Land system name: Northern Plateau

Land system name: Land unit: Northern Plateau NP1 General description This land unit represents an extensive area of crests and upper slopes in a landscape of gentle-rises. The soils are typically shallow, but vary from sandy Rudosols (uniform texture, very shallow) to red-brown Chromosols (texture-contrast profile), invariably with an ironstone hardpan at less than 0.5m depth. Open woodlands of Eucalyptus melanophloia (silver-leaved ironbark) predominate - the height and density of trees is influenced by the depth of soil to the hardpan. The presence of Melaleuca tamariscina (bush house paperbark) and/or Eucalyptus persistens (Normanton box) indicates where the ironstone hardpan is very close to, or exposed at, the soil surface. Occurrences of E. brownii (Reid River box) and Corymbia setosa (applejack) are few. Acacia coriacea (desert oak), Melaleuca nervosa (woodland paperbark) and Carissa ovata (currant bush) are the dominant shrubs, whereas Aristida species (wiregrass), Heteropogon contortus (black spear grass), Themeda triandra (kangaroo grass) and Triodia pungens (gummy spinifex) are the dominant grasses. Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel grass) has become common to some areas. Regional ecosystem 10.7.11 predominates, but small areas of 10.7.2 and 10.7.7 are also present. Site characteristics Landform element Hillcrest and hillslope Site drainage Moderately well drained Flooding risk Nil Potential recharge to groundwater Low Present land use Grazing Average slope 2% Soil permeability Slowly permeable Inundation risk Nil Soil depth Shallow; 0.25 - <0.5m Susceptibility to land degradation processes Sheet erosion High Gully erosion Low Wind erosion Low Salting Very low Land Unit NP1 - page 1

Representative site number: 172 Soil classification Australian Soil Classification CH AB BJ EO - B E L O U Principle Profile Form Dy2.12-2/1/022 General soil description A shallow texture-contrast profile with a medium sandy loam topsoil over a brown, sodic sandy clay with a hardpan at a depth of approximately 0.5m Soil profile morphology Horizon Horizon no Depth Description A 1 0.00-0.22 Reddish brown sandy loam; No mottles; no coarse fragments; Weak 5-10 mm subangular blocky structure; no segregations; Clear to; B2t 2 0.22-0.45 Brown sandy clay; No mottles; no coarse fragments; Moderate 2-5 mm angular blocky structure; no segregations; Clear to; D 3 0.45-2.00+ Moderately cemented continuous nodular other pan Soil chemical analysis Horizon Horizon no. Depth ph Gravel % Phosphorus Potassium Nutrient status A 1 0.00-0.22 6.5 0.57 Deficient Deficient Very low 0 Low Very low N Y Moderate B2t 2 0.22-0.45 6.5 2.14 Deficient Deficient Very low 0 Low Very low Y Y Moderate Aluminium Salt content Organic matter Sodicity Slaking Dispersion Field sites within this land unit (see technical report for original site nos.) Site code Site type 13 DUSLARA Tertiary 14 DUSLARA Tertiary 20 DUSLARA Tertiary 21 DUSLARA Tertiary 22 DUSLARA Tertiary 23 DUSLARA Tertiary 26 DUSLARA Tertiary 27 DUSLARA Tertiary 30 DUSLARA Tertiary 31 DUSLARA Tertiary 32 DUSLARA Tertiary 72 DUSLARA Tertiary 99 DUSLARA Tertiary 128 DUSLARA Tertiary 147 DUSLARA Tertiary 155 DUSLARA Tertiary 156 DUSLARA Tertiary 157 DUSLARA Tertiary 158 DUSLARA Tertiary 160 DUSLARA Tertiary Site code Site type 162 DUSLARA Tertiary 166 DUSLARA Tertiary 169 DUSLARA Tertiary 171 DUSLARA Tertiary 172 DUSLARA Primary 177 DUSLARA Primary 196 DUSLARA Tertiary 203 DUSLARA Primary 205 DUSLARA Tertiary 207 DUSLARA Primary 376 DUSLARA Tertiary 377 DUSLARA Tertiary 385 DUSLARA Tertiary 388 DUSLARA Tertiary 389 DUSLARA Primary 390 DUSLARA Tertiary 391 DUSLARA Tertiary 400 DUSLARA Tertiary 402 DUSLARA Tertiary 403 DUSLARA Tertiary Site code Site type 406 DUSLARA Primary 407 DUSLARA Tertiary 451 DUSLARA Tertiary 460 DUSLARA Tertiary 462 DUSLARA Primary 463 DUSLARA Tertiary 464 DUSLARA Tertiary 466 DUSLARA Tertiary 467 DUSLARA Tertiary 468 DUSLARA Tertiary 470 DUSLARA Tertiary 474 DUSLARA Primary 475 DUSLARA Tertiary 481 DUSLARA Tertiary 491 DUSLARA Tertiary 937 DUSLARA Tertiary 940 DUSLARA Tertiary 961 DUSLARA Tertiary 962 DUSLARA Tertiary 963 DUSLARA Tertiary Site code Site type 964 DUSLARA Primary 1197 DUSLARA Primary 1307 DUSLARA Primary 1308 DUSLARA Tertiary 1309 DUSLARA Tertiary 1310 DUSLARA Tertiary 1312 DUSLARA Primary 2003 Buchanan-Dylling 2006 Buchanan-Dylling 2019 Buchanan-Dylling 2038 Buchanan-Dylling 2042 Buchanan-Dylling 2047 Buchanan-Dylling 2049 Buchanan-Dylling 2052 Buchanan-Dylling 2053 Buchanan-Dylling 2054 Buchanan-Dylling 2055 Buchanan-Dylling 2056 Buchanan-Dylling 2060 Buchanan-Dylling Land Unit NP1 - page 2

Summary of plant species within this land unit Species Abildgaardia ovata - Abutilon sp. Acacia bancroftiorum Acacia bidwillii Acacia cambagei Acacia chippendalei Acacia coriacea Acacia cowleana (Acacia oligophleba) Acacia cowleana (Acacia oligophleba) Acacia excelsa Acacia excelsa subsp. angusta Acacia excelsa subsp. excelsa Acacia farnesiana (1,5) Acacia galioides - Acacia harpophylla Acacia laccata Acacia lazaridis - Acacia leptostachya Acacia melleodora Acacia oswaldii Acacia platycarpa Acacia salicina Acacia sp. - Acacia stipuligera Acacia tenuissima Alphitonia excelsa Alstonia constricta Alternanthera sp. Aphyllodium biarticulatum Archidendropsis basaltica Aristida benthamii var. benthamii Aristida calycina Aristida helicophylla - Aristida holathera Aristida holathera (Aristida browniana) Aristida holathera var. holathera Aristida ingrata Aristida jerichoensis Aristida jerichoensis var. jerichoensis Aristida latifolia Aristida pruinosa Aristida sp. lantern flower ghost wattle, white trunked wattle corkwood wattle*, dogwood, fern leafed wattle, corkwood gidgee*, stinking wattle, silver gidgee Chippendale's wattle desert oak, wirewood, dogwood, wiry wattle Cowley's wattle*, sand wattle ironwood*, brigalow, bunkerman, ironwood wattle ironwood mimosa bush*, cassie, cassie flower, mimosa, needlebush, north-west curara, prickly mimosa, prickly mimosa bush, prickly moses, sheep's briar, sponge wattle, sweet acacia, thorny acacia brigalow*, bricklow, orkor wattle slender wattle waxy wattle miljee*, nelia, cooba, karagata, midget tree, ram's horn tree, umbrella wattle ghost wattle sandy wattle*, doolan*, sally wattle*, willow wattle*, cooba, black sally wattle, broughton wattle, umring ampwey narrow-leaved wattle soap bush*, red ash, soaptree, white myrtle bitterbark*, fever bark, Peruvian bark, quinine, quinine bush, quinine tree joyweed thick trefoil red lancewood*, dead finish, eastern dead finish wiregrass dark wiregrass, branched wiregrass erect kerosene grass, wiregrass, kerosene grass, large silver grass, tall kerosene grass erect kerosene grass, wiregrass wire grass Jericho wiregrass, blue speargrass, Jericho three-awn, No. 9 wiregrass, Number nine Jericho wiregrass feathertop wiregrass*, curly wiregrass gulf wiregrass, Gulf feathertop wiregrass three-awn speargrass*, wiregrass Land Unit NP1 - page 3

Astrebla sp. - Atalaya hemiglauca Bonamia media Bothriochloa bladhii Bothriochloa ewartiana Bothriochloa or Dichanthium sp. - Bothriochloa sp. Brachychiton populneus Brunoniella acaulis - Brunoniella australis Brunoniella sp. Bursaria incana Calotis cuneifolia Calotis squamigera - Calotis xanthosioidea Calytrix exstipulata Canthium attenuatum Canthium oleifolium Canthium sp. - Capparis lasiantha Carissa lanceolata Carissa lanceolata x ovata Carissa ovata Carissa sp. Cassytha filiformis Cenchrus ciliaris (1,5) Cenchrus sp. - Chamaecrista biddulphiana Chamaesyce drummondii Chamaesyce mitchelliana - Cheilanthes sieberi Chloris sp. - Chrysocephalum apiculatum Chrysopogon fallax Chrysopogon sp. - Comesperma pallidum Corymbia clarksoniana (Eucalyptus dolichocarpa) Corymbia dallachiana Corymbia dallachiana (Eucalyptus papuana) Corymbia leichhardtii Corymbia peltata (Eucalyptus peltata) Corymbia plena Corymbia polycarpa (Eucalyptus polycarpa) Corymbia setosa (Eucalyptus setosa) whitewood*, cattle bush grey-vine forest bluegrass*, bluegrass, Burnett River bluegrass, mountain bluegrass desert bluegrass*, desert Mitchell grass, Tableland Mitchell grass, lagoon kurrajong blue trumpet* brunoniella hoary blackthorn*, prickly pine*, mock orange burr daisy*, purple burr daisy, bindy-eye, blue burr daisy, bogan flea pink fringe myrtle, desert heather, Kimberley heather, turkey bush myrtle myrtle tree,* wild lemon nipan,* nepine*, split jack *, wait-a-while currant bush*, conkerberry, Australian carissa, boonum bush, burrum bush, conkleberry currant bush currant bush*, blackberry*, kunkerberry*, baroom bush, burrum bush currant bush dodder laurel*, dodder, love vine buffel grass*, African foxtail, black buffel grass, Rhodesian foxtail, slender buffel grass caustic-weed*, caustic creeper, creeping spurge, flat spurge, mat spurge, spurgewort mulga fern*, resurrection fern*, rock fern yellow buttons*, common everlasting golden beardgrass*, golden-beard grass, ribbon grass grey bloodwood*, southern long-fruited bloodwood*, Clarkson's bloodwood ghost gum rustyjacket*, variable-leaved yellowjacket*, yellowjacket, Leichhardt's jacket yellowjacket*, broad-leaved rustyjacket large fruited bloodwood long-fruited bloodwood* rough-leaved bloodwood*, desert bloodwood, rough-leaf bloodwood, applejack, hairy gum Land Unit NP1 - page 4

Corymbia sp. Corymbia terminalis (Eucalyptus terminalis) Corymbia tessellaris (Eucalyptus tessellaris) Corynotheca lateriflora Cymbopogon bombycinus Cymbopogon obtectus Cymbopogon sp. - Cyperus dactylotes Cyperus iria Cyperus sp. Cyperus victoriensis Dianella rara Dichanthium sp. - Digitaria ammophila Digitaria brownii Digitaria sp. - Dipteracanthus australasicus Distichostemon dodecandrus Dodonaea sp. bloodwood western bloodwood*, desert bloodwood*, inland bloodwood, bloodwood, kulcha, long-fruited bloodwood, pale bloodwood Moreton Bay ash*, carbeen*, carbeen bloodwood Invalid species name* silky-top grass*, silky oilgrass, citronella grass, native lemon grass silkyheads*, lemon scentgrass, woolly-headed grass rice sedge, variable sedge, rice flatsedge sedge* yelka, flat sedge lily silky umbrella grass*, hairy umbrella grass, cotton panic, spider grass cotton panic*, cotton panic grass, woolly finger, cotton grass, silver spike grass distichostemon hopbush* Dodonaea viscosa subsp. angustissima hop bush*, sticky hopbush*, broad-leaf hopbush Einadia sp. - Enneapogon intermedius Enneapogon lindleyanus Enneapogon pallidus Enneapogon polyphyllus Enneapogon sp. Enneapogon virens - Enteropogon sp. Eragrostis basedowii Eragrostis elongata Eragrostis lacunaria Eragrostis leptocarpa Eragrostis minor (5) Eragrostis pilosa (5) Eragrostis sp. Eragrostis speciosa Eragrostis tenellula Eremophila deserti (Myoporum deserti) Eremophila mitchellii Eriachne mucronata Eriachne sp. - Erythroxylum australe Eucalyptus brownii Eucalyptus brownii x E. populnea Eucalyptus cambageana Eucalyptus crebra tall nine-awn, tall bottlewashers canetop nineawn*, nine-awn grass*, prickly couch*, wiry nineawn, bottlewasher conetop nineawn*, bottlewashers, pale bottlewashers leafy nineawn*, limestone bottlewashers, oatgrass bottlewashers* neat lovegrass clustered love grass*, close-headed lovegrass purple lovegrass*, lovegrass, neverfail drooping lovegrass*, slender lovegrass smaller stinkgrass*, small stinkgrass, small lovegrass soft lovegrass*, hairy lovegrass, Indian lovegrass, lovegrass, weeping grass lovegrass handsome lovegrass delicate lovegrass* Ellangowan poison bush*, turkey bush sandalbox*, bastard sandalwood*, budda, false sandalwood, sandalwood mountain wanderrie grass*, rock grass cocaine tree*, native cocaine, native cocoa, turkey bush Reid River box*, Brown's box* box Dawson gum*, coowarra box*, Dawson River blackbutt*, blackbutt ironbark*, narrow-leaved red ironbark*, narrow-leaf ironbark, red ironbark Land Unit NP1 - page 5

Eucalyptus melanophloia Eucalyptus melanophloia x E. whitei - Eucalyptus melanophloia/eucalyptus whitei Eucalyptus normantonensis Eucalyptus persistens Eucalyptus platyphylla Eucalyptus populnea Eucalyptus shirleyi Eucalyptus similis Eucalyptus sp. Eucalyptus thozetiana Eucalyptus whitei Eucalyptus xanthoclada Eulalia aurea Euphorbia sp. - Euphorbia tannensis Evolvulus alsinoides Exocarpus sparteus Fimbristylis dichotoma Fimbristylis sp. Flindersia dissosperma Flueggea leucopyrus Gastrolobium grandiflorum Geijera parviflora Goodenia cycloptera Goodenia disperma Goodenia goodeniacea - Goodenia sp. Goodenia viridula Gossypium australe Grevillea glauca Grevillea juncifolia Grevillea parallela Grevillea pteridifolia Grevillea sp. - Grevillea striata Grewia retusifolia Hakea lorea Hakea sp. - Heliotropium tenuifolium Heteropogon contortus Hibiscus brachysiphonius Hybanthus enneaspermus Indigofera linifolia Indigofera sp. Jacksonia ramosissima - Jacksonia rhadinoclona silver ironbark*, silver-leaf ironbark, broad-leaf ironbark, silver-leaved ironbark silver ironbark*/white's ironbark* Normanton box* Normanton box white gum*, poplar gum poplar box*, bimble box*, egolla, nankeen gum, red box, white box silver-leaved ironbark*, Shirley's silver-leaf ironbark Queensland yellowjacket*, yellowjacket ironbark mountain yapunyah*, Thozet's box, Thozet's ironbox, yapunyah, napunyah, lapunyah White's ironbark* yellow-branched ironbark*, yellow ironbark silky browntop*, browntop, satintop, sugar grass, swamp grass desert spurge* tropical speedwell*, baby blue eyes* slender cherry*, broom ballart common fringe-rush*, fimbri sedge*, eight-day grass finger rush leopardwood*, scrub leopardwood flueggia heart-leaf poison bush*, desert poison bush, Australian poison bush, desert poison, heart-leaf poison, pea-flowered poison bush, wallflower, wallflower poison bush wilga*, sheepbush, dogwood fan flower* goodenia* goodenia native cotton bushy's clothes peg*, bushmans clothes peg honeysuckle spider flower* silver oak golden parrot tree* beefwood* dysentery bush*, dog's balls*, emu berry corkbark, bootlace, corkwood, witinti, bootlace oak black speargrass*, bunch speargrass*, speargrass low hibiscus* spade flower*, blue spade flower native indigo, narrow-leaf indigo indigo Miles dogwood* Land Unit NP1 - page 6

Jasminum didymum Keraudrenia integrifolia Keraudrenia sp. - Leptosema oxylobioides Lithomyrtus microphylla (Myrtella microphylla) Lomandra leucocephala Lysiphyllum carronii Lysiphyllum hookeri Marsdenia sp. - Maytenus cunninghamii Melaleuca nervosa Melaleuca pallescens Melaleuca sp. Melaleuca tamariscina - Melaleuca uncinata Melhania oblongifolia Melhania sp. - Ocimum tenuiflorum Oldenlandia mitrasacmoides - Oldenlandia sp. Oxychloris scariosa Panicum effusum Panicum effusum (Panicum effusum var. effusum) Panicum sp. Parsonsia lanceolata Parsonsia sp. - Parthenium hysterophorus (1,5) Paspalidium caespitosum Paspalidium sp. - Perotis rara Persoonia falcata Petalostigma banksii Petalostigma pubescens Phyllanthus fuernrohrii Phyllanthus virgatus Platyzoma microphyllum Polygala isingii - Polygala linariifolia Poranthera microphylla Portulaca bicolor - Pterocaulon serrulatum Pterocaulon sphacelatum Rutidosis leucantha - Salsola kali native jasmine* common firebush iron grass*, woolly matrush*, woolly-headed matrush ebony tree*, red bauhinia*, small-leaved bauhinia*, northern bean tree, bauhinia, pegunny, Queensland ebony Queensland ebony*, large-leaved bauhinia*, white-flowered bauhinia*, pegunny, Hooker's bauhinia, white bauhinia, native hauhinia yellow berry bush* paperbark teatree, woodland paperbark, fibrebark bush house paperbark, desert teatree tea-tree, paperbark broom honey-myrtle*, broombush, black broom, broom honey myrtle, dyurr, mallee broombush, yangarra, youngie bush, tea-tree velvet hibiscus brush leaf tea, holy basil, sacred basil, Thai basil, tulsi winged chloris*, winged windmill grass hairy panic*, branched panic, diffuse panic, effuse panic, poison panic, two-colour panic panicum northern silkpod* parthenium weed*, bitterweed, carrot grass, congress grass, false ragweed, feverfew, parthenium, ragweed, ragweed parthenium, whitetop brigalow grass* comet grass*, pyramid grass milky plum, wild pear, geebung smooth-leaved quinine quinine tree*, bitterbark, native quince, quinine berry, quinine bush silver phyllanthus, sand spurge dwarf spurge braid fern* native milkwort* small poranthera* ragwort applebush*, ragwort, fruit-salad plant soft roly-poly*, buckbush, Russian thistle Land Unit NP1 - page 7

Santalum lanceolatum Scaevola parvifolia Schizachyrium fragile Sclerolaena bicornis Sclerolaena sp. Sehima nervosum Senna artemisioides Senna artemisioides subsp. artemisioides plum bush*, sandalwood*, wild plum*, cherry bush, native plumbush, northern sandalwood, plumwood, true sandalwood, bush plum fan flower firegrass*, red spathe grass, small redleaf goathead burr*, bull's head, goat's head, woolly copperburr copperburr rat's tail grass*, whitegrass butter bush*, desert cassia*, silver cassia*, silver desert cassia* silver cassia Senna artemisioides subsp. oligophylla silver cassia, limestone cassia, oval-leaf cassia Senna artemisioides subsp. sturtii Senna sp. - Setaria surgens Sida atherophora - Sida fibulifera Sida rohlenae Sida sp. - Sporobolus actinocladus Sporobolus australasicus Sporobolus caroli Stackhousia intermedia - Streptoglossa odora Stylidium desertorum - Stylidium eglandulosum Stylidium eriorhizum - Tephrosia brachyodon Tephrosia leptoclada Tephrosia sp. Thecanthes sanguinea - Themeda avenacea Themeda triandra Thysanotus tuberosus Tricoryne elatior Triodia longiceps Triodia mitchellii Triodia pungens Triodia sp. Tripogon loliiformis Urochloa sp. (Brachiaria sp.) - Ventilago viminalis Wahlenbergia gracilis Wahlenbergia sp. Waltheria indica Zornia adenophora - Zornia prostrata Zornia sp. silver cassia, grey cassia, punty bush pigeon grass, annual setaria pin sida, silver sida shrub sida katoora grass*, katoora, fairy grass, ray grass, western grass, yakka grass Australian dropseed*, fairy grass fairy grass*, yakka grass*, pretty sporobolus, small pepper grass mintbush woolly-stemmed triggerplant* tephrosia* native oatgrass*, native oat, oat kangaroo grass, oatgrass, tall oat, tall oatgrass kangaroo grass*, red oatgrass fringe lily, fringed lily, common fringed lily, fringed violet yellow autumn lily*, yellow rush lily giant grey spinifex*, black spinifex, porcupine grass buck spinifex*, spinifex, soft spinifex soft spinifex, gummy spinifex, spinifex spinifex five minute grass*, eight-day grass, rye beettle grass supplejack*, vine tree, thandorah sprawling bluebell*, bluebell, Australian bluebell Australian bluebell* waltheria Land Unit NP1 - page 8

1. Introduced plant 2. Consider for protection 3. Pending registration 4. Rare plant 5. Environmental weed 6. Endangered plant 7. Vulnerable plant 8. Agricultural pest * Wildnet preferred common name; Species in brackets refer to previously known name Special features This land unit generally represents the more elevated areas of the original Desert Uplands plateau that escaped the 'blanket' sandsheet, which covered the region during the Tertiary, or the sandy deposit was so thin that most of it (some pockets still remain), together with much of the original soil profile, has since been removed by natural erosion processes. Implications for land use The low water storage capacity and the very low nutrient status of the shallow soils restricts the level of potential productivity and range of alternative land uses. The topsoils are highly susceptible to sheet erosion. The soils are deficient in phosphorus. The dispersible topsoils form a crust and can lead to increased water runoff and loss of topsoil, if the protective vegetative cover is reduced or removed. Loss of topsoil also represents a loss of seed, organic matter and nutrients that have accumulated over the years. If degraded, regeneration is difficult. This land unit is included in Land Management Unit 1. Land Unit NP1 - page 9