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Why include soil type?

Soil is at the heart of Australian agriculture — around 95% of our food production depends on it.

Understanding soil helps explain how and why farms produce the way they do, and plays a key role in food security, sustainability, and land management.

Including soil type (where known) adds real value to your images. Combined with location and crop information, it can make your photos far more useful for researchers, educators, and industry — and easier for buyers to find.

You’ll have the option to select a soil type when uploading.

If you’re unsure, that’s perfectly fine as it’s optional. But if you can, it’s worth finding out. A quick chat with a farmer or agronomist can often point you in the right direction.

Think of it as adding another layer of insight to your image — helping tell the full story of Australian agriculture.

These are just the major soil categories to keep it as simple as possible.

Each has a simple description of texture, colour and layering. Each description includes where each soil type is commonly found around Australia’s agricultural regions and typical examples compatible crops.

Keep in mind–it is common to find more than one soil type in a single location. But usually only two or three at most.

15 major soil types found on Aussie farms:

1. Anthroposol:

Anthroposols are soils that have been significantly changed by people. They might come from farming, mining, or building, and often contain things added by humans like compost or construction materials. You can find Anthroposols in farming areas on the outskirts of cities where market gardens and greenhouses grow vegetables in soil that’s been improved by people over time.

2. Arenosol:

Arenosols are sandy soils that feel loose and don’t hold water very well. They don’t have many layers and are often found in dry areas. You can find Arenosols in parts of the Wheatbelt or the Esperance Sandplains in Western Australia, where farmers grow crops like wheat and lupins. Also found in Mallee country and other regions used for dryland cropping, grazing and sometimes viticulture. Found in Central and southern inland Queensland but usually mixed with other soil types. Uncommon in the NT, but found in some sandplains and dune fields.

3. Calcarosol:

Calcarosols are light-coloured soils that have a lot of lime (calcium) in them. They can be shallow or deep and are often found in dry farming areas. A good example is the Mallee region in Victoria and South Australia, where farmers grow wheat and barley. Less common in West Australia and the NT.

4. Chromosol:

Chromosols are soils where the top layer looks and feels very different from the layer underneath. Even though the layers are different, the soil isn’t too acidic or salty. You can find Chromosols in farming areas like parts of the New England Tablelands in New South Wales, where people grow crops and raise livestock, and in the Goulburn Broken Region in Victoria. Large areas of NSW have (Red) Chromosol soils. Chromosol soils are also common in south-west WA, the Darling Downs in Queensland as well as Victoria and SA. May be present in pockets of the NT.

5. Dermosol:

Dermosols are soils that have started to form layers, especially a well-structured middle layer. They aren’t as clearly layered as some other soils, but they still support healthy plant growth. Dermosols account for about a quarter of Tasmanian soils, particularly in farming areas like parts of northern Tasmania, where crops like vegetables and poppies are grown. Also found in higher rainfall areas near Victoria’s Great Dividing Range.  In the NT, Dermosols can be found around Tindal, the Daly River Basin and East Arnhem Land.

6. Ferrosol:

Ferrosols are fertile (red or yellow) soils widely utilized in Australian agriculture. They are stable with a strong structure that lets water drain through easily and are great for farming. You can find Ferrosols in the red soil farmlands of the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, where farmers grow crops like maize, potatoes, and tropical fruits, as well as South Burnett (Kingaroy) Australia’s premier peanut production region. Also found in the Goulburn Broken and Corangamite regions of Victoria, and large areas of Tasmanian farmland. In the NT Ferrosols can be found in the Victoria River District and pockets of the Roper River Catchment area. ​

7. Hydrosol:

Hydrosols are very wet soils that stay waterlogged for a long time, such as wetlands and floodplains. They often look grey or blueish because of all the water, and they collect plant material that hasn’t broken down. These soils are common in flood-prone farming areas, like parts of the Riverina region in New South Wales, where farmers grow rice and other water-loving crops. Uncommon in Queensland, usually found near coastal areas. In the NT Hydrosols are found across vast areas of coastal floodplains in the Top End and parts of the Daly River Basin that are prone to seasonal flooding.

8.Kandosol:

Kandosols are young soils that haven’t formed many layers yet. They’re widespread in Australia’s east, usually found in warm places like tropical or subtropical areas such as the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, where crops like bananas and sugarcane are grown. They’re also common in the Charleville area (SW Qld), the Murray Darling Basin and West Australia’s south-west. Kandosols are the most widespread soil type in the NT, supporting both cropping and grazing enterprises.

9. Kurosol:

Kurosols are old soils with very acidic layers deeper down. Over time, rain and weather have washed away many of the helpful nutrients. These soils are found in parts of the Southern Highlands in New South Wales, where farmers grow cool-climate crops like potatoes and apples, often with the help of soil treatments to improve fertility. They are also found in the Goulburn Broken and Corangamite regions of Victoria, Queensland’s Southern Highlands and elevated, high rainfall areas of Tasmania. Uncommon in the NT.

10. Organosol:

Organosols are very dark, peaty soils made mostly from broken-down plant material. They stay wet for a long time and are full of organic matter. You can find Organosols in cool, wet places like parts of southern Tasmania, where they’re used for farming crops like berries and vegetables. They are also found in alpine and sub-alpine regions of Victoria, and in some small areas in Queensland with humid coastal environments. Uncommon in the NT’s agricultural regions and limited to coastal floodplains.

11. Podosol:

Podosols are uncommon sandy soils with a pale, bleached top layer and a darker layer underneath that has built up with plant material and minerals like aluminium. These soils can be acidic and are less favoured by farmers. They often form under forests or bushy plants and generally require fertilisers and lime to support plant growth. They can be found in Western Australia’s West Midlands region, around Bundaberg in Queensland and Victoria’s southern Corangamite region. Uncommon in the NT.

12. Rudosol:

Rudosols are very simple soils that haven’t had time to form clear layers. They’re usually found in dry areas where there’s not much rain or plant material. They are widespread in Tasmania and Queensland in extensive areas inland of Cairns. You can also find Rudosols in the dry grasslands and rangelands of western New South Wales, and south-west WA. In the NT, Rudosols are common in the Arnhem Plateau, desert regions including the Victoria River District where Red Rudosols are found on sandplains and dunes.

13. Sodosol:

Sodosols are soils that have a salty layer underneath, which can make it harder for plants to grow if the soil isn’t looked after. These soils are found across extensive areas of Queensland, and are common in the Murray–Darling Basin, where farmers grow crops like wheat and canola, and in Mallee regions of Victoria and SA. Careful soil management helps keep them healthy for farming. Uncommon in the NT, limited to some southern parts.

14. Tenosol:

Tenosols are common in Australian agricultural regions, consisting of shallow soils that haven’t formed many layers because they sit on top of hard or rocky ground. These soils are usually found in dry areas and don’t hold much water. Tenosols are common across Tasmania, and you can find them in parts of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, where farmers mostly use the land for grazing sheep and cattle on natural grasslands. Also found in inland Areas Near Cairns, south-west WA and in Victoria in the volcanic region east of Seymour and the sub-alpine and alpine regions. Common in the NT, particularly in Ali Curung and Alice Springs regions, as well as irrigated farming in the Victoria River District.

15. Vertosol:

Vertosols are clay-rich soils that crack open when they dry out and swell up again when wet. They are full of nutrients, which makes them great for farming, and have good water holding capacity but they can be tricky to work with. You can find Vertosols in places like the Darling Downs and the Central Highlands in Queensland, where farmers grow crops like cotton and sorghum. Grey and brown Vertosols are also found in the Brigalow Belt, from the border in NSW up to the area west of Townsville, the Liverpool Plains region in NSW, SA’s Lower Murray Region and WA’s Ord River Irrigation Area where irrigation supports crops like sandalwood, chia, and melons. Vertosols play a critical role in supporting pastoral operations in the NT, and are common across key agricultural regions such as the Barkly Tablelands, the Top End and Victoria River District.