PROGRAM OUTLINE

Western Australia’s agricultural regions are often characterised by sandy soils, requiring innovative management to ensure profitability and sustainability. This tour will visit a rainfed broadacre farm in the wheatbelt showcasing soil amelioration strategies that have transformed cropping productivity by addressing the multiple sandy soil constraints.

On the return to the city, we will stop at a sand quarry in the outer regions of Perth. The mine is a global supplier of high-grade construction and silica sand. Discussions will include rehabilitation efforts that address climate, biodiversity, and conservation challenges.

The final stop at a research station on the Perth Swan Coastal Plain features field presentations by horticultural researchers on an overview of vegetable production in Western Australia and advances in water and nutrient management solutions for the industry.

Lands, sands and swamps – a tour of Perth’s southern coastal plain

This field tour traverses all major geomorphological land units of the coastal plain, with discussions of land uses, degradation processes, and water quality at key sites.

Lunch will overlook ‘the cut’, a significant engineering intervention designed to improve estuary water quality that has declined due to land clearing and fertiliser over-use on the sandy hinterland. Ongoing research into management options for improving agricultural production and ameliorating coastal plain sandy soils to reduce nutrient leaching will be discussed.

The tour includes a visit to the internationally significant Lake Clifton Thrombolites, the largest thrombolite reef in the Southern Hemisphere.

Conference Dinner

Fraser’s Restaurant

60 Fraser Ave, Kings Park WA 6005