Joanna PII - Otways
Named after Captain
William Albany Otway in 1800 by Lt James Grant. Grant was on his way to Sydney to hand over
the 60 ton survey vessel ‘Lady Nelson’
to Mathew
Flinders.
As fate would have it Grant was delayed on the way out and tasked
to confirm the presence of a passage between Tasmania and the Australian
mainland.
This he was able to do becoming the first European to
navigate the entire passage West to East. However
lacking provisions and talent for serious survey work no detailed maps of the
coastline were forthcoming, arriving in Sydney on the 16th Dec 1800
only to find Flinders had already left for England.
Sailing along the coast Grant would have been amazed at the
beaches wriggling with seals, penguins, oceans brimming with fish, dolphins, and
the air a haze of birdlife. But possibly
the most dramatic view would have been of the coastline itself. Something straight out of the Jurassic Park
movie set. Steep sandstone cliffs rising
in the air, paler limestone formations standing apostle like in defiance of the
tempests which batter the southern coastline and vegetation dominated by giant flowering
trees (Mountain Ash) dating back to the days of Gondwana
kept company by sprawling stately tree ferns.
Mountain Ash, Tree Fern lined road |
A dense cacophony of life.
This is the Otways.
More accurately this was the Otways. Now 215 years later there have been a few
changes. Most notably extensive land
clearing for a variety of purposes over varying time scales. Consistent throughout and dating back to the
1840’s the desire for timber has had the biggest impact. Initially harvested in response to gold
rushes, fuel and construction materials in more recent times it has been clear
felled as a source for woodchips.
Clear felling is the most destructive form of logging
resulting in the decimation of the flora
and fauna of the region, many of which exist only in this environmental
refuge. It is also said that logging in the
area produced marginal if
any benefits, socially or economically.
Having halted the destruction of native forest this was a
win for the environment in the area however the industry is still lobbying
strongly in other regions and there is now pressure mounting from investment in
the dairy industry from overseas interests.
Pine Plantation on the Turtons Track, Otway Ranges |
Dairy farming sprouted following the second world war when returned
soldiers were offered parcels of land to transform into profitable farms under
the ‘Soldier
Settlement’ act. Many failed but not
before large areas were cleared and burned.
Since then farmers welfare has risen and fallen on the price of milk
with recent times being particularly tough as a result of price wars between
the major retail outlets.
Dairy Farm water trough and cleared pasture land looking west across the Otway Ranges |
Enter the overseas investors. Their catch cry is ‘increase
efficiency’, ‘Increase productivity’ which usually translates to intensive
farming practices.
SO what does the future hold for the Otways? I don’t now but today is a beautiful day to explore!
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