Ipswich City Council

Waterways

Natural Resources

Natural Resources of the Bremer River Catchment

The Bremer River Catchment covers an area of 2030km² (203 000ha) and forms part of the Brisbane River Catchment, which is the largest river system in Southern Queensland.

It is rich in history and opportunity, and the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains provides a magnificent backdrop to the rolling landscape as well as a recreational retreat for city dwellers. Flinders Peak and surrounding hills, which form part of the eastern boundary, are remnants of volcanoes active during the tertiary period - approximately 25 million years ago.

Catchment Land Uses

The current land uses within the Bremer River Catchment and the condition of the natural resources has been markedly influenced by the land uses of early European settlement.

Early European settlers in the district were mainly sheep and cattle graziers. Much of the fertile scrub country was cleared and used for timber production. The rich alluvial soils found in the low lying areas and valley floors supported cultivation and crop production. Forage crops were grown for cattle and the dairy industry expanded. Cotton and sugar cane were also grown in some areas.

Today, more than half of the total catchment area is used for grazing, and crop production is still an important industry within the catchment. Although urban settlement only takes up approximately 2% of the total catchment area, it supports a diverse and economically important range of commercial and industrial businesses. The following pie chart depicts the proportion of total catchment area currently being used by the four major land use types.

Natural Resources Within the Catchment

Water

Less than one per cent (1280ha) of the catchment is covered by water. Moogerah Dam supplies a large proportion of the catchment with water for irrigation, drinking water to local townships, such as Boonah and Kalbar, and cooling water for Swanbank Power Station.

Riparian Vegetation

This vegetation grows on land adjoining waterways, gullies and dips, around lakes and on river floodplains. The natural vegetation helps to stabilise banks, shade streams reducing evaporation, provide food and habitats for birds and wildlife, and most importantly, act as a buffer for catchment run-off.

Freshwater Wetlands and Swamps

These areas of land are seasonally inundated by water, generally for two to six months of the year. They act as sinks for nutrients and sediments and absorb pollutants from catchment run-off. Wetlands are also important in reducing the velocity of surface run-off, helping to prevent soil erosion whilst supporting a diverse range of wildlife.

Soils

Agriculture and cropping is important within the catchment. Many commercial crops, including potatoes, carrots and onions are grown throughout the region on the rich alluvial soils.

Minerals

The potential for coal mining within Ipswich encouraged early development of the area. Coal seams were discovered throughout the region. The early 1900's saw the opening of many mines including those at Rosewood and Ebenezeer. Mt Marrow, north-west of Walloon, was established as a crushed rock quarry for use in road making. Aside from coal, limestone was also discovered within the Bremer River Catchment. The Mt Flinders Dolomite Mine at Peak Crossing, established in the early 1890s, is still operational today.

Timber

Much of the Bremer River Catchment, prior to European settlement, was covered by tracts of sub-tropical rainforest, eucalypt forest and large areas of ‘scrub country'. The scrub consisted of valuable timbers including hoop pine, brigalow or "rosewood", crows ash, blackbean and red cedar. This bought about the timber boom of the late 1800s.

Management of Natural Resources

It is now well recognised that the availability and use of natural resources within the region need to be carefully managed to ensure long-term sustainability and to prevent further environmental degradation. Catchment Management (direct link) is a mechanism being used to coordinate the management of land uses within the catchment and to provide a framework in which government agencies, commerce and industry groups and the community can work together to manage natural resources in a balanced and sustainable manner.

Community members can play an important role in the management of natural resources by participating in Catchment Management activities and by utilising resources in a caring and sustainable manner.

Activities available to community members include:

participation in a Bushland Care Group including tree planting and river bank rehabilitation
water quality monitoring through the Bremer Catchment Association Inc.

Last Updated 16 Oct 2007 |

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