Region: Strzeleckis

Legal Number: LEGL/93-83

Plantation: Woorara

Conservation Priority: High

Area within PaperlinX area of supply.

Area within Planthard Hardwoods (Drouin West Sawmills) area of supply.

Located ~17km east of Dumbalk. High quality native vegetation.

Hancock Site visit November 2001:

Large native forest and plantation mass which takes in much of the headwaters of the Franklin River. Entered York Road from Boolara-Foster Road. This road had recently been laid with gravel and stone. Travelled to the end of the logging road. Turned at a point where a caravan was parked. The site was empty of people when we visited, but it appeared that the people at this site would be back as they had left chairs and other campfire materials. It was also apparent that logging machinery was present including a bulldozer. No number plates were present on the machinery. It was obvious by the amount of disturbed soil that recent activity - most likely carried out in the wet had been going on. We headed east along an appalling logging road with a massive disturbance of soil. Roads had been obviously bulldozed down slopes with no consideration of the Code of Forest Practices. It was also obvious that blackwoods had been chainsawed at the site and silver wattle and tree ferns had been destroyed by the road making equipment. Much roading was observed at the site and 99% of it was appalling. We later learnt that the activities on this site are most likely illegal being carried out by locals. The logging was occurring in obvious non-plantation areas.

Photo: The Age

For other updates from this LEGL please go to;

http://www.hancock.forests.org.au/docs/logging_practices_update-0101-02.htm http://www.hancock.forests.org.au/docs/logging_practices_update-10-11-2001.htm

THREATENED FISH NOTES - STRZELECKI STREAMS: Habitat forSpotted Galaxias, Mountain Galaxias, Broadfinned Galaxias, Tupong , Blackfish and the FFG listed Australian Grayling.

Strzelecki Ranges Maps Here

Responsible Authority: South Gippsland Shire Council

Plantation Catchment: Several HW creek tribs Franklin River

Herbicides Used by Grand Ridge Plantations - Strzelecki Ranges and Gippsland Victoria

Catchment Managment Authority: West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority

www.hancock.forests.org.au/docs/franklin.htm#content_top

Franklin River Rainforest

"The area between the Grand Ridge Road and Stronach's Road has been set aside as a reserve. This area is flatter than most rainforest areas within the Strzelecki's and the rainforest tends to extend in a wide band along each of the tributaries. Because of the width of the rainforest, mature and old-growth mountain ash can be found within the rainforest as well as on the spurs.

There are many examples of very old myrtle beech and sassafras and numerous skirted and slender tree ferns.

The rainforest also extends along those tributaries south of the reserve, between Stronach's Road and Red Hill Track and between Red Hill Track and Clay Track at the eastern headwaters of these tributaries.

The headwaters of the Franklin River contains a significant population of Greater Gliders both inside and outside the reserve. Greater Gliders require old trees for nest hollows. The abundance of the Greater Glider in undisturbed forests is in strong contrast to its paucity in regenerated forest, which lacks old trees with hollows suitable for nesting. Its conservation is utterly dependent upon sympathetic forest management which retains buffer strips of old forest between coupes and preserves old habitat trees and their potential successors in small unlogged areas. Greater Gliders are destroyed in clear-felling operations.

The Franklin Reserve still contains large numbers of mature and old-growth mountain ash. There is also the 1939 regrowth at the corner of the Grand Ridge Road and Toora Gunyah Road. However, old habitat trees continue to be removed outside the reserve, where there is a significant Greater Glider population. Further fragmentation and isolation of the Greater Glider habitat jeopardises the conservation of the Greater Glider in this area."
Rainforests of the Strzeleckis. By Elaina Fraser.

Franklin River, Foster: A fast flowing stream rising in timbered hilly country, rock bottom. Middle and lower reaches are highly modified by agriculture. Access difficult and in most places walking is necessary. The headwaters contain brown trout to 400g, occasional larger fish, average 160g, some river blackfish and eels. In the lower reaches mainly shallow but some deep holes, sluggish flow, mud and sand bottom. Contains an abundance of eels. Few other fish caught. Estuarine section contains the usual estuarine fish found in district, including estuary perch to 1.4kg.

Source: A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria by BR Tunbridge, PL Rogan, CA Barnham. Department Conservation and Environment. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown St, Heidelberg, 3084. (4th ed - 1991)

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