This map is a compilation of seven published Soil and Land Resource products which contain baseline natural resource information for the:

• Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment
• Liverpool Plains catchment
• Merriwa Plateau
• Moree Plains
• Murray catchment
• Australian Capital Territory
• Hunter Region

These products were undertaken to enhance knowledge of soils, landscapes and physical constraints to land use in the urban and rural environment. The information will assist in informed decision making, planning and environmental modelling throughout the catchments. The Soil and Land Resource mapping for the Merriwa Plateau and Moree Plains were funded to especially improve existing soil landscape information so more accurate Land and Soil Capability (LSC) and Soil Fertility information would be available to upgrade future Biophysical Strategic Agricultural Land (BSAL) mapping under NSW Strategic Regional Land Use Policy (SRLUP).

One thousand, one hundred and seventeen map units have been described in this combined Soil and Land Resource product. Each soil landscape unit is an inventory of soil and landscape information with relatively uniform land management requirements, allowing major soil and landscape qualities and constraints to be identified. Soils are described using the Australian Soil Classification and the Great Soil Groups systems.

Online Maps: Part of this area is also covered by other soil mapping products, see the soil map index in eSPADE. eSPADE contains a suite of soil and landscape information including soil profile data. Many of these datasets have hot-linked soil reports. An alternative viewer is the SEED Map; an ideal way to see what other natural resources datasets (e.g. vegetation) are available for this map area.

Reference: Office of Environment and Heritage, 2018, Soil and Land Resources of Central and Eastern NSW, Version 3, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney.