The vegetation and flora of the Coal River nature reserve

The Coal River Gorge Nature Reserve occupies most of a sandstone gorge and some adjacent hilltops in a dry part of Tasmania, the vegetation of which is poorly documented. Three dry sclerophyll and two wet sclerophyll plant communities were selected from a TWIN SPAN analysis of higher plant species presence-absence data from 200 quadrats. The plant communities formed a continuum from heathy Eucalyptus tenuiramis, heathy E. amygdalina and grassy/shrubby E. obliqua dry sclerophyll communities to E. obliqua-Pomaderris and E. oliqua-Olearia wet sclerophyll communities. This continuum was related to the catena from the cliff top environments (altitude 3 50-4 5 0 m) to the base of the gorge (approximately 200 m). Soil moisture appeared to be a major variable related to the change in floristics and structure of the vegetation. The reserve, being small and downslope of developed land, has management problems related to nutrient drift, stock grazing and fire.