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Wirilda-Eucalyptus-Allocasuarina Open Grassy Woodland, SA. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes

Created 25/06/2025

Updated 04/03/2026

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The aim of this project is to compile land use and management practices and their observed and measured impacts and effects on vegetation condition. The results provide land managers and researchers with a tool for reporting and monitoring spatial and temporal transformations of Australia’s native vegetated landscapes due to changes in land use and management practices. Following are the details about Wirilda-Eucalyptus-Allocasuarina open grassy woodland, SA.

Pre-European reference-analogue vegetation: river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), blue gum (E. leucoxylon) - drooping sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) open woodland.

Brief chronology of changes in land use and management:

  • 1750-1849: Meru indigenous people manage the area
  • 1838: Explorers traversed the area
  • 1850: Pastoralists with shepherds, grazing sheep
  • 1883: Land selected, boundary fencing established
  • 1883-1900: Continuous grazing with sheep and cattle grazing native vegetation
  • 1890: Heavy timber cutting for Callington and Kanmantoo mines, sheep grazing
  • 1901-72: Continuous grazing with sheep and cattle grazing modified and native pastures
  • 1901-ongoing: Area invaded by invasive pasture species (oats) and weeds
  • 1950: Commenced fertilizing pastures using super - applied aerially
  • 1972: Area purchased by the Lay family
  • 1974: Ceased applications of super fertilizer, ceased grazing, all cattle removed
  • 1974-1981: Planted thousands of local endemic seedlings mainly trees and shrubs
  • 1974-2012: Monitoring and recording of seedling survival and regeneration
  • 1974-1985, 2006-12: Major effort in controlling weeds and feral animals
  • 1982: Area gazetted as a Heritage Agreement
  • 1992: Massive summer rains (a 1:430 year event) with major erosion along watercourses and regeneration of most species
  • 2004: Neighbour starts fire that burns out 25% of area
  • 2006: Area gains a 10 year package of funding under the “bushbids” biodiversity stewardship programme
  • 2007: Monadenia weed orchid and bridal creeper begin to invade area.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Wirilda-Eucalyptus-Allocasuarina Open Grassy Woodland, SA. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/344d65ab-575e-40de-9fdc-cefa06517210
Contact Point
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery
rthackway@netspeed.com.au
Reference Period 01/01/1838 - 31/12/2011
Geospatial Coverage Australia
Data Portal Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network "Wirilda-Eucalyptus-Allocasuarina Open Grassy Woodland, SA. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://geonetwork.tern.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/wirilda-eucalyptus-allocasuarina-open-grassy-woodland-sa-vast-2-tracking-the-transformation-of-