Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Gippsland'

This thesis reports the results obtained, and conclusions made regarding research into the hydrochemistry of a small impounded karst area in southeastern Australia. Water samples were collected from a variety of sites over a period of approximately six years and include samples that are representative of baseflow (drought conditions) and flood (high flow conditions) the two extremes of the flow regime. Four distinct water types were found to be associated with the karst spring and cave water sites sampled. In terms of physical, chemical and computed parameter values these have been classed as TYPE 1 water (median parameter values similar to those noted for the surface stream sites sampled with catchments of non-carbonate material); TYPE 2 water (catchment predominantly of limestone); TYPE 3 water (catchment predominantly of dolomite); TYPE 4 water (high median chemical concentrations). Spatial variation within the study area is considerable and intrinsic factors such as catchment lithology, the residence time of recharge, aspect and vegetation cover are the major natural controls in determining physical and chemical characteristics.

Thesis (B. Sc.(Hons.))--University of Adelaide, National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 199-?
Three folded enclosures in pocket inside back cover. Includes bibliographical references (7 leaves ).

Bibliography: leaves 135-143. An anthropological analysis of an industrial dispute that occurred within the East Gippsland forest industry, 1997-1998 and how the workers strove to acheive better working conditions for themselves, and to share in the wealth they had created.

This practice based project presents the story of my research journey, as Ganai man. The exegesis documents my life journey, from a young boy to adulthood on traditional country, in the Gippsland region. The stories reveal my experiences of country, identity, racism, family and language as an indigenous male. The content of this project is significant, because it reveals the importance of Indigenous local Ganai connection to country, identity, and the revival of traditional language. I have used multi-disciplinary materials, such as adobe photoshop, film and sound recordings in the making of work. My work examines and engages with personal history, culture and the revival and resounding of Ganai language. My aim is that the research and arts practice discussed in this document encourages future research, steered by Indigenous education and community initiatives. Such initiatives, may both build on my research, and provide an avenue for our younger generation to continue with the re-claiming and resounding of traditional languages.

This thesis is an analysis of human vulnerability to bushfires in the Wulgulmerang district of East Gippsland, Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. On January 30, 2003, bushfires devastated the small population of this isolated farming district. The fires destroyed homes, livelihood assets and public infrastructure. They also adversely affected the health, livelihoods and social lives of many local people. Australian bushfire research has traditionally focused on the geophysical dimensions of fire hazards and disasters, with little consideration of how cultural, economic, political and social factors shape people's exposure to hazards and their capacities to cope and adapt to bushfire impacts. To date, there have been no systematic, social science analyses of human vulnerability to bushfires. The vulnerability analysis presented in this thesis concentrates on two key research questions: (1) How and why were people exposed to hazards during the bushfires? and (2) How and why were people differentially capable of coping and adapting to the fires' impacts? Qualitative methods were primarily used to investigate these questions, including semi-structured interviews with residents and landholders of the Wulgulmerang district, representatives of government departments and authorities, and others who participated in responses to the fires. The thesis develops a multifaceted understanding of how and why people were vulnerable to the January 30 fires. Vulnerability is shown to arise from the circumstances of people's day to day lives, which are shaped by factors both within and beyond their control. Local pressures and challenges - such as drought, declining farm incomes, depopulation, limited access to essential services, and political marginality - are shown to increase people's exposure to bushfire hazards and reduce their capacities to cope and adapt. The thesis demonstrates the fundamental importance of sustainable livelihoods and regional economic and social vitality to the long-term goal of vulnerability reduction.

There is a need for ecological modelling to help understand the dynamics in ecological systems, and thus aid management decisions to maintain or improve the quality of the ecological systems. This research focuses on non linear statistical modelling of observations from an estuarine system, Gippsland Lakes, on the south-eastern coast of Australia. Feed forward neural networks are used to model chlorophyll time series from a fixed monitoring station at Point King. The research proposes a systematic approach to modelling in ecology using feed forward neural networks, to ensure: (a) that results are reliable, (b) to improve the understanding of dynamics in the ecological system, and (c) to obtain a prediction, if possible. An objective filtering algorithm to enable modelling is presented. Sensitivity analysis techniques are compared to select the most appropriate technique for ecological models. The research generated a chronological profile of relationships between biophysical parameters and chlorophyll level for different seasons. A sensitivity analysis of the models was used to understand how the significance of the biophysical parameters changes as the time difference between the input and predicted value changes. The results show that filtering improves modelling without introducing any noticeable bias. Partial derivative method is found to be the most appropriate technique for sensitivity analysis of ecological feed forward neural networks models. Feed forward neural networks show potential for prediction when modelled on an appropriate time series. Feed forward neural networks also show capability to increase understanding of the ecological environment. In this research, it can be seen that vertical gradient and temperature are important for chlorophyll levels at Point King at time scales from a few hours to a few days. The importance of chlorophyll level at any time to chlorophyll levels in the future reduces as the time difference between them increases.

This research project has explored the issues surrounding East Gippsland Institute of TAFE's (EGTAFE) inability to expand the training in Hospitality and Tourism (H&T). EGTAFE is a small regional public provider of training covering a large area in regional Victoria and it has a pivotal role in the provision of knowledge and skills to assist Gippsland's transition to an innovative economy (www.egtafe.vic.edu.au/corporate/corporate). During this project discussions were held with a variety of stakeholders, namely local business owner/operators in the H&T Industry, researching issues such as industry skills requirements and also employers perception of EGTAFE. Action Research was employed as the methodology of this research project, as the cyclical process of planning, acting, observing and reflecting has facilitated the understanding and development of improvements to practices across the Hospitality and Service Industries (H&SI) team. Interviews, questionnaires and workshops were all part of the data collection method. As a result of this research project the main outcomes that have emerged are 1) a better understanding of the needs of employers and employees; and 2) the development of a strong collaborative partnership with employers. Due to the connections with industry that were made because of this research project, the H&SI team is now in a position not only to deliver industry skills requirements, but also to be a partner in the process.

Thesis (B.Sc.(Hons.))--University of Adelaide, National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 2000.
Volume 2 holds ten folded enclosures (some col.) in a box. Includes bibliographical references (4 leaves).

The project investigated the sedimentary, burial, thermal and tectonic history of the Gippsland rift basin, using a realistic 3D structural and stratigraphic model of the basin to constrain theoretical deterministic models, including 3D forward palaeo-landscape models and 3D burial and thermal models of the entire Gippsland Basin. An efficient Experimental Design approach was used to guide the scenario set-up for the numerical simulation software, process the palaeo-landscape results, and identify the important controlling variables.

This study developed a heirarchical approach to improve the efficiency and reliability of surveys for stream-breeding frogs in the montane forests of south-eastern Australia. Areas with suitable climate for some of these species were first determined by bioclimatic modelling. Landscape and habitat preferences were then determined for the four species commonly found in far East Gippsland, along with an assessment of survey techniques from which effective survey protocols were developed. The climate of localities at which five stream-breeding species had been previously found was modelled using BIOCLIM, and maps of the predicted potential distributions having similar climate were developed. Litoria phyllochroa was found to occur in coastal to alpine areas from Melbourne to Nowra, and potentially further inland, in areas with relatively low temperatures and low summer rainfall. Litoria lesueuri had a slightly larger known and predicted distribution, covering a wide range of values for the temperature and precipitation parameters. Both species had predicted areas inland from Melbourne and the Blue Mountains where they had never been recorded, probably largely due to land clearing. The rare Heleioporus australiacus had a slightly more northerly distribution, closer to the coast and adjacent ranges from Central Gippsland to just north of Sydney, with a generally warmer climate and large range of average annual precipitation values. Litoria citropa occupies an even narrower area along the coast, extending slightly further north again, with a climatic profile of few extremes but with relatively high rainfall particularly in summer. The rare Mixophyes balbus had a more northerly known and predicted narrow range along the NSW coast, just extending into Victoria and Queensland, characterised by the subtropical influence of higher summer rainfall. The southern extension into far East Gippsland appears to have an extreme sub-climate, and is hence considered highly susceptible to climate change. Future monitoring sites for these species can now be systematically chosen to include their full climatic range, so that any negative effects of climate change on amphibian populations may have a greater chance of detection. Four species were found commonly enough in the far East Gippsland study area for more detailed study - the three stream-breeding specialist species, L. phyllochroa, L citropa, and L. lesueuri, along with Crinia signifera which was not restricted to streams but commonly found along them. Three species, L. phyllochroa, L citropa and L. lesueuri, were not found at the few higher altitudes sites on the Errinundra Plateau, however they may have been restricted by habitat requirements other than altitude. Litoria phyllochroa was otherwise widespread, but preferred larger in-stream pools and backwaters for breeding with overhanging vegetation for perch and call sites. The other three species preferred stream reaches characterised by wide bedrock outcrops and associated wide break in the tree canopy, which may allow their preferred perch sites on rocky substrates to retain heat after sunset. Litoria lesueuri tadpoles were found in both unconnected and connected pools, and the common association of this species with bedrock outcrops may explain its range being largely restricted to granitic substratum where these outcrops mostly occurred. Litoria citropa preferred reaches with bedrock and boulder outcrops, although frogs used both rocky and vegetative substrates as perch sites, with tadpoles caught in both unconnected pools and backwaters. Crinia signifera tadpoles were mostly restricted to unconnected pools, with frogs generally only detected within or very close beside these. Habitat models varied in their predictive ability, from 67.5% for L. phyllochroa frogs to 92.7% for L. lesueuri tadpoles. Models developed from normally-distributed habitat variables by discriminant function analysis were generally more predictive than those from logistic regression analysis. The occurrence of frogs and tadpoles of L. phyllochroa, L. citropa and L. lesueuri can be predicted by the measurement of five habitat variables along a 50m reach: average width between the banks, average channel width, an average of the maximum depth of channel cross-sections along the reach, channel slope, and proportion of the stream length as pools. The occurrence of C. signifera along reaches can be predicted with the additional measurement of the proportion of the banks covered in ferns, the maximum cross-sectional channel depth along the reach, and the number of unconnected pools. Several different techniques for surveying frogs were compared for the four species commonly found along the streams. Probability of detection models were derived for each species for each technique, which allowed calculation of the statistical confidence of detecting a species that actually occurred at a site for any given number of surveys. For transect-based techniques, models were also developed which allowed determination of the minimum number of surveys required without detecting a species to be 95 percent statistically confident that the species did not occur there, for various transect lengths. This level of confidence can be obtained for the four common species by four surveys using the reliable night encounter technique along 500m stream transects, during the period from Ocotber to March, with air temperatures above 10°C. The application of habitat models to select favourable 50m reaches for survey also generally improved the detectability of each species. Timer-activated tape recorders, which automatically recorded the calls of frogs for many consecutive nights at a site, were very efficient at detecting all species except the quietcalling L. lesueuri. Night encounter surveys along stream transects detected all species from a reasonable effort, and dip-netting for tadpoles was also effective for most species. Active visual encounter surveys were less reliable, and day encounter surveys detected few frogs but provided some additional data when other activities were being performed along the streams. The findings of this study have important implications for future amphibian surveys and monitoring undertaken in East Gippsland and the south coast of New South Wales. If the standardised survey techniques recommended by this study are used in Environmental Impact Assessments, their results can be objectively assessed and defended. The use of habitat modelling and improvement in survey reliability can also be used more efficiently to find sites with populations suitable for monitoring. The likely amount of effort required by a long-term monitoring program can also be determined so as to largely overcome daily variations in the detection of each species.

Nodularia spumigena is an estuarine cyanobacteria that produces the toxin nodularin. This toxic cyanobacteria is known to have caused death to domestic and wild animals and is recognised as dangerous to human health. N. spumigena causes harmful algal blooms in many parts of the world including Australia. The toxic solutes of N. spumigena are potentially dangerous when contact is made to contaminated water bodies or is ingested by primary consumers. In Australia blooms of N. spumigena are common in the Gippsland Lakes in South-eastern Victoria and cause socio - economic hardships to the local communities. This PhD investigates the toxic effects of N. spumigena and its solutes to a range of aquatic life. A method known as SPME - HPLC showed promise in environmental monitoring of N. spumigena toxins by measuring nodularin from water samples. Other research presented study into the lethal and sublethal effects of on an extract from N. spumigena to aquatic fauna. Resu lts showed the N. spumigena extract was not lethal to many aquatic fauna although zooplankton from the Gippsland Lakes showed mortality at environmental relevant levels. Biochemical studies focusing on animal detoxification and antioxidation enzymes and DNA integrity showed sublethal effects to the N. spumigena extract. Results presented in this thesis show that an extract of N. spumigena elicited detoxification and antioxidation responses in animals tested. Furthermore, the use of the COMET assay showed increased damage to DNA of animals tested. Results also showed that different organs in animals tested responded differently to the aqueous extract, suggesting mode of uptake maybe important in toxicosis. Further, feeding studies with N. spumigena help elucidate mode of uptake using enzyme response biomarkers. The overall results of this research provided an assessment of the toxic affects of N. spumigena on aquatic fauna with special reference to the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, Australia.

Integrated coastal management (ICM) has been the basis for coastal planning and management since the 1970s. The theory and practice of ICM is based on the premise that increased integration of planning and management in the coastal zone will lead to improved environmental and social outcomes for the coast. In the context of global and national trends, this thesis examines the application of ICM in three place-based coastal case studies in Victoria: the Gippsland Lakes, Point Nepean and the Geelong region. The particular focus is on the twin challenges of coastal urbanisation and the impacts of climate change. Through a wide range of applied research techniques including focus groups, the research explores the pressures, issues, impacts and implications for ICM and beyond. The case studies point to a number of important implications for ICM and identify opportunities for a more sustainable approach to coastal planning. In reviewing the research findings, a set of five steps and six principles are proposed to respond to policy failures and provide for a transition to more sustainable coastal planning in Victoria. The five steps involve expanding the theory of ICM to be outcome based and regional in its approach to coastal planning and management. In the context of climate change, a more adaptive and systems approach has been incorporated along with recognising the even greater importance of community engagement in coastal planning processes during a period of increased uncertainty and change. The principal instrument for change is a tripartite intergovernmental agreement on sustainable coastal planning underpinned by a set of six principles. These include: agreed and shared outcomes for the coastal environment to facilitate horizontal and vertical integration; an adaptive and systems approach integrating science and urban planning drawing on experience and knowledge in both disciplines; incorporation of the shared outcomes and an adaptive approach into urban and regio nal planning systems for local implementation; regional governance arrangements for integration of policy outcomes and community involvement; capacity building for sustainable coastal planning including interdisciplinary research and community education and long term monitoring and evaluation. The transition from ICM to sustainable coastal planning does not discard ICM but rather incorporates its strengths and adapts the concept to meet the twin challenges of coastal urbanisation and climate change. Further research questions are posed to indicate how the research findings could be further developed as part of a future coastal research agenda. The research findings seek to make a contribution to the theory and practice of ICM to build a pathway to coastal planning for the benefit of our coast and future generations.

The subject matter of this thesis spans the disciplines of Geography, Prehistory and Anthropology in attempting to examine the interaction of environmental and socio-cultural systems. The thesis is not meant to be primarily be an in-depth study of the evolution of the Gippsland Lakes system but is concerned with the question of the nature of the interaction of a small-scale society with its environment and how this is reflected in the cultural forms of the society. That is, rather than being the focus of the study, reconstruction of changes in the environmental parameters of the field area over time is undertaken to support the primary inquiry into the nature of environmental-cultural interaction. The goal of the study is therefore to examine cultural process rather than sedimentary processes. This empirical approach tests the correlation between the evolving landscape and the archaeological and ethnographic cultures of the Quaternary barrier systems of the Gippsland Lakes-Ninety Mile Beach region. This involves environmental reconstruction largely using published geomorphological and palynological information, and extensive archaeological site survey and analysis to develop an outline of the prehistory of the study area. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric reconstruction of aspects of the historical sociocultural organisation of the area are undertaken in order to provide a comparative base for archaeologically reconstructed culture. The study identifies a number of problems with the use of the rich ethnography of the area. Use of information hinges upon its validity and reliability. For these reasons sources of bias, particularly natural factors working upon the archaeological record, are investigated. These have considerable implications for the design and execution of survey, and for interpretation and analysis of results. It appeared that in the study area at least statistical description of site location data could not be carried out validly. It was also concluded that ethnographic accounts of the study area must be used with caution. Shifts in the natural environment and cultural change in the area seemed to show a poor correlation. This gave rise to the conclusion that much of what is seen in the reconstructed culture history is attributable to wider scale movements of cultural information in prehistory rather than to the details of the evolution of the local environment. Upon closer examination it can be seen that this picture alters according to the scale at which it is viewed. There have been major spreads of information, including technological information, which lead to economic and therefore ecological changes through the Holocene. This expansion of ideas involved the proliferation of microlithic technologies in the mid- Holocene, and in the later Holocene a wide-spread expansion of such technologies as fishing hooks and tied-end canoes. As these phenonema also occurred beyond the study area it is invalid to attribute them to local adaptive processes. It is argued that the later Holocene developments, facilitated by technological innovation, could have been induced by landscape evolution including estuary and wetland sedimentation and evolution of other, rocky, coasts. At a closer scale, it can be seen that within these trends local aspects of Holocene Aboriginal culture were closely adjusted to local environmental conditions. Thus while gross configurations of local culture owe much to broad scale historic processes, allowed or induced by large scale environmental evolution, details of local culture may be explicable in terms of local conditions. At either scale conscious perception and culturally informed response are indicated, and changes must be seen as significantly induced rather than as the outcomes of random evolutionary processes. The concept of adaptation to environment is also examined from a theoretical perspective, and the use of models of adaptation derived from neo-Darwinian theory in examination of culture process is scrutinised. It is concluded that the application of an evolutionary model based on natural selection to cultural process cannot be supported. A process of cultural selection is suggested as a more valid model in the evolution and reproduction of sociocultural systems.

The Gippsland Basin of southeastern Australia is the most energy-rich basin of Australia producing petroleum, gas and brown coal. Three-quarters of the Basin lies offshore and the rest onshore. The basin was initiated as a rift valley, caused by the separation of the Australian continent from the Antarctic followed by a number of tectonic events throughout the basin history. Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks form the basement, which is in turn covered with Late Cretaceous to Recent sediment of sand, clay, limestone, and brown coal seams. The total thickness of the in-filling sediments offshore attains up to 6000 m, but onshore is up to 1200 m. There are three main acquifer systems, the Hydrostratigraphic Units 2, 4, and 7, all of which are confined. The two lower aquifer systems, Units 4 and 7, contain high temperature groundwater. It is generally agreed that the hydrocarbons offshore have been derived from terrestrial matters including brown coal and ligneous clay offshore. In the present study, the author has developed a case that hydrocarbons offshore being derived not only from the offshore source but also from onshore brown coals and coaly matter and in this hydrocarbon forming processes, groundwater has played a significant role. The Central Deep, in particular, provides favourable conditions for hydrocarbon maturation. Throughout the basin history, the Central Deep has experienced the oil window temperatures. In supporting this hypothesis, geochemical studies on groundwater, brown coal, and hydrocarbons as well as hydrodynamics are presented.

Title page, abstract and table of contents only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library.
Dolomite cemented zones have been recognized in both Otway and Gipssland Basins. These cemented zones have significant effects on the reservoir performance as they can degrade or enhance reservoir sweep. The CO2CRC CO₂ sequestration project in Otway Basin may be affected by these carbonate cemented zones, where it has been detected in CRC-2 and CRC-1. Therefore, the aim of this project is to generate an empirical model using well log data to detect the dolomite cemented zones in the Otway and Gippsland Basins. To achieve this goal, log data have been analyzed to firstly create a motif of cemented zones in the on-shore lower Paaratte Formation of Otway Basin. Then, verify cemented zones in the Casino Field of the Shipwreck Trough (offshore Paaratte Formation). As a result, the dolomitisation interval motifs will be generated from Paaratte Formation of Otway Basin and will be used to detect the cemented zones in the Gippsland basin.
Thesis (M.Sc.(Petrol.Geosc.) -- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petoleum, 2014.

This thesis explores a new approach to writing the environmental history of settler societies through an explicit focus on ecological processes, as distinct from the more commonly used landscape or geographic units. In this case, I focus upon the hydrological cycle and four key processes that constitute it. The processes are precipitation; flow above and below ground in rivers, creeks and aquifers; stored or still water in lakes, ponds and wetlands; and evaporation. The work examines the impact of the ecological processes that make up the hydrological cycle within the context of the daily life of colonial settlers in the catchment of the Gippsland Lakes in south eastern Victoria, Australia, from the commencement of white colonization in the late 1830s up to the turn of the century. This time period was selected because by 1900, the principal changes which laid the foundation for the Lakes seriously compromised ecological health in the late 1980s and early 1990s were all in place. Inspired by gestalt psychology, it examines the interaction of those processes with settler knowledge of biophysical processes, their religious and cultural beliefs, economic and political forces at work in their world, work and leisure time, their language and expressions, values and aspirations for themselves and their families. Each of these aspects informed their perceptions of the ecology around them, and particularly, their perception of the significance of water. The findings confirms the critical importance of cultural values, generated through myth, story and action, to understanding environmental changes. Colonial Gippslanders were committed to: a belief in progress, or alternately, banishing wilderness; a belief that the world was made by God for human benefit; and the desire for certainty versus the actual uncertainty in hydrological conditions. Collectively, colonial Gippslanders believed in progress as much as they believed in God, believed themselves largely separate from nature and plumped for certainty. They set to re-plumbing the catchment to eliminate, as far as possible within their technical capabilities, the natural variations within the hydrological cycle. The tools which they applied to achieve this radical re{u00AD}plumbing included the application of engineering knowledge, supported by increasing amounts of technology and machinery and by sophisticated socio{u00AD}political lobbying.

Title page, table of contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library.
This study area for this research is characterised by a regional anticline plunging to the east-south-east with large-scale internal architecture comprising transgressive, retrogradationally stacked stratigraphy that dips gently landward and is unconformably truncated by overlying sealing units. The primary reservoir/aquifer targets for CO₂ injection are palaeo-shoreline parallel nearshore sandstone bodies characterised by high porosity and permeability and good interconnectivity. The key regional sealing unit is the Lakes Entrance Formation, which consists of mudstone and marl capable of sealing large columns of CO₂. The proposed stategy for CO₂ geosequestration is to inject CO₂ outside four-way structural closure to allow up-dip fluid migration to the north then west governed by the structure of regional sealing units. Probabilistic estimates of CO₂ capacity utilising the proposed strategy indicate that 1395-2575 Mtonnes could be sequestered.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2007

This thesis consists of six published papers. The present-day stress tensor has been determined using petroleum well data in the Gippsland and Otway Basins in Southeast Australia (Papers 1 and 4) and the Cooper Basin in Central Australia (Paper 5). In the Gippsland Basin, the present-day stress regime is transitional between one of reverse and strike-slip faulting and the maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) is oriented ~139°N. The present-day stress regime in the Victorian sector of the Otway Basin is also transitional between one of reverse and strike-slip faulting and SHmax is oriented ~135°N. Horizontal stresses are lower in the South Australian sector of the Otway Basin where the stress regime is one of strike-slip faulting and SHmax is oriented ~124°N. The orientations of SHmax in Southeast Australia are consistent with focal mechanism solutions, neotectonic structures and modelling of plate-boundary forces (Paper 4). Closure pressures from mini-frac injection tests are commonly used to determine the minimum horizontal stress (Shmin) magnitude. However, in high stress basins such as the Cooper and Gippsland Basins, these pressures may not reliably yield Shmin (Papers 2 and 5). In the Cooper Basin, high closure pressures (>18 MPa/km) were observed in tests where pressure-declines indicated complex hydraulic fracture growth. Closure pressures in these injections are unlikely to be representative of Shmin. They are believed to reflect the normal stress incident on pre-existing planes of weakness that are exploited by hydraulic fluid during the mini-frac injection (Paper 5). Sub-horizontal fabrics that are open at the wellbore wall were observed on image logs in the Cooper and Gippsland Basins (Papers 2 and 5). This fabric is believed to be at least partially responsible for the complex growth of hydraulic fractures observed in the Cooper Basin. The occurrence of these sub-horizontal fabrics and knowledge of rock strength have been used to constrain the magnitudes of SHmax and Shmin independently of mini-frac injections in the Cooper and Gippsland Basins (Papers 2 and 5). The present-day stress tensor is often quoted as a single gradient at a sedimentary basinor petroleum field-scale. Image logs and mini-frac data from Central and Southeast Australia indicate significant stress differences between stratigraphic units (Papers 3 and 5). Finite element modelling of the stress distribution between interbedded sands and shales in the Gippsland Basin indicates that stress is ‘partitioned’ to ‘hard’ lithological units in high stress areas. This accounts for the observation that borehole breakout only occurs in hard, cemented sandstones in the Gippsland Basin (Paper 3). A generic ‘mechanical stratigraphy’ derived from knowledge of wellbore failure (from image logs), rock strength and rock properties in individual rock units in the Cooper Basin allows an approximation of the present-day stress-state to be made directly from image-logs for individual rock units prior to mini-frac injection (Paper 6). This is important for predicting and understanding hydraulic fracture growth and containment. When considered together, the papers comprising this thesis provide significant new data on the orientation and magnitude of present-day stresses in Central and Southeast Australia. They also provide insight into the tectonic origin of those stresses and their distribution within sedimentary basins. In particular the papers develop and use new methods for constraining the present-day stress in regions of high tectonic stress. They also discuss implications for problems in petroleum development including wellbore stability and hydraulic fracturing.
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Thesis(Ph.D.) -- Australian School of Petroleum, 2007

This thesis consists of six published papers. The present-day stress tensor has been determined using petroleum well data in the Gippsland and Otway Basins in Southeast Australia (Papers 1 and 4) and the Cooper Basin in Central Australia (Paper 5). In the Gippsland Basin, the present-day stress regime is transitional between one of reverse and strike-slip faulting and the maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) is oriented ~139°N. The present-day stress regime in the Victorian sector of the Otway Basin is also transitional between one of reverse and strike-slip faulting and SHmax is oriented ~135°N. Horizontal stresses are lower in the South Australian sector of the Otway Basin where the stress regime is one of strike-slip faulting and SHmax is oriented ~124°N. The orientations of SHmax in Southeast Australia are consistent with focal mechanism solutions, neotectonic structures and modelling of plate-boundary forces (Paper 4). Closure pressures from mini-frac injection tests are commonly used to determine the minimum horizontal stress (Shmin) magnitude. However, in high stress basins such as the Cooper and Gippsland Basins, these pressures may not reliably yield Shmin (Papers 2 and 5). In the Cooper Basin, high closure pressures (>18 MPa/km) were observed in tests where pressure-declines indicated complex hydraulic fracture growth. Closure pressures in these injections are unlikely to be representative of Shmin. They are believed to reflect the normal stress incident on pre-existing planes of weakness that are exploited by hydraulic fluid during the mini-frac injection (Paper 5). Sub-horizontal fabrics that are open at the wellbore wall were observed on image logs in the Cooper and Gippsland Basins (Papers 2 and 5). This fabric is believed to be at least partially responsible for the complex growth of hydraulic fractures observed in the Cooper Basin. The occurrence of these sub-horizontal fabrics and knowledge of rock strength have been used to constrain the magnitudes of SHmax and Shmin independently of mini-frac injections in the Cooper and Gippsland Basins (Papers 2 and 5). The present-day stress tensor is often quoted as a single gradient at a sedimentary basinor petroleum field-scale. Image logs and mini-frac data from Central and Southeast Australia indicate significant stress differences between stratigraphic units (Papers 3 and 5). Finite element modelling of the stress distribution between interbedded sands and shales in the Gippsland Basin indicates that stress is ‘partitioned’ to ‘hard’ lithological units in high stress areas. This accounts for the observation that borehole breakout only occurs in hard, cemented sandstones in the Gippsland Basin (Paper 3). A generic ‘mechanical stratigraphy’ derived from knowledge of wellbore failure (from image logs), rock strength and rock properties in individual rock units in the Cooper Basin allows an approximation of the present-day stress-state to be made directly from image-logs for individual rock units prior to mini-frac injection (Paper 6). This is important for predicting and understanding hydraulic fracture growth and containment. When considered together, the papers comprising this thesis provide significant new data on the orientation and magnitude of present-day stresses in Central and Southeast Australia. They also provide insight into the tectonic origin of those stresses and their distribution within sedimentary basins. In particular the papers develop and use new methods for constraining the present-day stress in regions of high tectonic stress. They also discuss implications for problems in petroleum development including wellbore stability and hydraulic fracturing.
Thesis(Ph.D.) -- Australian School of Petroleum, 2007

There is potential to increase productivity from the regrowth forests of East Gippsland, Victoria by investing in more intensive silviculture. A review of literature shows that early spacing of selected stands can increase merchantable volume and decrease rotation lengths which could then increase annual yields and/ or alleviate the pressure to harvest forests with high conservation values. This sub-thesis investigates three early spacing technologies used to space nine-year-old Eucalyptus sieberi in the Cann River Forest District. The three spacing treatments included a non-selective spacing using a mechanical slasher and two treatments that removed trees using a combination of non-selective spacing with either a stem injection of herbicide or a clearing saw that physically removed trees. All treatments were compared to an unspaced control. Stocking and basal area reductions between treatments were found to be different post-treatment in 1992. This was largely due to the proportion of area selectively spaced with the mechanical slasher. There was also natural variation in stocking in the stand, however this could not be quantified due to a lack of replication across treatments. Growth over two years was analysed using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) based on a Mixed Model for unbalanced data. There was a significant (p