The Vale of Belvoir, NW Tasmania – overview of geology, geomorphology, vegetation and human history

The Vale of Belvoir is a large open grassy valley of striking appearance located northwest of Cradle Mountain. At 800 m altitude, it is Tasmania’s only subalpine limestone valley. The unusual geology and human history have combined to give the valley its unique character. The three main geological elements are: the folded Ordovician limestone bedrock, which produced the synclinal valley and numerous sink holes; lava flows of Cenozoic basalt, which have covered parts of the valley floor; and Pleistocene glaciations, which have delivered large amounts of bouldery till to mantle much of the valley floor and redistribute much of the basalt into the glacial deposits to add to the fertility of the soils. The glacial deposits have disrupted the drainage of the valley, so that the Lea River and Lake Lea now drain northwards out of the valley, while the Vale River drains most of the valley and flows southwards to the Pieman system. Dolerite erratics in the glacials indicate that the ice came from the Cradle Mountain area.
The Vale has one of the most extensive and diverse areas of montane grassland in the state and contains several threatened vegetation communities and plant species. The valley provided Tasmanian Aboriginal people with abundant wildlife and shelter, and their burning practices maintained its grassy nature and remnant patches of rainforest. Europeans arrived in the 1820s and grazed cattle from the 1850s onwards; their practice of patch burning the grasslands has been continued by the current owners, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.