Rugged Hills

Tocal landscape transect, highlighting the rugged hills

Representative paddocks

View, Quarry, Campus and Top Bush

Geology and soils

Permian and Carboniferous sedimentary rocks (including sandstone, siltstone, shale, conglomerate and tuff). Shallow soils with low fertility (some outcropping and surface rock). View a soil profile from View paddock.

Land capability - slope in degrees, hazards, rural land capability classes

Some steep slopes over 18 degrees (protected land), classes V-VIII (definition of land capability classes)

Vegetation - native vegetation communities and important species

Spotted Gum/ironbark tall open forest. Tree species include Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata, Ironbarks and Stringybarks. Dry rainforest in sheltered gullies.

Rugged hills in Top Bush paddock (in the background)

Native fauna and habitats - listed threatened and other important species, important habitat elements

Native species include Dingo and listed threatened species Spotted-tailed Quoll, and Grey-crowned Babbler.

Present and recent land use

Light grazing

Important management issues

Significant landscape for agricultural production and profitability. Consider biodiversity (including threatened species), erosion control (especially from roads and tracks), weeds (including African Olive and Lantana), bushfires (especially fire frequency), and visual landscape.

Management objectives - what we want to achieve

Allow intermittent grazing and retain existing native vegetation. Native wildlife is protected.

Management actions - how we are going to achieve the objectives

Minimal cutting of old growth and dead trees. Retain bushrock. Identify and retain native pasture through appropriate management. Retain fallen timber on the ground. Undertake surveys for native species and monitor biodiversity change.

Rugged Hill in Top Bush paddock