If you haven’t noticed here at TT we like puns, we are curious if the old timers of the day used to say “For peat’s sake!”? They had such a rough time with farming in the area we can imagine it would have been very frustrating, some would say that’s what is to be expected when you try and harness nature.
For todays earth science lesson we will be concentrating on the beautiful peaty soils of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp. Inclusive of the published coordinates you will need to visit three sites within a short drive of each other to adequately answer the questions required to collect your smiley. At the published coordinates there are a number of interesting signs and plaques - Don’t forget to climb the swamp tower and look out over the Swamp, while you are up there, find the Bounty Trackers Cache Click here GC3RQQY. We apologise for the amount of text but we felt it necessary to convey how much trouble was had in order to harness these incredibly fertile soils.
What is Peat? Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, or mires. The peatland ecosystem is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet because peatland plants capture the CO2 which is naturally released from the peat, thus maintaining an equilibrium. In natural peatlands, the "annual rate of biomass production is greater than the rate of decomposition", but it takes "thousands of years for peatlands to develop the deposits of 1.5 to 2.3 m, which is the average depth of the boreal peatlands".
One of the most common components is Sphagnum moss, although many other plants can contribute. Soils that contain mostly peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding obstructs flows of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing rates of decomposition.
Peatlands, also known as mires, particularly bogs, are the most important source of peat, but other less common wetland types also deposit peat, including fens, pocosins, and peat swamp forests. Other words for lands dominated by peat include moors or muskegs. Landscapes covered in peat also have specific kinds of plants, particularly Sphagnum moss, ericaceous shrubs, and sedges (see bog for more information on this aspect of peat). Since organic matter accumulates over thousands of years, peat deposits also provide records of past vegetation and climates stored in plant remains, particularly pollen. Hence, they allow humans to reconstruct past environments and changes in human land use.
The Koo-Wee-Rup swamp originally covered more than 40 000 hectares, of dense swamp paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia), some open grasslands, reed beds (Phragmites australis) and bullrushes (Typha spp). Known as The Great Swamp it was an impassable barrier for travellers between Melbourne and Gippsland.
The Land Act of 1865 opened up land along the fringes of the swamp for selection. However, farming was not possible due to potential flooding and dense stands of vegetation. By 1870 the Lands Department decided that the swamp should be drained and opened up for agriculture. The largest landholders at the time were Scottish and may have believed that the swamp soils were favourable for farming, based on their knowledge of peaty soils in their mother country. Landholders formed the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Drainage Committee which would be responsible for draining the area.
In February 1876 works commenced on excavation of a main channel (8 km long and 1.2 m deep) which tapped the Cardinia Creek and channelled water into Westernport Bay at Moody's Inlet. Other smaller drains (eg. Toomuc) were dug. One of the landholders (McGregor) also built an embankment to hold back water on his property called 'Dalmore'. Landholders carried out drainage works with shovels and wheelbarrows. Vegetation was knocked down and burnt and the land was ploughed. Some farmers flooded each other's land with their own drainage works and major floods still occurred (eg. 1891).
Work commenced on the Bunyip Main Drain in 1889 in order to channel water from the Bunyip river as it entered the swamp. This main drain would be fed by smaller drains. By 1892 the main drain had been cut 14 km inland from Reeces Inlet and at this time some 500 men were working on the project and excavating drains using picks, shovels and wheelbarrows. By 1893 the Main Drain had met the Bunyip Drain. These two drains together with four smaller drains formed the foundation of the swamp drainage system. A village settlement was started on the partly reclaimed swamp, whereby settlers were responsible for the maintenance of drains adjoining their blocks. The main drain overflowed in 1893 and much of the land was flooded. In response, the main drain was widened and deepened.
Two creameries were established in 1896 and by 1897 drainage works were completed. In 1898 bushfires spread to the swamp area and underlying peat soil caught fire and burnt beneath the surface for months. The results of drainage and several dry years resulted in the soil shrinking and compacting and the level of the land surface fell.
A major flood in 1900 resulted in damage to crops (eg. potatoes, onions, oats) and dairy cows drowned. Further widening of the main drain took place and more subsidiary drains were dug. A change from block allocation to land selection resulted in farmers from other regions (eg. Ballarat, Drouin) moving in to the area and bringing cropping skills. In the first decade of the 1900's this area became the 'potato capital' of Victoria.
In the early 1900's, hills to the north of the swamp area were cleared of trees in order to develop farms and to supply the many saw mills established due to a growing timber demand. Increased runoff resulted into the Tarago and Bunyip catchments. Erosion occurred in the steeper sections of the Bunyip main drain and sediments were deposited in the lower sections of the drain. In 1911 severe flooding occurred. A drainage improvement plan was proposed by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission to give the area complete protection from a flood this size. The Lower Koo-Wee-Rup Flood Protection District was proclaimed in 1917 and work commenced. Increased demands for vegetables for canning was generated during World War 1 (1914-1918) and vegetable growing was encouraged. Labour shortages at this time were offset by the introduction of a steam-driven bucket dredge, which was used on the wider sections of the larger drains (eg. Main, Yallock, Cardinia). It had a capacity of 60 cubic metres per day (versus 8.5 for a 'good man').
At the end of World War 1, the Government purchased large properties in a number of regions of Victoria and divided them into smaller holdings, which were allocated to returned soldiers. Within this area some of the larger properties (such as 'Dalmore') were subdivided under this scheme. Some minor flooding occurred in 1920 and 1921. By 1923 almost 6500 hectares of potatoes were planted (Goudie 1942).
A thriving sand industry also developed in the area. Sand was excavated from the main drains and transported to Melbourne by railway where it was in demand as building material. The rate of erosion upstream decreased (naturally and as a result of control measures) and the supply of sand was depleted within a few years.
A major flood (double the size of 1911) occurred in 1923, which resulted in significant crop damage. An even larger flood occurred in 1924 that covered the former swampland in water 1.5 metres deep. In 1925 a Royal Commission investigated the entire Soldier Settlement Scheme and assistance was given. Drier periods existed after 1924 and the land proved to be very fertile. Italian migrants bought many of the properties abandoned after the floods. They practised labour intensive farming methods and district production rose. It was estimated by the Department of Agriculture that in 1926 the former swamp area produced approximately 25% of Victorian potatoes. However, the Great Depression in the late 1920s resulted in reduced prices and financial ruin for some farmers. Drainage digging was provided by the Government as a form of relief work for the unemployed.
Extensive flooding occurred in many areas of Victoria in 1934, and resulted in a flood in the former swamp area which was three and a half times larger than the record flood of 1924. Over one thousand people were made homeless and the Koo-Wee-Rup hotel had almost 2 metres of water in it. A Royal Commission was established in 1936 and resulted in a drainage improvement scheme being implemented. This scheme involved alterations (eg. levee construction, sediment removal) and extensions to main drains. Other floods occurred in 1937.
In recent times there have been several floods in the area, the most notable was February 2011 where much of the Dalmore, Koo Wee Rup and Cardinia areas were under water for several days.
Update. 11/10/16 We have added some more information that we feel compliments this earth science lesson
To log this Earth Cache we require you to wander around and look at the area and what is available to you visually, consider the information given and perhaps if you need to do some research of your own, then message us with the following answers to the best of your ability;
1. At the published coordinates you will be standing at a junction of a small drain and the Bunyip river, on the adjacent banks you will see native vegetation that contributes to the Peaty soils. This is a tidal area, please be careful not to slip. Staying above the water line go as close the junction as possible and push down with your foot, what happens? What is this example of?
2. What colour is the water here? What gives it this colour?
3. WP2, here you will be at a junction of drains, can you see any seepage, what characteristics does this seepage have? Even if you can’t correctly identify it or have the scientific correct terms can you explain why the seepage looks and even smells like this?
4. WP3 This is a public road but please be mindful of the farmers, here the soil is almost always freshly dug and you can touch it, place some in your had, what does it feel like and smell like?
5. Depending when you visit, the soil on the side of the road will be either very wet or very dry, can you explain why?
6. A photo of your team, GPS or the view with your log please. (Optional)
You are welcome to log your find straight away to keep your TB's and Stats in order but please message us with your answers within 24 hours. Cachers who do not fulfil the Earth Cache requirement will have their logs deleted.
Source: agriculture.vic.gov.au, wiki, theconversation.com,
