About this blog

Hi, I'm Rod.

My highest level of education is a Bachelor of Science Specializing in Earth Sciences from a New England university and so I do not consider myself an academic by any standards. However, I hope that the level of knowledge I have is sufficient to pass on to others and that I hopefully continue to have something interesting to offer.

I have been employed in private industry, local and state governments in the fields of contaminated land assessment, environmental rehabilitation, mapping, water quality, catchment management and exploration geology. I am currently not employed in a direct geological capacity as I work in an environmental role hoping to improve, enhance and help the environment of this region.

During my career I have encountered many situations where people have had very strong opinions or politically driven motives. I do not intend to be a proponent of any political view point but I hope only to be clear in the facts. For example coal seam gas exploration and extraction is very topical and debated at length, so, any comments I make relating to the coal seam gas industry I intend to be completely based on my observation and knowledge. i.e. I am not a proponent for or against the coal seam gas industry but some things I say may appear pro-coal seam gas or pro-environment but this is not my intention.

This blog was developed to try and fill what I thought was a need for people in the northern rivers to understand the land in which they live. The absence of a geology department at Southern Cross University and the remaining small department at the University of New England mean that the main sources of geological knowledge and expertise on the region is actually becoming the Sydney and Brisbane based universities. Seeing excellent research by former students of SCU failing to become common knowledge has lead me to believe that this is having a detrimental effect and so here I am!

Our Regions Flag - New England

I tend to concentrate on the area near where I live when posting but I will endeavor to cover the areas of the north coast from Port Macquarie to the Queensland Border and as far inland as the New England Highway (as this roughly defines the watershed for the coastal catchments of the Northern Rivers. Having said that, the amount geological diversity for the New England tablelands is incredible such that I will ever only able to have a cursory look at the geology where our highland streams come from.

In time I hope that this blog develops into a point where basic knowledge of many areas is freely available and that this information can be both informative and interesting. In many cases the information available elsewhere on the internet is often out of date so hopefully what I provide here helps people with a current understanding of how the region was formed. Sometimes this may result in a running commentary on research and new theories too! Of course this blog can never be considered a replacement for good peer reviewed scientific research.

Please note that a glossary of terms can be found here or alternatively refer to an online glossary.

Please feel free to comment on any of the blogs. Your opinions are very welcome and indeed wanted. I can be emailed on rodneywilliamholland(at)live(dot)com(dot)au. Alternatively, to discuss any projects for environmental monitoring you may call me on 0422*014*767.