The Glenelg Plain is dominated by the Glenelg Plain bioregion, a landscape of long, low parallel limestone ridges, featuring extensive areas of damp sclerophyll forests of brown and desert stringybark. These forests provide an essential food resource for the nationally endangered south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo. The Glenelg Plain contains other diverse habitats that support many threatened species. These including 54 recorded fauna species such as common bent-wing bat (critically endangered) and the Glenelg mussel (critically endangered), and 23 recorded flora species, including native orchids such as the colourful spider-orchid (endangered), Gorae leek-orchid (endangered) and Mellblom’s spider-orchid (endangered).

Among the forests are a mosaic of wetlands and damp heathlands occupying depressions in the landscape, with yellow and red gum woodlands on loamier soils. Vast wetland complexes once occurred across the landscape surrounding Strathdownie. Although many of these wetlands have been lost or severely degraded through drainage works, several nationally significant complexes remain.

This local area has around 30% of the region’s mapped wetlands, 99% of which are temporary freshwater lakes, swamps, marshes and meadows. The exceptions are a handful of more saline coastal wetlands. The shallow freshwater wetlands are important feeding and nesting habitat for a range of resident and migratory water birds, including brolgas. The lack of predatory fish in temporary wetlands means they are also important for frogs, including the threatened growling grass frog.

The Glenelg Plain is perhaps the most agriculturally diverse local area in the Glenelg Hopkins region. High rainfall in the south supports a prosperous forestry industry – soft and hardwood plantations – as well as dairy and horticulture. Moving north, beef and sheep production dominate with cropping increasingly integrated with these industries. Marine sediments below surface soils, create a freshwater aquifer running north and south. This enables improved summer growth for vegetation crops such as potatoes and grapes.

This local area features a large land area reserved for conservation of the region’s natural and cultural values, including the internationally significant World Heritage listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape and the Glenelg Estuary and Discovery Bay Ramsar site – and a series of National Parks in the south – Lower Glenelg National Park, Cobboboonee National Park, Mt Richmond National Park and the Discovery Bay Coastal Park. These reserves capture a diverse range of natural landscapes, including forest, forest, swamps, woodlands and coastlines. State Forest reserves are also found throughout this local area.

These areas are key to nature-based tourism, recreational fishing and boating along key rivers and estuaries, hiking the Great South West Walk, camping in the many national parks and along the areas beaches, and visiting important cultural sites such as Budj Bim National Park. There is great opportunity for further diversification of tourism to capitalise on the area’s assets through eco-tourism, rail trails, food and wine trails, and the region’s Aboriginal history and culture. This area also has opportunities to make the most of its available natural renewable resources (such as wind, solar and water) to generate energy and use it locally.

By virtue of having relatively low levels of development and large remaining areas of remnant habitat, the Glenelg Plain is important for a range of values associated with waterways.

The Glenelg estuary has intact riparian vegetation in excellent condition and supports rare and threatened species such as the Glenelg spiny crayfish, threatened native fish and migratory bird species protected under international agreements such as sanderling. Water for the environment has helped maintain flow within the Glenelg system to maintain populations of native fish and other aquatic and riparian plant and animal species. Water for the environment has social, cultural and economic benefits, including those for recreational anglers, landholders and Traditional Owners who live along and enjoy the river system.

Bochara/Bugara/Pawur – The Glenelg River

Known as Bochara in Dhauwurd Wurrung language, Bugara in Wergaia-Jadawadjali languages and Pawur in Bunganditj languages, the Glenelg River is a significant feature within the cultural landscape of south-west Victoria.

The river features in creation stories for the region and is a traditional boundary between the Gunditjmara, Boandik and Jadawadjali people. There are many cultural sites along the river system showing evidence of the area’s occupation and use by Aboriginal people.

Bochara/Bugara/Pawur is still a significant place for Traditional Owners, who have inhabited the area for thousands of years.

Other priority waterways include:

• Killara or Darlot Creek (including Lake Condah), the lower Fitzroy River (Palawarra) and its estuary, which form part of the Budj Bim World Heritage Cultural Landscape.
• The Surry River and its estuary, which support seagrass beds in excellent condition and a range of dependent recreational fishing and ecological values.
• The Crawford River, which contains high environmental and social values and supports a number of threatened fauna species, including the Gorae leek orchid, Glenelg freshwater mussel, brolga, brown quail, river blackfish and variegated pygmy perch.
• The Stokes River, which contains significant riparian vegetation communities and fauna including red-tailed black cockatoo, Glenelg spiny crayfish, river blackfish and variegated pygmy perch.

Groundwater close to the surface is an important source of water for many wetlands and is a known contributor to the hydrology of the Glenelg River estuary and the freshwater wetlands of the coastal zone, e.g. Malseed Lake, Lake Moneboeng, Long Swamp, Bridgewater Lakes. Groundwater is also important for economic development. Within the Glenelg region it is used for irrigation and other agribusiness, urban water supply and regional industries, particularly manufacturing within the Portland area.

The region’s dramatic coastline, with its towering cliffs and extensive dune systems, has been carved out by changing sea levels, volcanic activity, and wind and water erosion. Coastal land extends 5 km in from the highwater mark and the boundary between state and commonwealth marine waters is 5.6 km out from the highwater mark. The high biodiversity values east of Discovery Bay and the Glenelg River estuary are internationally recognised as a Ramsar site and an Australian Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). It contains coastal scrub and small patches of herb-rich eucalypt woodland. Its beaches and wetlands provide important habitat for Australasian bitterns, hooded plovers, orange-bellied parrots, rufous bristle birds and striated fieldwrens. The beaches between Lake Yambuk and the Fitzroy River are also a KBA, with the highest breeding density of hooded plovers in Victoria.

The marine environment is within the Otway marine bioregion, with powerful waves, cold, nutrient-rich water, kelp dominated rocky reefs and a seafloor that drops away steeply offshore. Its high productivity and biodiversity are driven by the Bonney Upwelling that forms from spring to autumn. The algal blooms this creates are the base of a rich food chain including fish, southern rock lobster, abalone, seabirds, penguins, fur seals and blue whales. The Bonney Upwelling is recognised as a major marine asset and supports highly productive fisheries. Portland reefs are the most productive abalone habitat in Victoria, as well as the largest rock lobster port in Victoria. The Port of Portland is also the hub of wild catch fishing in the region, providing permanent berthing facilities for about 50 commercial vessels and contributing more than 40% of Victoria’s catch value.