sharp point (torndirrup national park) goode beach ... · a small, shallow, rocky-floored embayment...
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40
3.3 ALBANY Sharp Point (Torndirrup National Park)
Goode Beach (Vancouver Peninsular near Mistaken Island)
Little Beach (Two People’s Bay National Park) Regional setting of the Albany transects Albany experiences a sub-humid Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers and cool wet winters.
Mean annual rainfall is 933 mm (Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 2005). It is part of the Esperance
Plains BioRegion ( IBRA, 2000). The region is part of the Albany-Fraser Geological Province with
Proterozoic-age gneiss and granite forming the bedrock and commonly outcropping along the coast as
hills, headlands and islands (Muhling & Brakel, 1985). This rock is largely overlaid inland by Tertiary-age
Plantagenet Group sediments (formed during marine transgressions) and near the coast by fluvial or
aeolian Quaternary deposits. The latter deposits include estuarine and lagoonal clay, silt and sand,
Pleistocene-age limestone and abundant white quartz sand as either mobile or vegetation-fixed dunes.
Landforms and sediments of the Albany transects Albany is set in a coastal landscape of great variety and scenic beauty with several magnificent national
parks adjacent to the coast. However it was difficult to find representative locations close to the town
where the shore could be safely accessed in order to survey vegetation close to sea level. The Sharp Point
transect was established in the Torndirrup National Park, south of the Albany suburb of Little Grove. Here
tall gneiss cliffs capped with limestone face Torbay on the high energy Southern Ocean. Transect sites
comparable to that established by Sauer in 1965 at the Blowholes nearby (where vegetation was sampled
down to the splash zone) were avoided for safety reasons. The start of the SWALE 2 transect was at a
relatively safe place on the edge of the high plateau adjacent to the Sharp Point lookout. The cliff face
below this transect was not surveyed and as such is not shown strictly to scale on the transect diagram (Fig
26). The Sharp Point transect continued inland across the limestone capped plateau, over the low crest of a
perched dune and down to a broad valley beyond.
Another transect (Mistaken Island- Goode Beach) was established across the Vancouver Peninsular from
Goode Beach (on Frenchman’s Bay in King George Sound) and west towards Princess Royal Harbour. The
Vancouver Peninsular is a tombolo that formed between gneissic islands in the north and the spine of the
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41Torndirrup Peninsular to the south. It is composed of Quaternary sand dunes overlying muddy estuarine
deposits with sand overlying the gneiss of the former islands in some places. Except for a narrow channel
that provides access for shipping to Princess Royal Harbour in the north, a series of tombolos bar the
harbour from King George Sound. The Goode Beach transect encompassed a foredune (that fronted the
relatively sheltered oceanic environment of King George Sound) and extended west over a rocky outcrop
to a perched sand dune overlying the gneissic bedrock.
The third Albany transect was established about 30km east of the town at Little Beach. This is a rocky
shore site with an unusual sheltered embayment in the south of Two Peoples’ Bay. Little Beach is located
on the western flank of the large granitic headland of Mt Gardner. The terrain landward of Little Beach is a
series of deep quartz sand dunes overlying granitic bedrock at depth.
The beach of the transect is the seaward tip of a narrow band of sand extending from the perched dunes of
the hinterland and terminating at the sea between two granitic outcrops. The sandy beach is situated above
a small, shallow, rocky-floored embayment that is sheltered on the seaward margin by a line of rocks just
above mean sea level. Landward from the beach is a seasonally-waterlogged, gently-sloping wetland
(paluslope) extending about 3.5 m above sealevel, encompassing the supratidal zone and the adjacent
lower slope of a quartz dune. (The latter dune rises to a crest 15m in height about 85m inland). The lower
section of the vegetation of this slope (adjacent to the beach) is subject to intermittent storm surges that
bring water of marine salinity and debris into the terrestrial vegetation. Concurrently however there is a
significant seepage of freshwater throughout the year downslope from the landward dune aquifer and most
of this is absorbed by the peat and vegetation of the paluslope.
The most common surface material found in the Albany transects was white, pure quartz sand. At the
foredune on Goode Beach, this sand had a small fraction of black mineral sand grains (of the same fine
size as the dominant pale quartz grains).
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42Table 9: Albany transect surface sediments
Soil sample site : Transect and landform
Dominant vegetation Sediment description
Sharp Point plateau at start of transect
Low species- rich heath inc. Melaleuca pentagona Templetonia retusa, Pultenaea quaerita, Gahnia sp. Headland & Desmocladus austrinus
Fine-to-medium, cream to light grey carbonate and quartz sand
Sharp Point very low perched dunes over limestone
Closed scrub of Agonis flexuosa with Scaevola nitida, Spyridium globulosum Lepidosperma gladiatum and Acacia littorea
Fine-to-medium, white quartz and carbonate sand
Sharp Point shallow valley at end of transect
Banksia praemorsa & Adenanthos sericeus closed scrub
Fine-to-medium, grey, humic quartz sand with a small carbonate fraction.
Little Beach supratidal flat wetland and adjoining paluslope
Juncus kraussii grading to Baumea spp sedgeland with emergent tall shrubs of Callistachys sp South Coast.
A thin layer of sandy peat (i.e. medium white quartz sand in an organic matrix )
Little Beach dune Species- rich heath inc. Melaleuca thymoides, Anarthria scabra and Cyathochaeta equitans
Medium-to-coarse, white quartz sand.
Goode Beach- Mistaken Island foredune
Adenanthos sericeus tall open shrubs over *Pelargonium capitatum and naturalized alien herbs and grasses.
Fine, white, quartz sand with small fine black mineral sand fraction
Goode Beach- Mistaken Island mid slope granite outcrop with shallow soils
Patchy Verticordia plumosa low shrubs with emergent Anthocercis viscosa, geophytes & annuals.
Very fine peaty quartz sand
Goode Beach- Mistaken Island lower slopes of dune –shallow sand over granite
Darwinia diosmoides heath with Needhamiella pumilo and Stylidium repens
Fine- to- medium humic quartz sand
Goode Beach- Mistaken Island dune crest
Melaleuca thymoides heath with Anarthria scabra
Medium-to-coarse, white quartz sand.
The sand of the perched dune immediately inland of the supratidal flat at Little Beach and the perched
dune above the gneissic slope at the Goode Beach transect was a medium-to-coarse white quartz sand. The
upper layer of the sand from these two locations contained a significant proportion of dry organic debris.
The sand of these dunes therefore appeared superficially grey in contrast to the pure white of the
foredunes. In the wetland at Little Beach, medium-sized white quartz grains were a minor component of
the fine black organic matter that formed the framework and thus this material was classed as a sandy peat.
In contrast to this, in the shallow moist soils on the gneissic slope at the Goode Beach transect, very fine
white quartz sand particles were more abundant than the much smaller, interstitial, mud-sized organic
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43particles. Therefore this material was classed as peaty sand. Fine to medium quartz sand coated with
organic particles (i.e. humic sand) comprised the shallow soil just above the outcropping rock in this
transect. The shallow soils of the high limestone-capped plateau adjacent to the cliffs at Sharp Point was
the only material in the Albany transects that contained some carbonate grains but, as in the above, the
predominant material was fine-to-medium white quartz sand.
Vegetation and flora of the Albany transects 1. Sharp Point The beginning of the Sharp Point transect in the Torndirrup National Park was situated on the edge of a
high plateau truncated by tall cliffs facing the Southern Ocean near the Sharp Point lookout (Figs 26, 27 &
28). From the relatively flat area of limestone pavement on the seaward edge of the plateau, there was a
gentle upwards slope north to the crest of low irregular-shaped perched dunes. Beyond this was a gentle
downwards slope to the northern end of the transect.
A species-rich low heath (less than about 30cm in height) with perennial sedges dominating the herb layer,
was found on the shallow soils of the limestone pavement on the plateau at the start of the transect. This
vegetation commonly included Melaleuca pentagona, Templetonia retusa (Cockies Tongues), Pultenaea
quaerita, Gahnia sp. Headland (G.J Keighery 8501) and Desmocladus austrinus. Also common were
Acacia littorea, Acrotriche cordata, Asteridea nivea, Brachyscome iberidifolia, Euphrasia collina subsp.
tetragona, Haloragis digyna, Hibbertia grossulariifolia, Isotoma scapigera, Logania fascicularis, a local
variant of Lysinema ciliatum (Curry Flower), Opercularia spermacoccea, Pimelea ferruginea, Spyridium
marjoranifolia, Stylidium fasciculatum, Thomasia triphylla, Velleia trinervis, Westringia dampierii and
Wurmbea dioica. Although the transect was only surveyed from the safety of the cliff plateau, it was
apparent that similar vegetation to that found at the start of the transect also extended for a distance down
the cliff face.
The deeper sands on the crest of low irregular perched dunes nearby were dominated by a closed scrub of
Agonis flexuosa (Peppermint) less than 3m in height with Scaevola nitida and a distinctive assemblage
including Gahnia sp. Headland (G.J Keighery 8501), Gyrostemon sheathii, Lepidosperma pubisquameum,
Lepidosperma gladiatum, Lomandra micrantha subsp. micrantha, Sollya fusiformis, Spyridium
globulosum, Westringia dampierii and occasionally Melaleuca ringens and a broad leaf form of Logania
vaginalis.
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44A more dense but very species-rich heath to a maximum of about 1.5m in height was prevalent on the
gentle slope to the north of the transect. This heath was dominated by the silver-foliaged Adenanthos
sericeus subsp. sericeus (Albany Woollybush) and Spyridium globulosum (Basket Bush) with Acacia
littorea, Acrotriche cordata, Desmocladus austrinus, Gahnia sp. Headland (G.J Keighery 8501),
Melaleuca pentagona, Olearia axillaris, Templetonia retusa and Westringia dampierii. The shallow valley
at the end of the transect was a closed scrub of Banksia praemorsa and Adenanthos sericeus to about 4m in
height with a sedge and rush understorey including Desmocladus austrinus.
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472. Goode Beach (near Mistaken Island) The foredune colonizers at the Goode Beach transect (Figs 29, 30, 31& 32) were *Euphorbia paralias,
*Cakile maritima and *Tetragonia decumbens. Adenanthos sericeus subsp. sericeus (Albany Woollybush)
first recruited within 4 metres of the start of this colonizing vegetation. Further from the beach, Adenanthos
sericeus formed an open scrub to 3.5 m in height. This zone was dominated by naturalized alien taxa
(including some very vigorous weeds) although a significant indigenous flora was also present. Common
taxa included *Avena barbata,*Bromus diandrus, Caladenia latifolia, Carex preissii, Carpobrotus
virescens, Conostylis aculeata subsp. aculeata, Daucus glochidiatus, Desmocladus sp., *Ehrharta
longiflora, Ficinia nodosa, Hibbertia cuneiformis, Lepidosperma gladiatum,*Pelargonium capitatum,
Pimelea clavata, Poa poiformis, Rhagodia baccata,*Senecio elegans and an undetermined alien Iridaceae
species.
Towards the landward margin of the foredune, Agonis flexuosa subsp flexuosa formed a closed scrub to
5m in height with a thick understorey of tall shrubs and sedges dominated by Hibbertia furfuracea and
including Pimelea clavata, Hibbertia cuneiformis, Clematis pubescens, Lepidosperma pubisquameum,
Desmocladus sp., Opercularia hispidula and Parietaria debilis. Occasional low mallees of Eucalyptus
staerii were present at the western edge of the Agonis scrub. Here the construction of a gravel track has
probably eliminated most of the vegetation of the transition between the dune and the rocky outcrop
originally present in this zone of the slope. The remnants of this included Adenanthos sericeus, Spyridium
globulosum, Lepidosperma pubisquameum, Leucopogon cucullatus, Leucopogon revolutus, Hibbertia
furfuracea and Calytrix acutifolia.
The base of the gneiss outcrop slope was a heath about 1m in height of Darwinia diosmoides with an
annual herb and geophyte understorey. Common associates were Andersonia sprengelioides, Cryptostylis
ovata, Drosera pallida, Eutaxia cuneata, Needhamiella pumilo, Phyllangium paradoxum, Pimelea rosea,
Stylidium spathulatum and Trachymene pilosa. There was very little vegetation over most of the central
zone of the outcrop except patchy low clumps of Verticordia plumosa subsp. plumosa and Pimelea
imbricata with emergent sparse shrubs of Anthocercis viscosa subsp. viscosa and moss swards with
annuals and geophytes including Chamaescilla corymbosa, Drosera ?erythrorhiza, Philydrella pygmaea,
Siloxerus filifolia, Stylidium inundatum, Stylidium perpusillum and Thelymitra flexuosa. On the upper
margin of the outcrop the vegetation was similar to that at the base of the outcrop i.e. a Darwinia
diosmoides heath.
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48The slope of the dune above the rock outcrop was a species- rich heath less than 1 m in height
dominated by Melaleuca thymoides, Lysinema ciliatum and Anarthria scabra. It also included
Adenanthos cuneifolius, Amperea sp., Andersonia caerulea, Astroloma baxterii, Bossiaea praetermissa,
Chorizema glycinifolium, Darwinia diosmoides, Dasypogon bromeliifolius,
Jacksonia spinosa, Lomandra sonderi, Lyginia imberbis, Petrophile rigida, Schoenus caespititius,
Stylidium repens and Xanthosia rotundifolia subsp. rotundifolia.
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523. Little Beach The vegetation of the Little Beach transect (Figs 33 &34) immediately adjacent to the beach at about 1m
above mean sea level was a closed sedgeland of Juncus kraussii with the rhizomatous herb Samolus repens
and occasional Apium prostratum and Villarsia parnassifolia. The rocks truncating the beach at both ends
were fringed by Sarcocornia quinqueflora. The sedgeland was more species- rich further upslope so that at
about 2m above sea level Baumea juncea, Baumea acuta and Baumea preissii subsp laxa were also
present.
The vegetation of the wetland between about 2.5m to 3m above sea level was a relatively species- rich
sedgeland with tall open shrubs of Callistachys sp. South Coast to about 2.5m in height and Hypocalymma
cordifolium subsp. cordifolium to about 1.1m in height. Associated with these were Baumea juncea,
Baumea acuta, Baumea preissii subsp laxa, Gahnia trifida, Lepidosperma striata, Meeboldina scariosa
and Schoenus sp. South Coast. On the upper margin of the paluslope wetland about 3.5m above mean
sealevel (apart from Callistachys sp. South Coast and Hypocalymma cordifolium) there were also large
clumps to 2m in height of Lepidosperma effusum and Acacia myrtifolia, Agrostocrinum stypandroides,
Anarthria prolifera, Baumea rubiginosa, Boronia spathulata, Dampiera leptoclada, Hibbertia
cunninghamii, Leucopogon carinatus, Patersonia lanata, Sphaerolobium fornicatum, Taxandria
juniperina, Thelymitra flexuosa and Velleia trinervis.
The middle and upper slope of the dune facing the beach was a heath less than 1m in height dominated by
Melaleuca thymoides, Anarthria scabra and Cyathochaeta equitans. Associated with this were Adenanthos
cuneifolius, Bossiaea praetermissa, Chorizema glycinifolium, Dasypogon bromeliifolius, Gompholobium
scabrum, Loxocarya cinerea, Lyginia imberbis, Lysinema ciliatum, Jacksonia spinosa, Melaleuca striata,
Petrophile rigida, Pimelea longifolia subsp. longifolia, Scaevola striata, Schoenus caespititius, Stylidium
repens and Xanthosia rotundifolia subsp. rotundifolia.
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