1.1.2 Geography

Summary

The Clarence-Moreton bioregion spans across north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland, covering an area of about 24,292 km2, approximately 9,500 km2 of which is in Queensland. In New South Wales it contains much of the Clarence and Richmond river basins, while in south-east Queensland it covers the mid and upper parts of the Logan-Albert river basin, Bremer river basin, Lockyer Valley basin, and parts of the Brisbane river basin.

The population within the boundaries of the bioregion is estimated to be around 500,000. The Clarence-Moreton bioregion includes areas of Bundjalung and Yuggera nations.

The Clarence-Moreton bioregion is economically diverse, with agriculture, forestry and fishing being the main employer in the Lockyer Valley and Kyogle regions whereas retail trade, health care and social assistance represent some of the more typical industries elsewhere.

The largest component of the bioregion is used as grazing of modified pastures and native vegetation. There are extensive areas of wetlands, with 31,000 ha in the Richmond river basin, and 43,000 ha mapped in the Clarence river basin (DLWC, 2000). Soil types in the New South Wales part include the Clarence Sodic Soils, Alstonville Plateau, Casino Alluvials along the Richmond Valley, and North Coast Acid Sulfate Soils mainly in the lower parts of the Clarence and Richmond floodplains. The Queensland part includes large areas of alluvial plains with surrounding undulating hills (Lockyer, Bremer, Warrill Creeks).

The climate of the Clarence-Moreton bioregion falls within the temperate and subtropical climate groupings. The mean annual rainfall varies from 800 to 2716 mm. Rainfall is highest during the warmer months of January to March and lowest during the colder months of July to September.

The largest water supply reservoir in the Clarence-Moreton bioregion is Lake Wivenhoe on the Brisbane River, which is a major water supply reservoir for Brisbane and south-east Queensland. The other storages in the Queensland part of the bioregion are an order of magnitude smaller than Lake Wivenhoe, and include Lake Wyaralong in the Logan river basin, Lake Maroon, Lake Moogerah, Lake Clarendon and Lake Atkinson. The New South Wales part of the bioregion has only small dams such as Toonumbar Dam in the upper Richmond river basin.


Last updated:
8 January 2018
Thumbnail images of the Clarence-Moreton bioregion

Product Finalisation date

2014