Conservation.Areas Namadgi National Park Namadgi National Park covers 105,900 ha, making up more than half of the ACT. Declared as a National Park in 1984 it is now a sanctuary protecting all animals, plants and cultural sites within its’ borders. To the south-east the park joins Kosciusko National Park and the Bimberi and Scabby Range Nature Reserves and on the north-east boarder joins Brindabella National Park. The park has a wide variety of conservation habitats that range from the broad grassy valleys to snow gum woodlands and subalpine wetlands and is zoned to accommodate recreational opportunities such as camping, recreational driving, cycling, horse riding, bushwalking, rock climbing and abseiling. Murrumbidgee River Corridor From Angle Crossing in the south to Uriarra Crossing in the north, around 66 km of the Murrumbidgee River and a narrow strip of land either side of it has been identified as a 0 single entity, the Murrumbidgee River Corridor (MRC). The MRC is a collection of nature reserves, recreation reserves, a European heritage conservation zone and rural leases. The Murrumbidgee is home to the Murray Crayfish which is now protected due to dwindling numbers from over fishing. Canberra Nature Parks Canberra Nature Park Reserves range from bushland hills to some of the best examples of lowland native grassland in south-east Australia. The reserves contain some of the best examples of Yellow Box-Red Gum Grassy Woodland left in Australia. This type of woodland is an endangered ecological community. It is home to a number of rare or threatened species such as the Hooded Robin, Striped Legless Lizard and the Button Wrinklewort. Nature Parks within the southern ACT Catchment area Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve Oakey Hill Nature Reserve Farrer Ridge Nature Reserve Red Hill Nature Reserve Isaacs Ridge Nature Reserve Rob Roy Nature Reserve McArthur Hill Tuggeranong Hill Nature Reserve McQuoids Hill Nature Reserve Urambi Hills Nature Reserve Mt Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve Wanniassa Hills Nature Reserve Mt Taylor Nature Reserve Table.3 SOUTHERN ACT CATCHMENT GROUP INC Legend Brindabella Southern ACT Catchment Boundary National Park urban NSW Reserves ACT Reserves Googong Tidbinbilla Foreshores Bimberi Nature Nature Mt Franklin Reserve 21 Reserve Mt Ginini Namadgi National Park Mt Bimberi Kosciuszko National Park Scabby Range Nature Reserve Contact Details Parks, Conservation & Lands Macarthur House 12 Wattle Street Lyneham ACT 2602 Southern ACT Catchment Group Boundary PO Box 158 Canberra ACT 2602 Telephone (02) 13 22 81 2 December 07 Disclaimer: Environment ACT does not warrant that the data is free from errors. Map.3 CATCHMENT2007–2010 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Rural.Lands IIn 1909 New South Wales transferred land over to federal control for the establishment of the Australian Capital Territory. Subsequently an act of parliament created the legal framework for the ACT restricting landholders to leasehold rather than freehold to give the government more control over development within the region. As of 2006 all urban land in the ACT is held on 99 year crown leases. Rural lands are subject to leases, ranging up to 99 years, that may be transferred with agreement from the ACT Government or through sale or inheritance. There are over 79 rural leases in the southern ACT catchment area and the predominant land use is sheep and cattle grazing on improved pasture. Forestry Plantation forestry in the southern catchment area began in 1915 near Mt. Stromlo in 22 the Kambah and Coppins sub-catchments as an attempt to improve the degradation of soil from over-grazing by sheep, rabbits and kangaroos. By the 1930’s areas of Pinus radiata were also planted annually within the Lower Cotter, Uriarra and Paddy’s River sub- catchments. At the time, the benefits of pine plantations were seen to include erosion control and improved soil quality, therefore protecting the water quality within the lower cotter sub- catchment for Canberra’s water supply. The ACT pine forests have suffered damage from periodic bushfire events since their establishment. The Canberra bushfires of 2003 largely destroyed the Stromlo, Uriarra and Pierces Creek pine plantations and burnt a large proportion of natural forested areas within Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. In 2006 the ACT Government committed against any further commercial pine plantations within the Lower Cotter, Paddy’s River and Uriarra sub-catchments. It is proposed that these areas be rezoned within the Territory Plan. Remnant areas of pines that were either replanted or have survived since the 2003 bushfires will be managed on a non-commercial basis and liquidated when feasible to convert the areas back to their pre-pine native vegetation components. It is expected to take up to 30-35 years before native vegetation will be replanted into all the existing fire-affected pine plantation areas. Stromlo and the surrounding area will be converted to other landuses including residential and a modern outdoor recreational facility, ‘Stromlo Park’. The ACT Government is committed to not replanting pines for commercial use within this area. Any pines to be planted are for recreational and aesthetic values SOUTHERN ACT CATCHMENT GROUP INC Urban Development The small village of Tharwa is oldest urban development within the southern ACT catchment area, being established in 1862. It wasn’t until 1928 that the urban growth of Canberra began to expand into the southern ACT catchment area. Over the next 50 years the satellite districts of Woden Valley (1963), Weston Creek (1968) and Tuggeranong (1974) would be established. These districts make up the majority of all urban landuse components within the catchment area. Urban DISTRICTS.AND.THEIR.Suburbs South.Canberra Woden.Valley Weston.Creek Tuggeranong Deakin Chifley Chapman Banks Curtin Duffy Bonython Farrer Fisher Calwell Garran Holder Chisholm 23 Hughes Rivett Conder Isaacs Stirling Fadden Lyons Waramanga Gilmore Mawson Weston Gordon O’Malley Gowrie Pearce Greenway Phillip Isabella Plains Torrens Kambah Macarthur Monash Oxley Richardson Theodore Wanniassa Table.4 CATCHMENT2007–2010 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY CITY Legend REID ACTON Southern ACT Catchment Boundary ony Creek CAMPBELL ure Reserve urban PARKES RUSSELL ACT Reserves YARRALUMLA CAPITAL HILL BARTON KINGSTON FORREST DEAKIN Red Hill FYSHWICK CURTIN Nature Reserve GRIFFITH HUGHES DUFFY HOLDER RED HILL WESTON Oakey Hill NARRABUNDAH Nature Reserve LYONS Bullen GARRAN Range RIVETT PHILLIP Mt Mugga Mugga STIRLING Nature Nature Reserve SYMONSTON Reserve WARAMANGA CHIFLEY O'MALLEY CHAPMAN Cooleman Ridge 24 FISHER Nature Reserve PEARCE MAWSON Isaacs Ridge Nature Reserve Mount Taylor ISAACS Nature ReservTOeRRENS McQuoids Hill FARRER Nature Reserve Farrer Ridge KAMBAH Nature Reserve HUME Wanniassa Hill Urambi Hills WANNIASSA Nature Reserve Nature Reserve FADDEN MACARTHUR OXLEY GOWRIE Bullen Range GREENWAY MONASH GILMORE Nature Reserve Pine Island / CHISHOLM Point Hut ISABELLA PLAINS RICHARDSON BONYTHON CALWELL Pine Island / Point Hut THEODORE Tuggeranong GORDON Hill Nature CONRDEeRserve BANKS Rob Roy Range Nature Reserve Contact Details Parks, Conservation & Lands Macarthur House Southern ACT Catchment Group Boundary 12 Wattle Street Lyneham ACT 2602 PO Box 158 - urban Canberra Canberra ACT 2602 Telephone (02) 13 22 81 2 December 07 Disclaimer: Environment ACT does not warrant that the data is free from errors. Map.4 SOUTHERN ACT CATCHMENT GROUP INC Infrastructure The southern ACT area is home to numerous highways and major roads, service and shopping centres, and various public utilities that aim to establish a framework for maintaining urban growth for the ACT. The Monaro Highway and the Tuggeranong Parkway are the two major roadways linking the southern ACT catchment with the rest of the ACT. They travel north to south and are linked from east to west by Hindmarsh Drive. Each suburb is bounded by at least one major road within the catchment area providing for quick access. Congestion is usually associated in times of peak traffic within areas close to local Service and Shopping Centres. Small shopping centres are generally located within most suburbs in the southern ACT catchment area, with larger service centres found at Greenway, Wanniassa, Phillip, Mawson and Weston. Highways and SHOPPING.CENTRES 25 MAJOR.Roads Adelaide Avenue Calwell Centre Hughes Shopping Centre Angle Crossing Road Chapman Shopping Centre Isaacs Shopping Centre Ashley Drive Chifley Shopping Centre Isabella Plains Shopping Centre Athllon Drive Chisholm Shopping Centre Kambah Shopping Centre Corin Road Cooleman Court Kambah Village Cotter Road Curtin Shopping Centre Lanyon Market Place Drakeford Drive Deakin Shopping Centre Monash Shopping Centre Erindale Drive Duffy Shopping Centre Richardson Shopping Centre Hindmarsh Drive Erindale Shopping Centre Rivett Shopping Centre Isabella Drive Fadden Shopping Centre Southlands Shopping Centre Johnson Drive Farrer Shopping Centre Tuggeranong Town Centre Monaro Highway Fisher Shopping Centre Wanniassa Shopping Centre Namatjira Drive Garran Shopping Centre Waramanga Shopping Centre Naas Road Gowrie Shopping Centre Woden Shopping Centre Paddys River Road Holder Shopping Centre Point Hut Road Sulwood Drive Tharwa Drive Tidbinbilla Road Tuggeranong Parkway Uriarra Road Yamba Drive Table.5 CATCHMENT2007–2010 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Public Utilities Water.Supply There are three reservoirs within the southern catchment area, Corin Dam, Bendora Dam and Cotter Dam. These dams are situated along the Cotter