About Spring Creek Valley

The valley offers nature and our community a unique, chance to take advantage of the Distinctive Area Landscape (DAL) planning policy handed down by State Government. The associated settlement boundary at Duffields Road provides community with a chance to lead on future land use planning by responding to the E4 crisis (ecology, energy, economy and equity).

Before European Settlement, temperate woodlands occupied large areas of northern, western and southern Victoria. Nowadays, most woodlands have been transformed to agricultural pastures and crops, and conservation status of virtually all woodland communities is extremely poor.

Conservation of the flora and fauna of temperate woodlands in Victoria poses a formidable challenge because this ecosystem has already experienced profound change. Remaining natural areas are mostly distributed as fragments amongst intensively settled rural lands and occur as thousands of patches in farmland, as strips along roadsides, streams and rail reserves, and as occasional small conservation reserves.1

The Spring Creek valley study area, an area of approximately 240 ha located west of Duffields Road, contains three types of vegetation:

  • Grassy Woodland (Ecological Vegetation Class 175) which has a Bioregional Conservation Status of Endangered (ie less than 10% of pre-european extent remains within the bioregion).

  • Swampy Riparian Woodland (EVC 83), which is also endangered.

  • Heathy Woodland/Sand Heathland Mosaic (EVC 892), which is considered of ’least concern’ however within the study area, even this vegetation type is greatly depleted.2

1 I Lunt and A F Bennett Temperate Woodlands in Victoria: distribution, composition and conservation in Biology, Conservation, Management and Restoration Temperate Eucalypt Woodlands in Australia, Biology, Conservation, Management and Restoration (2000).

2 M Trengove, Expert Witness Statement, Distinctive Area and Landscape Standing Advisory Committee Surf Coast Statement of Planning Policy and Proposed Planning Controls (2021)

3 ibid.

Key Species

Bellarine Yellow Gum

Eucalyptus leucoxylon ssp bellarinensis

Bellarine Yellow Gum is an endemic taxon restricted to just the Bellarine Peninsula and Torquay region where it once formed extensive woodlands. Importantly, this part of Spring Creek valley contains one of the world’s most important stands of Bellarine Yellow Gum. It is estimated that the remaining Bellarine Yellow Gum population has been reduced to approximately 110ha, in the vicinity of Ocean Grove and Torquay with scattered occurrences in Wallington and Jan Juc. These populations vary from 20 to 200 individuals, however most plants occur as isolated scattered trees.

The populations of Bellarine Yellow Gum are severely fragmented with an estimated population reduction of 95% over the last three generations.3

Swift Parrot

Lathamus discolor

The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania then migrates to the mainland between March and June each year. It is the world’s fastest parrot , the longest migrating parrot and is listed as an endangered species under the EPBC Act.

Habitat destruction and loss of old trees with nesting hollows are critical factors in the Swift Parrots decline. But equally, because they are nectivorous - they only eat nectar from flowering plants -  it is crucial that they are able to find winter flowering species during their migration.

The Bellarine Yellow Gum is the only local eucalyptus to flower in winter, making it a vital food source for nectar-feeding birds and insects, and crucial for the survival of this species.

Swamp Antechinus

Antechinus minimus ssp. maritimus

The swamp antechinus is a small carnivorous marsupial with a head to body length of

95−140 mm, and a tail length which is 70 percent of the head to body length (Menkhorst 2004).. It is listed Federally as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

Livestock have been shown to reduce habitat suitability and population viability (Bachmann & van Weenen (2001).

1.Menkhorst, P. W. (1995). Swamp Antechinus Antechinus minimus. In Mammals of Victoria: distribution, ecology and conservation (ed. P. W. Menkhorst), pp. 43-44. Oxford University Press, Melbourne

2. Bachmann, M., & van Weenen, J. (2001). Distribution and status of the Swamp Antechinus (Antechinus minimus maritimus) (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in South Australia. The Nature Conservation Society of South Australia Inc. & Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide.

Other Species

Other species known to be present in the Spring Creek valley include:

Echidna

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Striped Marsh Frog

Laughing Kookaburra

Australian Emperor

Sacred Kingfisher

Blotched Blue-tongue Lizard

White-plumed Honeyeater

White-eared Honeyeater

Spotted Pardalote

Tawny Frogmouth

Red-browed Finch

Photos: Jordan Ayton

Otways Biolink

The valley's striking landform with 70m elevation from creek to ridgeline, and its unique mature Bellarine Yellow Gum ecology makes it a standout magnet for a range of wildlife. Not only does it provide an important climate refuge in times of extreme heat, but also provides a biolink for many migratory species moving seasonally inbetween the Otway Range and Otway Plain Bioregions.

The Gang Gang are an example of a species that move seasonally between the Otway Ranges and the woodlands of the Otway Plain.