and 58: Figure 5.5 A common blue-tongued li
Page 59: Threatened VertebratesBased on cons
Page 64 and 65: Figure 5.8 Mature river red gum on
Page 66 and 67: Figure 5.12 Tangled lignum at Mulcr
Page 68 and 69: Egrets generally only breed in livi
Page 70 and 71: which is essential habitat for some
Page 72 and 73: dependent species including darling
Page 74: Table 5.7 Summary of risk levels to
Page 77 and 78: Figure 5.22 Koala in a river red gu
Page 79 and 80: Examples include the larvae of leaf
Page 81 and 82: Figure 5.27 Cattle on the bank of t
Page 83 and 84: Table 5.8 Comments on fire from exp
Page 85 and 86: 6 Indigenous LandAssociationsThis c
Page 89 and 90: Table 6.1 Summary of area in Victor
Page 91 and 92: waters. The Joint Body is funded to
Page 93 and 94: Consultative ManagementConsultative
Page 95 and 96: 7 Non-IndigenousHistoryThe resource
Page 97 and 98: Figure 7.2 Murray Downs homestead (
Page 99 and 100: Reception Centre established in 194
Page 101: and rural water supply became the r
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