South Coast NRM Subregions
Albany Eastern Hinterland
The Albany Hinterland sub-region takes in the towns of Denmark, Albany, Mount Barker, Mount Manypeaks and Wellstead. It contains all of the Denmark, Hay and Kalgan River catchments flowing south from the Stirling Range and discharging into the Wilson Inlet and Oyster Harbour. Rainfall ranges from 1200mm per annum near Denmark in the south west to 450mm per annum over the Stirling Ranges in the northern area of the sub-region.
The central and eastern parts of the region are very gently inclined, often internally drained and have a fairly uniform soil type of yellowish brown sandy and gravelly duplex soils underlain by yellow to grey siltstone, silty sandstone and spongeolite Eocene sediments.
These soils usually store less salt than the moderately deep, fertile, sandy and gravelly duplex soils over the igneous (crystalline) basement rocks which characterise the more dissected undulating rises, small granitic exposures, low hills and deeply incised river systems to the west. To the south, a variety of poorly drained soils occur on the low lying coastal flats and swamps. Isolated pockets of rich red-brown loams and red earths are also a feature of the Upper Denmark and Torbay.In the north eastern part of the sub-region, there is a trend towards fewer, larger broad-acre farms focusing on traditional and diversified cropping and livestock industries. In the south western part of the region, landholdings are become smaller with more focus on intensive and diverse agricultural systems. Throughout the sub region there is a trend for innovation and market development.
New industries that have or are evolving in the subregion include viticulture, timber production, farm forestry, olives and fishing. The sub-region is also renowned for its tourism, recreational and nature conservation values.
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