Wesland Ranges

Overview

The Wesland Ranges is a mountainous region and a collection of four individual mountainous areas, either being large singular mountains or ranges. The Wesland Ranges is in the far northeastern section of Ainslie, in the electorate of Wesland. The region borders Hauton, where the most southerly extremes can be viewed from the town centre itself. The region begins approximately 100 kilometres east of the national capital, Arnton. The region is bounded by the national border with Verdon in the north, the Hautopes in the south and the township of Kianara to the west. It also finishes at 200m above sea level to the east near Port Blaxland.

History

Geography

The region itself is divided into three parts - the Hautopes in the southwest, the Border Ranges and Highland in the north, and the High Blaxland District in the east. The two major natural hazards in the region are bushfires and blizzards. Blizzards are relatively isolated and are almost exclusively contained to the Hightops and the Border Ranges. Areas around Kianara are particularly vulnerable to bushfires, but recent winter hazard reduction burns (more frequently known as Hazburns, 'The Big Haze' or backburns) have been successful in mitigating or nullifying the risk that these areas face.

Many mountain peaks exceed 1500m above sea level and receive frequent snow. Due to this, the Wesland Ranges are often regarded to as the 'snow areas' of the nation. The highest mountain in the nation is Mount Apollo, at 2,269m above sea level.

Flora and Fauna

Sport and Recreation

The Upper Wesland Ranges are a popular snow sport region and the town of Kianara mainly caters for this. The Upper Ranges also host a variety of other mountain based sports and activities such as hiking and rock climbing. The Lower Wesland Ranges, mainly serviced by Venterra, are popular for hikers, rock climbers and mountain bikers.