The Mallee
Encyclopedia
The Mallee is the most northwesterly district in the state of Victoria
, and also encompasses the agricultural district of South Australia
. Definitions vary, however all are based on the Victorian distribution of mallee
eucalypts. These trees dominate the surviving vegetation through most of Mallee, except for swamps and areas along waterways, and the very rare stands of intact Casuarina
.
The Australian Standard Geographical Classification region of Victoria's Mallee covers Rural City of Mildura
, Rural City of Swan Hill
, the Shire of Gannawarra and the Shire of Buloke. This is the classification used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
.
Another common and generally identical definition to this one is that the Mallee is the part of Victoria dependent on Mildura and Swan Hill.
The Division of Mallee
in the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia
covers both the Mallee and the Wimmera
.
The Government of the State of Victoria
has historically had many departmental regions combining the Mallee with the greater Bendigo area, the current one being named the "Loddon Mallee". This region includes the Loddon River
catchment and adjacent areas as well as the Mallee. This region is used by all state government departments, and often there is a central body for the region located in Bendigo. Some locals wish there to be a separate "Mallee" departmental region, as this would mean more services would be delivered there.
The Government of Victoria's Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development has a promotional region known as "Wimmera Mallee". This region is made up of the Wimmera and very small parts of the Mallee that are distant from the Murray River. A separate region known as "Mildura Swan Hill" covers the rural cities of Mildura and Swan Hill.
The Government of Victoria also has a Mallee Catchment Management Region.
. Most of the Mallee consists of sand
dunes that have been deposited as a result of movement of sand from the interior of Australia during arid glacial periods of the Quaternary
. The soils are generally very infertile and sandy: the better ones on more stabilised sand dunes in the east are slightly loamy and pink to light brown and have been able to support wheat
and barley
growing as a result of the development of superphosphate and other fertilisers. In the west the soils are unconsolidated sands, much less alkaline than in the east, and not generally able to support any grain cropping.
The Mallee has no surface drainage: the native vegetation has so high a rooting density that the rainfall of most years is easily absorbed and the porous sandy soils mean that any excess in an exceptionally wet year will recharge groundwater
supplies which tend to be highly saline. Flow from the Wimmera River
to the south supplies Lake Hindmarsh
and, very occasionally (in 1918, 1956 and 1975), overflows to the north. The Murray River
is, thus, the only source of fresh water
for the region and is consequently overburdened by intensive irrigation
.
The climate of the Mallee is the hottest and driest in Victoria owing to its inland location. Rain
fall is usually only produced by the most vigorous frontal systems or by occasional penetration of tropical air in the summer. Average annual rainfall shows a well-defined north-south gradient: Mildura averages only 270 millimetres (under 11 inches) per year but Hopetoun in the south receives around 370 millimetres (just under 15 inches). Variability, however, is quite high: in 1973 the Mallee averaged as much as 650 millimetres (over 25 inches) but in 1982 only 115 millimetres (4.5 inches). Temperatures in summer are generally very hot: in January 1906 it is believed Mildura reached temperatures as high as 50.8°C (123.4°F) and the average maxima in January and February are around 32°C (90°). In the winter, maximum temperatures average 16°C (60°F), but minima average 4°C (39°F) and frost
s are very common.
, Ouyen and Birchip are the major towns in the south.
The Mallee is a primarily agricultural region: apart from possible mineral sands in the wheat and salt
from certain ephemeral lakes there are no mineral deposits of value and industry is generally on a small scale and confined to food processing. Wheat
and barley
are widely grown on the less infertile soils in the southeast of the region, but fertilizer
s, especially superphosphate are essential for success and yields only a quarter of those in most of Europe
or North America
- in drought years, they can be as little as one twentieth of European wheat yields.
Fruit
growing along the Murray River has in modern times overshadowed grain crops as the Mallee's major source of revenue. Oranges
and grape
s are particularly important and the region produces a large part of Victoria's wine
though most of it is inexpensive cask wines. Dairying on irrigated pastures is important in the south of the region, but is threatened by its high water demand and the extreme scarcity of water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Tourism is also significant industry. Mildura and Swan Hill contain a number of tourism focused businesses, including a number of specially built attractions and festivals. The Murray itself is also a major attraction, many people coming to the district for fishing
and to stay on houseboat
s. The many Mallee national parks - Wyperfeld
, Hattah-Kulkyne
and Murray Sunset
National Parks, wilderness parks, state forests, and other parks over the river are also major drawcards.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, and also encompasses the agricultural district of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Definitions vary, however all are based on the Victorian distribution of mallee
Mallee (habit)
Mallee is the growth habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems springing from an underground lignotuber, usually to a height of no more than ten metres...
eucalypts. These trees dominate the surviving vegetation through most of Mallee, except for swamps and areas along waterways, and the very rare stands of intact Casuarina
Casuarina
Casuarina is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera .They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall...
.
The Australian Standard Geographical Classification region of Victoria's Mallee covers Rural City of Mildura
Rural City of Mildura
The Rural City of Mildura is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the north-western part of the state. It has an area of 22,214 square kilometres. Localities within the LGA include Mildura city itself and the towns of Merbein, Red Cliffs, Irymple, Ouyen, Werrimull,...
, Rural City of Swan Hill
Rural City of Swan Hill
The Rural City of Swan Hill is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the north-western part of the state. It has an area of 6,103 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 21,000...
, the Shire of Gannawarra and the Shire of Buloke. This is the classification used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
.
Another common and generally identical definition to this one is that the Mallee is the part of Victoria dependent on Mildura and Swan Hill.
The Division of Mallee
Division of Mallee
The Division of Mallee is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the far north-west of the state, adjoining the border with South Australia in the west, and the Murray River in the north. At , it is the largest Division in Victoria...
in the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
covers both the Mallee and the Wimmera
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
.
The Government of the State of Victoria
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
has historically had many departmental regions combining the Mallee with the greater Bendigo area, the current one being named the "Loddon Mallee". This region includes the Loddon River
Loddon River
The Loddon River is a 392-km long tributary of the Murray River that flows through central and northern Victoria, Australia. The river rises near Trentham and flows by Glenlyon. It then flows generally northward through Guildford and Newstead, 40 km west of Bendigo through the Cairn Curran...
catchment and adjacent areas as well as the Mallee. This region is used by all state government departments, and often there is a central body for the region located in Bendigo. Some locals wish there to be a separate "Mallee" departmental region, as this would mean more services would be delivered there.
The Government of Victoria's Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development has a promotional region known as "Wimmera Mallee". This region is made up of the Wimmera and very small parts of the Mallee that are distant from the Murray River. A separate region known as "Mildura Swan Hill" covers the rural cities of Mildura and Swan Hill.
The Government of Victoria also has a Mallee Catchment Management Region.
Geography and climate
The Mallee is, for all practical purposes, completely flat and very low-lying: in fact for long geological periods the whole region has been inundated by the oceanOcean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
. Most of the Mallee consists of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
dunes that have been deposited as a result of movement of sand from the interior of Australia during arid glacial periods of the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
. The soils are generally very infertile and sandy: the better ones on more stabilised sand dunes in the east are slightly loamy and pink to light brown and have been able to support wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
growing as a result of the development of superphosphate and other fertilisers. In the west the soils are unconsolidated sands, much less alkaline than in the east, and not generally able to support any grain cropping.
The Mallee has no surface drainage: the native vegetation has so high a rooting density that the rainfall of most years is easily absorbed and the porous sandy soils mean that any excess in an exceptionally wet year will recharge groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
supplies which tend to be highly saline. Flow from the Wimmera River
Wimmera River
The Wimmera River is a river in Western Victoria, Australia. It begins in the Pyrenees, and flows into Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, although in many years flows do not reach these terminal lakes and the river contracts to a series of pools of varying sizes...
to the south supplies Lake Hindmarsh
Lake Hindmarsh
Lake Hindmarsh in western Victoria is the state’s largest natural freshwater lake. The nearest towns are Jeparit to the south and Rainbow to the north.The lake has filled after more than a decade of drought, due to floods in early 2011.-History:...
and, very occasionally (in 1918, 1956 and 1975), overflows to the north. The Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
is, thus, the only source of fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
for the region and is consequently overburdened by intensive irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
The climate of the Mallee is the hottest and driest in Victoria owing to its inland location. Rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
fall is usually only produced by the most vigorous frontal systems or by occasional penetration of tropical air in the summer. Average annual rainfall shows a well-defined north-south gradient: Mildura averages only 270 millimetres (under 11 inches) per year but Hopetoun in the south receives around 370 millimetres (just under 15 inches). Variability, however, is quite high: in 1973 the Mallee averaged as much as 650 millimetres (over 25 inches) but in 1982 only 115 millimetres (4.5 inches). Temperatures in summer are generally very hot: in January 1906 it is believed Mildura reached temperatures as high as 50.8°C (123.4°F) and the average maxima in January and February are around 32°C (90°). In the winter, maximum temperatures average 16°C (60°F), but minima average 4°C (39°F) and frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
s are very common.
Population and economy
The Mallee has a total population of 93,415 (est. 2006), most of which live close to the Murray River in the region's two cities: Mildura and Swan Hill. These and other settlements within the municipalities based on these centres contain over two-thirds of the region's population. HopetounHopetoun
Hopetoun may refer to:* Earl of Hopetoun, a courtesy title given to the heir of the Marquess of Linlithgow, head of the Scottish noble family of HopePlaces named after the seventh Earl:* Hopetoun, Victoria, Australia* Hopetoun, Western Australia...
, Ouyen and Birchip are the major towns in the south.
The Mallee is a primarily agricultural region: apart from possible mineral sands in the wheat and salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
from certain ephemeral lakes there are no mineral deposits of value and industry is generally on a small scale and confined to food processing. Wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
are widely grown on the less infertile soils in the southeast of the region, but fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s, especially superphosphate are essential for success and yields only a quarter of those in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
or North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
- in drought years, they can be as little as one twentieth of European wheat yields.
Fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
growing along the Murray River has in modern times overshadowed grain crops as the Mallee's major source of revenue. Oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
and grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s are particularly important and the region produces a large part of Victoria's wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
though most of it is inexpensive cask wines. Dairying on irrigated pastures is important in the south of the region, but is threatened by its high water demand and the extreme scarcity of water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Tourism is also significant industry. Mildura and Swan Hill contain a number of tourism focused businesses, including a number of specially built attractions and festivals. The Murray itself is also a major attraction, many people coming to the district for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and to stay on houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
s. The many Mallee national parks - Wyperfeld
Wyperfeld National Park
Wyperfeld National Park is the third largest national park in Victoria . Declared in 1921 and expanded significantly since, it protects more than 3,500 km² of mallee, woodland, and heathland in Victoria's north-west, about 450 km northwest of Melbourne.Like most of north-western Victoria, Wyperfeld...
, Hattah-Kulkyne
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Hattah-Kulkyne is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 417 km northwest of Melbourne. The nearest regional centre is Mildura. It is a popular destination for bushwalkers and school camping trips.-Description:...
and Murray Sunset
Murray-Sunset National Park
Murray-Sunset is the second largest national park in Victoria, Australia, 438 km northwest of Melbourne. It is in the northwestern corner of the state, bordering South Australia to the west and the Murray River to the north...
National Parks, wilderness parks, state forests, and other parks over the river are also major drawcards.