Allingham Creek

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Topography

The major water course of the Allingham Creek Catchment (this subcatchment is 1093 sq km in size, covering 0.8% of the whole Burdekin catchment, with an average subcatchment size of 2700 square kilometers, this catchment is one of the smaller ones) is the Allingham Creek. This major water course starts right next to the Daintrees Lookout (784 m) and the highest point in the catchment. The Black Gully and Spring Creek join the Allingham Creek from the north-west. The Allingham Creek discharges in Dalrymple National Park and the Burdekin River dam catchment, and is flowing from the west to the east of the whole catchment. The altitude difference in the catchment is approx. at 480 m. The west-east dimension is approx. at 110 kilometers in contrast to the north-south with only at approx. 25 kilometers and less.

Vegetation

Riparian Habitat

The following information is summarized from the ACTFR report: Assessing the condition of riparian vegetation in the Burdekin catchment using satellitte imagery and field surveys by Leo Lymburner and John Dowe. 2006. This report can be accessed from the report section below.

iTRARC analysis of Riparian Habitat indicates that this subcatchment is one of the few subcatchments not to have undergone any change in condition.

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Flora

Coowarra Box also known as Dawson Gum or Dawson River Blackbutt.

Wetlands

The following information is summarized from the ACTFR report: Assessing the condition of Wetlands in the Burdekin catchment using existing GIS and field knowledge for CCI by Mirjam Maughan, Damien Burrows, Barry Butler, Leo Lymburner and George Lukacs. 2006. This report can be accessed from the report section below.

Allingham Creek flows seasonally, but retains permanent water in several waterholes that reflect the characteristics of the basalt aquifers of the area. These waterholes are large, deep and clear. The creek terminates in the extensive, macrophyte and emergent plant-filled swamps of the ecologically valuable Eumara Lake, where it joins with Fletcher Creek. These wetlands have not been well studied, but due to relatively low intensity of land use (rangeland cattle grazing) in good grazing country, it is considered that changes to water quality and aquatic habitat are typical for this type of land use. Some preliminary water quality and aquatic invertebrate data for this area is available from Burrows and Butler (2003) and a waterhole on Emu Valley station was part of an aquatic invertebrate study by Betts (2003). The exotic African fish tilapia have recently invaded this creek system (Veitch et al. 2006).

Allingham Creek wetland condition summary ...

Water

Hillslope erosion is identified as the major source of sediment and particulate nutrients affecting water quality within the Allingham Creek subcatchment. This is thought to be associated with the relatively large proportion of hillslope with low ground cover (30%). Loss of sediment and associated particulate nutrients from all sources (supply) is considered to be comparatively low (236 kg/ha/yr). The event mean concentration of sediment is predicted to be relatively lower (321 mg/L) than in many other sub-catchments.

For more information see the Water Quality Information Page

Landuse

Principle land uses within the Allingham Creek subcatchment as a proportion of total area:

Grazing: 99%

Conservation & minimal use: 0.5%

There is very limited urban & semi urban, and water land use identified.

Grazing Land

Grazing on natural pastures is the dominant land use in the subcatchment.

Land Condition

Definition of ABCD land condition framework

Results of a Rapid Land Condition Assessment (adopted from Hassett et al. 2000) are presented below. The assessment has been devised to subjectively characterise condition while traversing the BDT region by vehicle. The data are based on a total of 4666 observations across the Burdekin region between 2004 and 2007.

The data were collected to provide independent information on land condition and provide a regional perspective. Resource assessment data are most useful when interpreted with other sources of data e.g. time-series remote sensing, modelling and water quality monitoring.

The estimated condition of the Allingham Creek sub-catchment is proportioned as follows:

A Condition: 61%
B Condition: 12%
C Condition: 25%
D Condition: 2%

Data from the Allingham Creek sub-catchment is based on 120 observations.

On the basis of the rapid assessment, the Allingham Creek sub-catchment is estimated to have the largest proportion of land in good (A) condition (61%), followed by poor (C) condition (25%) and fair (B) condition land (12%). 2% of observed land was in very poor (D) condition.

Ground Cover

Ground Cover in the Allingham Creek sub-catchment is proportioned as follows:

( BC) Bare Cover: 2%
( LC) Low Cover: 28%
( MC) Moderate Cover: 21%
( HC) High Cover: 7%
(VHC) Very High Cover: 42%

Data from the Allingham Creek sub-catchment are based on 120 observations.

On the basis of the rapid assessment (2004-2007), the Allingham Creek sub-catchment is estimated to have the highest proportion of land within the very high (VHC) ground cover category (42%), followed by low (LC) cover (28%) and medium (MC) cover (21%) categories. 2% of land was estimated to fall into the bare cover (BC) category.

Resource Condition Summary

Allingham Creek is a very small subcatchment where the land use is exclusively grazing on native pastures. Riparian habitat in the subcatchment has undergone little change over the last 30 years and is currently considered to be in poor (C) condition. Allingham Creek flows seasonally, but retains permanent water in several waterholes that reflect the characteristics of the basalt aquifers of the area. These waterholes are large, deep and clear. The creek terminates in the extensive, macrophyte and emergent plant-filled swamps of the ecologically valuable Eumara Lake, where it joins with Fletcher Creek.

Hillslope erosion is identified by models as the major source of sediment and particulate nutrients affecting water quality within the Allingham Creek subcatchment. The rate of soil erosion is predicted to be low and well below the basin and BWQIP region averages, while the total soil loss to waterways from this subcatchment is also very low due to its small area. Grazing land condition is assessed as having a high proportion in good (A) condition, while some poor (C) condition land is apparent. This is also reflected in the rapid ground cover assessment (2004-07). Analysis of ground cover from satellite imagery (reference) identify an area of low cover, and vulnerable and marginal 'D' condition land in the centre of the subcatchment.

Water quality in the Allingham Creek subcatchment is predicted by models to have only slightly elevated sediment concentrations during wet season event flows. There are no water quality monitoring data with which to compare the modelled concentrations and loads.

Draft Environmental Values

A section of Allingham Creek, within the Dalrymple National Park at the very downstream end of the subcatchment and known as Eumara Lake, has been identified as containing High Ecological Value (HEV) waters by the BWQIP ecological values technical panel. Drainage between Allingham Creek, Fletcher Creek and Lolworth Creek converge in this area through a series of channels and wetlands. Water quality is maintained by the basalt groundwater and the waters are generally clear and of high quality. The aquatic ecosystems values of other parts of the subcatchment are poorly known and are considered to be Slightly to Moderately Disturbed (SMD) as a consequence of the surrounding land use for cattle grazing. The human use Environmental Values of the subcatchment are understood to include recreation (swimming, camping & visual appreciation), stock watering, and the cultural and spiritual values of the Kudjala traditional owners.