Our Plants and Environments

Ecosystems in Victoria are classified using a hierarchical system that combines broad landscape analysis with site-specific vegetation details. The two main units are Bioregions and Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs).

Bioregions provide landscape-scale classification based on shared environmental features such as climate, geology and geomorphology, soils, and vegetation. Victoria contains 28 bioregions, including the Central Victorian Uplands, Gippsland Plain, and Victorian Alps.

Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs)

The standard unit for classifying vegetation types at a more granular/local, level is the Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC). EVCs are defined and grouped according to several criteria:

• Floristics: The specific plant species present.

• Lifeforms: The structure and types of plants (e.g., trees, shrubs, herbs, graminoids).

• Ecological Characteristics: The processes and interactions within the environment.

• Environmental Fidelity: An inferred connection to particular environmental attributes like soil type or moisture levels.

Deep Creek itself is situated between two Bioregions; the Victorian Volcanic Plains on the South-West side and the Central Victorian Uplands on the North-East side.

• Pains Grassy Woodland (EVC 55), across basaltic flats, following along the Melbourne-Lancefield Rd.

• Herb-rich Foothill Forest (EVC 23), occuring on stony, volcanic rises along Deep Creek and the Eastern flank of Mt Macedon.

• Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47) occurs within valleys and undulating slopes where microclimates occur alowing for greater moisture retention.

• Heathy Dry Forest (EVC 20) typically found on nutrient-poor soils along ridgelines and adjacents slopes where water is a limiting factor of greater tree recruitment.

• Grassy Dry Forest (EVC 22) occuring on flat to oderately undulating slopes with a westerly/northerly aspect as this community tolerates intermediated drought conditions.

• Creekline Herb-rich Woodland (EVC 164) exists on ephemeral mountain tributaries, or forested slope watercourses that onlyexist seasonally.

• Swampy Riparian Woodland (EVC 83) on floodplains and where the creek widens to become a pool.

• Stream Bank Shrubland (EVC 851)

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