Keyline for Australian Landscapes, P.A. Yeomans, 1970

Keytine For

Australia's Landscapes

Price

E -

i0

cents post frce

KEYLINE FOR ALISTRALIA'S LANDSCAPES The past and present orthodox methods of developing Australian Natural Landscapes for agricultural purposes have failed to produce or even to disclose the full potential of the land.

My

experience in the development of Keyline has led to the conr_ plete conviction that the implementation of Keyline as Goyernment land planning and developrnent policy would produce the maximum potential

of all our varied landscapes.

Australia is a divergent land. It has iandforms ancl climates, and plant Iife and animal life, which are completely unique.

Those who control land policies and those also who occupy so much of this land have a responsibility to it and to its people which is quite apart

from the production of good food and other primary raw materials.

It is their great responsibility to preserve for all, this uniqueness, to its occasional harshness, to plan and design its landscapes so

humanise as

to disclose and emphasise its extraordinary grandeur ancl unusual beauty.

The correct landscape planning of all the land is the first basic requirement for a healthy and continuously improving environment for living.

The ecological balance and quality of the landscape maintains the clean condition of the air and purifies the water of the nation,

All

good landscapes are econontical ancl efficient. A farm has its own singular beauty in pastures and cropland framed by trees and poncls.

The unparalleled natural landscapes of Australia and the present rural vistas will respond rapidly to correct lanciscape planning anci logicai development.

THE INDIGENOUS KEYLINE LANDSCAPE METHODS COULD QUICKLY MAKE OF OUR STRANGE CONTINENT THE MOST ATTRACTIVE LAND ON EARTH, BOTH FOR ITS OWN PEOPLE TO LIVE IN, AND FOR THE WORLD'S PEOPLE TO VISIT ANI) ENJOY.

KEYLINE FOR AUSTRAT.IA'S LANDSCAPES

2

In thc

DANGER

absence

of a correct

lanclscape planning policy even the encroachment of grazing enterprises

But it is just the unusual qualities of Australia's land and climates

in our clryer land has lead to soil and lancl loss of unpreceelented proportions. Severai fer:t of the: lancl surface of nlanY hundreds of sqllare n'riles has bcen lost in a

which presages its greatest danger from clamage and from the destruction of the landscaPe.

'Ihe balance of nati-rre whicir prcserves to a slow ancl imPerceP-

fe*'

clecacies

rvithout Austraiians

of it. The erosion of soiL n hich the majoritY of Aus-

being aware

tible ratc of change, both the native iandscape and its flora and far-rna. is morc delicatelv poised here than

tniljan, sec ancl lament is as nothing trr this. [r en the great damage al-

in other countrie-'. \earlr I\\tl thirds of our lancl has a climate

ri:irl\

iis arici ancl rr hich can invaclc ri ith drought alnlost anv segnient of the land at almost an)'

suii-rrL1'nr' -\trstrtlian I-ar:d

be .1\ n.'thing il Ke1 line \\ ils no\\ installed to rem.d)' the plirhr of the land ancl to enhancc its frlrnrer natural state.

clescribccl

crrLrlti

tirrc. .t

FRAG}IENTED AGR.ICULT'URE Tlie fragmentation of agricul- agricultural land and a clamaged [urc causecl by uncoordinatitln ancl pollr'rted cnvironment' The land and the farrner ancl grazier have in Coverntent Dcpartnlcnts and Authorities, ancl by the intrusion been robbecl Every menlber of the tax-payinu public has to foot of manufactttring commcrcial intercsts in agricultural educatitln thc bill for the wastage anci squanha.: made rational rural landscape der of natural and national rc*

a practical impossibility' sources' The harassed farmer and his Our rural landscape is now in from suffercd have land ciisiressed a stittc of ill health and the struct,urc thc sc.{nrentecl and often conflicting of clr_rr principal rural industries is dircctions ancl advice of an array in .langer from the res.iting inefficof micro-experts. iency ancl high costs.

plannins

The incvitablc rcsult has been thc ncar destruction of much of our

KE\

LI\E

FOR AUSTRALIA'S LANDSCAPES

-)

EROSION

Soii c,'n>rrrrtion .lepartments were createcl to protect the soil. Their ri l: itrr.tr:t in thcir rcstrictcd chartcr-to save soil that was ieft!

failurc

The theory and practices of soil conservation are based on the

maximum potential of the land including better soil than ever existed

false premise that it takes -500 years, or maybe a thousand years, to create

in

one inch of top soil and that all that could be done about soil erosion was to save the soil that

agement, Keyline

was left"

facts that subsoil is widely abundant

under agricultural land, whether it is eroded or not, and that this subsoil can be converted quickly into good soil f{srysve1, this year

- time, the chief of a for the first State Soii Conservation Authority did acknowledge that Keyline's soil development claims were valid"

Under the pretext of safe disposai, soil cclnservationists carefully plan at high costs, the wastage of

farm waters which they believe be surplus.

Soil erosion in its

Coupled with sane land man-

will defeat the of soil erclsion menace ourely as an incidental to totai landscapc be

Soil conservation authorities havs either ignored or denied the

t<r

various

forms is evidence of a land sickness due to an artificially created mal-

function and imbalance in the nal.ural association of land and its climate and of soil and its waters.

It is cured by correct landscape planning which will produce the

the natural undisturbed state.

tterment.

But thirty years ago it became obvious to most Australians that "something must be done now" about the menace ot soil erosion. So Aurtralia blindly followed America. Soil Conservation Acts were grafted to the Australian legislature following P.R. that excelled the space program.

Soil conservation Departments

are now gradually following Keyline techniques. They wili surely continue to do so. In spite of their re strictive approach, the men in the field arc slowly apprcciating

the

necessities

of

landscape con-

siderations. Officially they must continue to cieny Keyline principles, or insultingly claim they are "only soil conservation".

However Soil Conservation Ieaders, by stubbornlv opposing Keyline, have remained twentv years behind.

qlr

4

KEYLINE FOR AUSTRALIA'S LANDSCAPES

But the original concepts o{ The the Ceogr4phy of Keyline - GeoThe Scale of Permanence -The Water rnetry of Ke;line Categories and Classifications with will their Planning PrinciPles inevitably be adopted.

The techniques and designs which have arisen from these concepts must eventuallY hold swaY'

The practice of Keyline Cultivation

has made Prarrical the iow

cost

watering of undulating country and

hillsides by the "Keyline Pattern Irrigation" systems.

The unique "KeYline Contour Channel" has lead to "Flood-Fio",

the fastest fully controlled irrigation in the world. The designs for dams and their superior but low cost con-

struction techniques are widely followed.

In all these

matters there are apparently no other logical waYs. Soil erosion is land and water

pollution. Australia's landscapes and Australia's PeoPle can not afford to await the gradual enlightenment of a hobbled DePartment. They are still oPerating within the bonclage of a misguided philosophy from a false start made

nearly thirty years

ago.

PUtsLIC IRRIGATION Government agricultural water authorities were introduced to develop water resources for agriculture with the emPhasis on irrigation' The earliest of the Present state authoritie: was the State Rivers and

Water SupplY Commission of Vic-

toria. It came into being in i905 to take over the assets of the bankrupt irrigation trusts' Its task was to make Government irrigation Profltable. It failed then and continued to faii with evef increasing toll' However, overseas and Particularly American irrigation experience was so verY convincing'

Australian authorities refused to believe their own fact and figures.

But initial irrigation develoPments in America had two great advantages which were not Present

here. They had firstlY, huge water storages in snow and ice which keeP

major rivers flowing through the summet, the water for irrigation had oniy to be PumPed from the rivers to irrigate the land. And secondly, they had a large PoPulation to take the higher priced and protected Products of much irrigation land.

KEYLINE FOR AUSTRALIA'S LANDSCAPES

In Australia now 10% Government irrigation land

of

can

this one instance and the taxpaler again foots the interest bill forever.

suppli' all the requirements of these products rvhich are mainly fruits

WATER VALUES

and vegetables. The remaining 90:. of the output of Government

tity

irrigation areas can be produced in abundance and at lower costs on farm and grazing properties not supplied with Government irrigation

public could not be so easilv defrauded by popuiar misconceptions on water.

Water for PeoPle ever\'wherel water for general industrl and w'ater for stock to drink is rrater of high value.

We can paY the cost of this water, rve can afford the exPensile

water.

t

_\

Even today many totallY unwarranted State Agricultural water schemes are under' way with more projected for the fufure. Of one of these in an Australian state, the authority has claimed that it will supply water for irrigation to 150 farms. If this is so. then the cost to the people of Austraiia works out at $200,000 per farm.

And so a few farmers will be able to buy expensive water for next to nothing.

But the multi-million dollar price of this modern folly would provide each of 4,-500 farmers with both a correct landscape plan for his farm and a profitable on-thefarm irrigation developntent. Moreover each of these 4,500 fann irrigation projects would soon return the capital and interest and, at ncl cost to others. contittue to add to the income of the farnt and the balance of the farn.rscape.

Thousands of farmers are duped of their basic rights in iust

If water had a priceuise idenaccording

to its uses. as does

all other purchased items. then the

dams.

But it takes l.rundreds of tinres more water to produce the rau materials for industry and to grorv the food for stock to eat. This br-rlk water must be cl.reaP. And nlost of it is cheap. since it is suppliu'd by rainfall directly on to the consuming area of the farnts and the grazing and forest lands. But it is not costless. since rainfall is a principal factor of value in the cost of land, and the value of land influences the cost of prodr-rction.

Governntent supplied irrigation firrnrers consider bulk rvater is dear eriou-qh at the price thcy now pay, $2 an acre foot (an acrc foot272,500 gallons). This pricc nraY pay for the present reticulation costs but never for thc cost of the water. The other watcr is chcaP enough at Sl00 an acre foot.

T

KEYI,INE FOR AUSTRALIA'S LANDSC]APES

6

PI{OFITABLE ITTRtrGATION

FARM AVAILABLE ANI) FARM DEVELOPED WATER

?

of all Covernntcnts to produce irrigation that r.vould be Profitable. However the result to clate has only produced the rvcrlcl's costliest irrigation water r.vhich is sold at a continuing loss.

It

has been the objective

Br-rt all big dams are big busithe costlier the better. And anC ness

business has PlentY to saY. They claim,, because Australia is the clriest continent that we must build big dams everywhere we can.

big

But Australians arc not short

of

water. Indecd on a per capita basis,

Australians have more than the people of ail other continents with the exception of South America.

We also have more Government irrigation land per capita tharr any other "progressive" countrl'.

Perhaps worse et.cn than the costly wastage of national substance

has been the fact that the:e same water authorities have largely con-

trolled fzrrnr waters. They have completely misjudged their great value and have therefore neglected them. They are now and have been

RESOURCES OFFER AUSTRA"

LIA HER O}.ILY MEANS

OF'

WIDE,SPREAD PROFITABLE IRRICATION DEVELOPME,NT" these resources had been clevcloped by State Authorities when they should l.rave been, farm waters would now in aggregate provide for far more irrigation trand at a profit than ail present Government irrigation commitments Provide at a loss. ln terms of the communitY, if the moncY had not been wastefullY spent on these and other antilandscape ventures, the financial Problems of agriculture, health, welfare and education couid hardiY exist as theY do todaY. DIFFERENT WATERS The two classes of water developments for irrigation Purposes l) the big Government dam with its irrigation districts and 2) farnt water resourcesi are totally different. Training and experience of the former does not create experts for the latter. Indeed it is guite the reverse Orthodox Pro-

lf

cedr.tres

for the big dam

and

for a long time the principal impediment to the rational development of farm waters. The little they have done shows no sense for landscaPe functions and is wrong and waste-

opment of farm water for irrigation

ful.

purposes.

irrigation district become quite inadequate when attemPts are macle to aPplY them to the devel-

KEYI-INE FOR AUSI'IIALIA'S LANDSCAPES

For example, irrigation in

I

Coverrrment

Australia embraces the

to Government irrigation farmers, the great irrigation gation flows

critical engineering of big stclrage dams arrd the building of large and

flolvs frorn Keyline designed farm

iong supply canals wlrich culminate in the delivery of sniall irrigation flows of waier t0 manY individual

C)n past performances profitabie Government irrigation in Aus-

irrigation farmers. But on-the-farrn water resources develcpment rnust bc a proper part of tota! fann land-

it must of number large very procil-rce a reiatively small but individually de'fhese signed farm water storages. dams, howeter sma1l, can be designed to relcase irrigation flows of water from four to uPwarcls of twenty times those which Governments can supplY to their separate scape planning. Of necessity

irrigation farmers.

From both the Practical and financial standpoint the ski1ls and techniqucr of big clatn constructiirn are not suitable for on-the-farrn storages.

Farm dams require their own special designs and their own con' struction know how. These original designs and techniques are a Part

of Kevline.

But for ps1''chological reasons alone it is neariy impossible that these matters are aPPreciated bY the designers ;rnd engineers of the

massive

Go're

rnment

irrigation

structures. Ort the other hand, to these purveyors of the small irri-

storages seem impossible.

tralia is

disclose

d as impossible.

ii

But much worse than this, the two systems of irrigation most used bY Cor;ernments are rnherently destructive of the soil and the land.

It is already

apparent that innocence of the basic and natural relationships of soil and water is transforming pure water into an instrument of pollution. Excess water forced into the soil of the Government Irrigation districts is progressively ruining the land. The natural ianCscape functions of the river and its role in the ecological balance of its watershead, is being destroyed.

it will cost the irrigation farmer more to Lre rid of this polluting excess water than it now Soon

costs

to buy.

The irrigatlon tarmer is

in

blame for either the lack oi official knowledge of sound landscape-water functions or for the illogical spending of Public

no

rvise

to

money.

T'his wrong spending of Public moneys is a fact. The present big dan'rs for water suPPlY to Govern-

t

KEYLINE FOR AUSTRALIA'S LANDSCAPES

8

nient irrigation areas are facts which

too small to be a sound basis for

\\'e cannot alter, except to greatlY improve all aspects of the management of the available water.

economic enterprises.

irri-eation area farmer has sulTered

'Ihese so-called living areas were dying areas for many unfortunate irrigation farmers.

While some irrigation farmers have been fortunate, in general the

in the past from the policY

individual irrigation-area farms are

Generally the Government of placing as many people on irrigation land as possible. The result from

the earliest irrigation settlements until now has been the "living area" concept which kept the size of thr: individual holding always far

still too small.

Keyline methods of design for water control and irrigation, can improve the lot of the Government irrigation farmer and offset some of the putrlic losses.

has transpired that the two departments of Government, Soil Conservation and Agricultural Waters, which should have been most concernecl with the overall development of the Australian Land have shown no appreciation of any of the function of the ordered and balanced landscape.

And so

it

However and perhaps fortu-

nately, there may be a solution with the present personnel of the Soil Conservation Authority. Within

Government departments, only thece men have the right background of education and of field erperience, to be quickly trained for the most important job in Australia, that of the planning and the development

and

our damaged

landscape.

aggrandisement

THE PHILOSOPHY

OF

SOIL CONSERVATION WOULD

NEED TO BE COMPLETELY ABANDONED AND KEYLINE ACCEPTED AND IMPLEMENTED AS A GOVERNMENT POLICY. The structure and personnel of the present Soil Conservation Authority could then become the basis of a New Authoritv with a greatly increased scope of services.

The New Authority would protect the water rights of land on the following general principles.

KEYLINE FOR AUSTRALIA'S LANDSCAPES

1.

The owner of land or the legal

Both country floods and city drain-

occupier of land owns the water which falls as rain on

age peaks would be lowered and the dry season flows increased and prolonged, as an incidental of

the land.

2. The owner of land owns the water which originates on his

3.

4.

5.

6.

landscape design.

The new body, as the land-

land.

scape planners, would be concerned

The owner of land owns the water which flows onto his land other than via a declared water course.

The owner of land has a fair share right with all others similarly placed to water which flows through his land.

The owner of land is solely responsible for the quality of the water which flows from his land. It must be clean and wholesome water.

with the health of the rural environs and become the principal authority to protect the land and the water from pollution.

It wouid take over from the present state agricultural water

The owner of land would be freed from all unnecessary restrictions in the developments of his own water resources.

The New Authority would carc for all the rivers including flood

matters and drought mitigation.

Present river trusts and river control authorities would become redundant. Their value was always

in

9

ting only the big irrigation dams and their water supply channels.

Its designs and technical help on all landscape matters would be available to everyone.

It would have equal standing

with other water authorities and the rights of the land and of the rural community as secondary only to those of the

represent

general public.

A river is an element and a reflection of its own catchment.

This is so whether the river is en-

vironment control and amelioration.

It would thus

be

one of its duties to oppose illogical

land and water schernes in

the

of the taxpayer.

It could take over any present

name

duties of the overburdened Depart-

ment

doubt.

rural or urban. But Keyline is

authorities all water control excep-

of

Agriculture which effect landscape planning, water control and irrigation designs and procedures.

It

would co-operate with the Forestry Departments to enable

I

KEYI-I}.]E FOR AUSTRALIA-S I-A]-{DSCAPES

10

this department to produce the vast

pair. Their xtntinued

numbers of tree seedlings necessary

be ruiitlcssll; fougltt.

for the full our

development

of

all

landscapes.

It

could design special landfor new Lralanced multiforests with the co-operation of the forestry departments. scapes

It must

prevent the further wholesale elimination of trees from forcsred land on ils conversion to other purposes"

ULTIMAT'E F-IT,TH As the principal authority in pollution controi, it would be its duty to impclse, o4 to recommend to Governments, a total ban on a chemical or other substance which it judges to be anti-environrnental"

Of all the areas cf pollution, that arising from the use of the modern array oi artificials of a chemicalised agriculture, is the most insidious and danqerous.

These man created substances have not only found their way into

all the food of our daily sustenances, but they now rape and debase

with their intrusicns, every form of life on Earth.

These marvcls of sophisticaied science are now the ultimate filth to plague a suffering society. Their corruptions will be difficult to re-

use mLtst naw

The principles of

pollution

control would everywhere aid anrl sponsor firstly, natural and biological methods of parasite, pests and weed control and secondly, control by chemicals or substances which

readily break down to natr-rrai and innocuous ingredients of the soil. Any Chemical or compcund

not in

or

substance which could nature become a part of

the environment, would be regarded with great suspicion and regulated out or ocrmitted only when proven of a harmless nature. Any of these which did not readiiy break down to innoi'ut.lus ingredients of the earth and its waters and which could result in dangerous accumulations because of long life persistance, rvould be banned outright.

Any

r-rnhealthy accumulations

of natural s,,ibstances would also be controlled and remeCied.

It would be a further principle of pollution control that no polluted water couid be released directly into the naturai water crourses of the iand or intrr the sea.

Such water must be first returned tcl the lar:d to complete the natural cycle of return which processes the water and reduces the pollutants of the water to fertility factors of the

IdEYI-I}JE

soil. Anv

FC]R.

AIJS-TR.ALIA'S T-ANDSCAPES

11

added chemical or com-

National Park, and be administered

pound in rvater vihich would defeat this cycle of life u,ould be banned"

accordingly with the co-operation and advice of the New Authority.

Any area of dangerous or intense pollution problem for in-

balance

-

Keyline fosters the healthy of the natural landscape.

stance a water course and its catch-

Keyline has treen irnplemented

ment or a harbour with its bed and

and proven for Australia's Land-

foreshores

-

may be declared

As the originator of

a

Ke,rzline,

I offer my services along with those of my son K" B. Yeomans, to the Government rvhich accepts Key[ne as landscape planning and development policy.

The training area for the personnel of the New Authority could conveniently centre in the Kiewa Valley of North Eastern Victoria.

Keyline projects in other could be included.

states

In the meantime, it is

the

scaPes.

present intention of myself and the far,rily company which I direct to

expand r-lur consulting service to those farrners and graziers who request it.

Finally, we will continue to oppose the present methods of soil conservation and state agricultural land and water policies. TheY are destruetive of Australia's natural resources and legitimate conservation needs, and wasteful of our people's substance.

P.

A. Yeomans-Copyright

1970

I

Obtainable from ,\4R.

K. BARTON,

r

RA4B 1033,

Kiewa Valley Highway, via Wodonga,3691.

100 copies $21.00 postage paid

)000 copies $150"00 postage paid.

Printed