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Evolutionary Landscape
Spring Bay Mill
Aerial image of the Hard Stand area. Mounds of excess soil and left over woodchip compost. An estimated 3000 cubic metres of what was waste organic leftovers, was reused to form absorbent mounds that soak up excess rainwater and reduce rain water flow, off the impermeable hard flat, that once carried the logs from the Mill. Left over water flows into settling ponds at the rear.
Plants used in this area were sourced from areas up to 50 km from the site. So genetic provenance was kept as local as possible. Planting began in 2021.
Image below: An aerial fly over in 2021, showing the developing Aeolian Mounds amongst the spectacular scenery of Spring Bay and the Mercury Passage. About 50% of the mounds have been constructed in this image. Some of the beds can be seen with young plants already establishing.
Rock mulches on the mounds. Designer Marcus Ragus wanted to use a local rock that had a strong connection with Tasmania.
Tasmania happens to have the largest deposits of exposed dolerite rock in the world.
A local supplier of weathered dolerite rock gravel was found. This amazing rock mulch has the ability to hold together very well on slopes, without slipping to the bottom. Providing a long term mulch option for steeper slopes like the mounds.
As far as we know this is the first time this type of mulch has ever been used.
Each mound design was inspired by the wind shaped sand dunes that are found in desert conditions around the world and additionally other worlds including the planet Mars.
"Aeolian" refers to the mounds shape and form and the way the wind shapes them. These are classic "Barchan" shaped dunes, with the odd "Parabolic" dune shape.
Coastlines around the world also exhibit these dune shapes.
"I was inspired by the natural perfection that nature shares" Marcus Ragus.
Image above: The "Aeolian Dunes" mounds six months after planting.
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