Kennedy's Creek Land System

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From Princetown, stretching northwards, an undulating plain can be found extending up into the catchment of Kennedys Creek. The southern parts consist of a series of north-nor’-west and south-sou’-east-oriented ridges, but the major part of the land system is a plain with dendritic drainage pattern.

The higher parts of the landscape have deeply weathered soils with yellow and red mottled. Most slopes, however, carry heavier-textured soils with dark-coloured and coarsely structured subsoils. They extend up to the crests and ridges in many areas; less weathered profiles occupy the lower parts of the landscape.

This pattern resembles that found in many other land systems on Tertiary sediments. The distinguishing features here are the dominance of the coarsely structured soils in the landscape, and the absence of lateritic cappings.

Dairy farming is the main land use, and only small areas still remain under native forest. The coarsely structured subsoils are dispersible and gully and tunnel erosion have occurred. On recently cleared areas, particular care is needed to prevent gullies being initiated. Landslips also occur on these soils.

A Study of land in the catchments of the Otway Range and adjacent plains - kennedys creek

Only a few forested areas remain, dairy farming being the main land use

Area: 95 km²	Component and its proportion of land system
Area: 95 km²	1 20%	2 65%	3 6%	4 9%
CLIMATE Rainfall, mm	Annual: 95 – 1,050, lowest January (40), highest August (130)
Temperature, 0^oC	Annual: 13, lowest July (8.5), highest February (18)
	Temperature: less than 10^oC (av.) June – August
	Precipitation: less than potential evapotranspiration November – March
GEOLOGY Age, lithology	Miocene unconsolidated marine clay, silt and sand			Recent alluvium
TOPOGRAPHY Landscape	Undulating plain
Elevation, m	15 – 150
Local relief, m	70
Drainage pattern	Predominantly dendritic with some trellis
Drainage density, km/km²	4.0
Land form	Gentle rise			Alluvial terrace
Land form element	Upper slope, crest	Middle slope	Lower slope	-
Slope (and range), %	9 (4-15)	10 (4-20)	10 (7-35)	5 (1-9)
Slope shape	Convex	Straight	Concave	(Variable – mostly straight)
NATIVE VEGETATION Structure	Open forest	Open forest	Open forest	Woodland
Dominant species	E. obliqua, E. viminalis, occasionally E. ovata	E. aromaphloia, E. viminalis, E. obliqua, E. radiata, E. ovata	E. obliqua, E. radiata, occasionally E. viminalis	E. ovata, E. obliqua, E. viminalis
SOIL Parent material	Clay and silt	Clay and silt	Clay and silt	Alluvial clay, silt and sand
Description	Mottled yellow and red gradational soils	Yellow-brown gradational soils, coarse structure	Grey-brown gradational soils	Mottled yellow and grey gradational soils
Surface texture	Fine sandy loam	Fine sandy loam	Fine sandy loam	Sandy loam
Permeability	Moderate	Low	Moderate	Low
Depth, m	>2	>2	>2	>2
LAND USE	Cleared areas: Dairy farming; beef cattle and sheep grazing; water supply Uncleared areas: Water supply; hardwood forestry; nature conservation
SOIL DETERIORATION HAZARD Critical land features, processes, forms	Low inherent fertility, phosphorus fixation and steep slopes lead to sheet erosion and nutrient decline.	High dispersible clay subsoils are prone to gully and tunnel erosion. Periodic saturation leads to landslips. Steeper slopes are prone to sheet erosion of nutrient-rich surface horizons.	Steeper slopes are prone to sheet erosion. Dispersible clay subsoils on moderate steep slopes are prone to gully erosion.	Dispersible clay subsoils of low permeability are prone to gully erosion. High water tables lead to seasonal waterlogging and soil compaction.