Soil-landscape mapping covering Western Australia at the systems level of the soil-landscape mapping hierarchy. Systems derived from soil-landscape mapping (best available) Version April 2018. Intended scale of usage 1:250, 000. Mapping conforms to a nested hierarchy established to deal with the varying levels of information resulting from the variety of scales in mapping. For further information refer to Department of Agriculture Resource Management Technical Reports No. 280 and 313.

Soil-landscape mapping covering Western Australia at the zones level of the soil-landscape mapping hierarchy. Zones derived from soil-landscape mapping (best available) Version February 2025. Intended scale of usage 1:1, 000, 000.

Site information for soil profile information collected from field observations and sampling in both the agricultural and rangeland areas of Western Australia. Data has been entered from field site cards into a database.

Land system mapping for the pastoral area of Western Australia (Version February 2025). Most mapping is at scale 1:250, 000, except for Wiluna-Meekatharra (1:506, 880). A desktop mapping exercise was carried out in 2007 to update the original 1:1,000,000 CSIRO Kimberley Region surveys to make them suitable for use in 1:100, 000 scale pastoral lease mapping. The Southern Goldfields Rangeland Survey has been incorporated into this dataset in February 2025. The survey program is in progress and some areas are yet to be surveyed. Most surveys are accompanied by a Technical Bulletin report which provides more detailed information. See https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/tech_bull/ for a list of available reports. For map production purposes, land systems are grouped into Land Types. A standard colour has been assigned to each land type for map production purposes. This data set includes pastoral potential classifications.

Land capability for grazing in the south west of Western Australia based on analysis and interpretation of the best available soil-landscape mapping dataset (DPIRD-027). This assessment covers the grazing of sheep and cattle on broadscale dryland (i.e. nonirrigated) pastures in agricultural areas (receiving an average annual rainfall more than 350 mm). Land capability refers to the ability of land to support a type of land use without causing damage. See DAFWA Resource Management Technical Report 298 for a description of the qualities assessed and the methodology involved. Capability ratings do not take into account factors such as the availability and quality of water supplies for irrigation or climatic risks such as frost or heat stress. Such factors need to be considered as a separate layer of information.

Soil-landscape mapping covering Western Australia at the best available scale (Version February 2019) attributed with the proportional allocation of WA Soil Groups to each map unit. It is a compilation of various surveys at different scales varying between 1:20,000 and 1:3,000,000.

Land capability for cropping in the south west of Western Australia based on analysis and interpretation of the best available soil-landscape mapping dataset (DPIRD-027). This assessment covers the production of rain-fed (non-irrigated) field crops under a cropping system that incorporates minimal tillage practices and stubble retention. This is a general assessment for common dryland crops grown over extensive areas (i.e. hundreds of hectares). It is best suited to the 350-600 mm rainfall zone where most extensive crops are grown (i.e. the wheatbelt), though may be extended to include some slightly higher rainfall areas. Crops included in this general assessment are wheat, barley, oats, narrow-leafed lupins, field peas, canola, chickpea and faba beans. Land capability refers to the ability of land to support a type of land use without causing damage. See DAFWA Resource Management Technical Report 298 for a description of the qualities assessed and the methodology involved. Capability ratings do not take into account factors such as the availability and quality of water supplies for irrigation or climatic risks such as frost or heat stress. Such factors need to be considered as a separate layer of information.

Land capability for annual horticulture in the south west of Western Australia based on analysis and interpretation of the best available soil-landscape mapping dataset (DPIRD-027). Land capability refers to the ability of land to support a type of land use without causing damage. See DAFWA Resource Management Technical Report 298 for a description of the qualities assessed and the methodology involved. The assessment for annual horticulture covers the production of irrigated horticultural crops from plants with short-term life cycles (typically completed within the period of a year). Crops include annual fruits (strawberries, melons, etc.), vegetables (e.g. potatoes, lettuce, cabbages, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc.), commercial turf production and cut flowers. The assumptions for the land use as assessed include: • crops are grown for commercial production • crops are shallow-rooted with most roots using only the top 50 cm of soil • crops are irrigated using sprinkler or trickle systems • mechanised cultivation occurs at least annually • fertilisers and herbicides, fungicides and/or pesticides are broadcast at least annually • crop rotation is practised • considers physical requirements only and ignores socio-economic factors. Capability ratings do not take into account factors such as the availability and quality of water supplies for irrigation or climatic risks such as frost or heat stress. Such factors need to be considered as a separate layer of information.

This vector dataset is a compilation of land use data for Western Australia, as at August 2018. It has been derived from various vector datasets with attribution relevant to land use in Western Australia. The date of mapping (2008 to 2018) and scale of mapping (1:5 000 to 1:250 000) vary, reflecting the source data, capture date and scale. The data shows a single dominant land use for a given area, based on the primary management objective of the land manager. As a seamless spatial dataset for Western Australia, it can be used to identify, map and analyse high level land use categories (such as nature conservation, dryland cropping and irrigated horticulture) and more specific land use categories (such as aquaculture and tree fruits) including some commodities (such as bananas). These categories can be extracted or combined with other spatial datasets to provide new insights and analysis concerning land use in Western Australia. Land use is classified according to the Australian Land Use and Management (ALUM) Classification version 8, a three-tiered hierarchical structure. There are five primary classes, identified in order of increasing levels of intervention or potential impact on the natural landscape. Water is included separately as a sixth primary class. Primary and secondary levels relate to the principal land use. Tertiary classes may include additional information on commodity groups, specific commodities, land management practices or vegetation information. The primary, secondary and tertiary codes work together to provide increasing levels of detail about the land use. Land may be subject to a number of concurrent land uses. For example, while the main management objective of a multiple-use production forest may be timber production, it may also provide conservation, recreation, grazing and water catchment land uses. In these cases, production forestry is commonly identified in the ALUM code as the prime land use. The operational scales of the mapping vary according to the intensity of land use activities and landscape context. Scales range from 1:5 000 and 1:25 000 for irrigated and peri-urban areas, to 1:100 000 for broadacre cropping regions and 1:250 000 for the semi-arid and arid pastoral zone. The scale of mapping generally reflects the intensity of land use. This update refreshes the entire state of Western Australia to ALUM v8.

Land capability for perennial horticulture in the south west of Western Australia based on analysis and interpretation of the best available soil-landscape mapping dataset (DPIRD-027). The assessment for perennial horticulture covers production of irrigated horticultural crops on plants with long life-cycles (typically trees, shrubs or woody vines). Included are orchard crops (e.g. apples, citrus, stone fruit, avocados, nuts, etc.) and vineyard crops (e.g. grapes and kiwifruit). Although the plants are perennial, crops are harvested annually. The assumptions for the land use as assessed include: • crops are grown for commercial production • plants are deep-rooted with roots typically extending to depths of 100 cm or more • plants are irrigated using drip, micro-jet or mini-sprinkler systems • fertilisers and herbicides, fungicides and/or pesticides are broadcast at least annually • mechanised cultivation occurs only during crop establishment • weeds are controlled by mowing, slashing or sprays • machinery access to the crop is required for spraying, pruning and/or harvesting • considers physical requirements only and ignores socio-economic factors. Land capability refers to the ability of land to support a type of land use without causing damage. See DAFWA Resource Management Technical Report 298 for a description of the qualities assessed and the methodology involved. Capability ratings do not take into account factors such as the availability and quality of water supplies for irrigation or climatic risks such as frost or heat stress. Such factors need to be considered as a separate layer of information.