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St Joseph’s College, Echuca
Year 11 Geography
Unit 1: Temperate Forests
Assessment: Keynote Presentation
Context:
On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and
explain the changes in natural environments due to natural processes and human activity.
Task:
Prepare an Keynote presentation explaining:
1. Biodiversity present in the temperate forest of Victoria
Park.
2. Changes due to natural processes in Victoria Park.
3. Changes due to human activity in Victoria Park.
 There will be three field trips and a follow up lesson after
each where you can improve your notes, research more
information and include class notes. At the end of third
lesson you will need to submit your presentation for
grading.
Hand in your field work data sheets at the end of each field trip.
These will be kept and distributed during the next lesson.
Name: _______________
Date: ________________
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Field Trip 2: Changes due to natural processes
in Victoria Park.
Section A: Context: What is the natural environment of
Victoria Park?
1. Victoria Park is covered by a forest which is adapted to living
on the floodplains next to rivers. It is characterisitic of the
Murray Darling Basin. What are the dominant species of trees
and why are they in distinct zones?
Choose one
River Red Gum
a. Occassionally
swampy ground.
b. Dry clay soil.
c. Sandy soil.
Grey Box
a. Occassionally
swampy ground.
b. Dry clay soil.
c. Sandy soil.
Native Pine
a. Occassionally
swampy ground.
b. Dry clay soil.
c. Sandy soil.
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Where you will find
this in Vic Park
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2. The Murray Darling Basin is characterised by wide flat plans
and a fertile sandy loam soil. The large proportion of fine
particles (clay) in this loam mean that it compacts to a hard pan
easily if trodden or driven on when wet. The slow speed of the
Murray River means it can only carry small particles, this is why
the plains in the Murray Darling Basin contain no rocks.
Relate the ability of a river to carry particles of different sizes to its
speed. Use the words: faster, slower, energy, rocks, sand, clay.
3. For much of their journey to the sea, the Murray and Darling Rivers flow through dry
country and yet, if left uncontrolled they would flood every year. Where do these
massive amounts of water come from and what time of the year do the rains that cause
them fall?
Where do these massive
amounts of water come
from?
Murray River
Darling River
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What time of the year do
the rains that cause them
fall?
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4. Locate Echuca on the map. Trace the path of the Murray River and the Darling River
from source to sea. Which is longer?
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Section B: Data Gathering
Erosion and Deposition
Meandering and Billabongs
Sand Hill formation
5. Erosion and Deposition
As a river moves from higher to lower ground it twists and turns, finding the easiest
path. As it does so the current moves faster water from one side of the river to the
other. Where water moves faster it is able to erode and carry more soil away. Where it
is slower it no longer has the energy to carry the soil and deposits this.
Sketch a birds eye view diagram showing how this happens on a bend in the river in
Victoria Park.
Show: speed of current on both sides of the river, erosion, deposition.
Try and make your diagram as realistic as possible (i.e. look like the area we are visiting).
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6. Meandering and Billabongs
Sketch (side view) a billabong showing how its soil and vegetation differ form that of
the land and forest surrounding it.
e.g.
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7. Sand Hill formation
Draw a structural diagram of a section of the sandhill in Victoria Park showing the
change from plains to sandhill, or contrasting the vegetation on the plains to that on the
sandhill.
Section C: Research
8. Aerial Photographs and Maps
Locate the areas were you drew your diagrams on an aerial photograph or map of
Victoria Park. Locate other areas of deposition and erosion. Locate other billabongs.
Draw a line around the extent of the sand hill.
9. Geological history
How did the sandhill get into Victoria Park?
Read Keith Stockwells account of the Kanyapella Basin for clues as to how this happened
then explain in your own words. http://users.mcmedia.com.au/~stocky/kanyapella.html
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