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| Irrigation in Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Irrigation in Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Established | 19th century |
| Major regions | Murray–Darling Basin, Ord River, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area |
Irrigation in Australia is the managed application of water supply to support agriculture and horticulture across Australia. The practice developed alongside colonial expansion in the 19th century and expanded through projects such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme, the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, and the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. Irrigation underpins production in regions such as the Murray River, Murrumbidgee River, Goulburn River and northern schemes near Kununurra and Exmouth.
Early schemes in the 19th century drew from experiences in New South Wales and Victoria with pastoral settlers, private entrepreneurs and colonial administrations collaborating on weirs and channels near the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River. Federation-era projects included debates that involved figures associated with the Commonwealth of Australia and state water authorities, leading to intergovernmental commissions such as the Murray–Darling Basin Commission. Mid-20th century development saw major public works: the Snowy Mountains Scheme altered flows for the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River; northern development advanced with the Ord River Scheme and the establishment of Kununurra. Late 20th- and early 21st-century reform responses to prolonged droughts, international scrutiny, and environmental campaigns led to policy instruments such as the Murray–Darling Basin Plan and the creation of agencies including the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.
Australia’s irrigation geography centers on the Murray–Darling Basin, which spans New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Other major regions include the Goulburn Valley in Victoria, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area around Griffith and Leeton, the Riverina plains, the Ord River in Western Australia near Kununurra, and coastal irrigated areas in Queensland such as the Bundaberg sugar region and the Herbert River around Ingham. Irrigation also supports horticulture in areas near Adelaide, the Barossa Valley, and the Perth metropolitan hinterland supplied from schemes linked to the Swan River and reservoirs like Canning Dam.
Irrigation in Australia relies on surface water from systems including the Murray River, Murrumbidgee River, Goulburn River, Ord River and the network of reservoirs created by infrastructure such as the Hume Dam, Menindee Lakes, Lake Victoria, and the Harvey Dam. Groundwater from aquifers such as the Great Artesian Basin supports pastoral and irrigation use in arid and semi-arid regions. Infrastructure includes diversion weirs, gravity channels of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area Authority, modern pressurised delivery networks, pumps manufactured by firms in Adelaide and Melbourne, irrigation districts administered by bodies such as the Murray Irrigation Limited and river operators like the NSW State Water Corporation.
Techniques range from traditional flood and furrow systems employed in the Riverina to modern pivot and lateral-move systems used in cropping areas near Griffith and Berri. Drip and micro‑irrigation are common in horticultural zones such as the Goulburn Valley and the Barossa Valley for vineyards and orchards. Technologies include centre pivot rigs produced by manufacturers operating in Australia and remote sensing driven decision support linked to the Bureau of Meteorology and research from institutions like the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Water‑use efficiency improvements have involved lining channels (a strategy used in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area), automated telemetry managed by state water corporations, and adoption of soil moisture monitoring developed by agricultural research centres affiliated with the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney.
Irrigation has produced ecological consequences across the Murray–Darling Basin including altered flow regimes that affected wetlands such as the Kangaroo Island—note: Kangaroo Island is elsewhere—and internationally listed sites like the Murray Mouth and the Macquarie Marshes. Salinity, waterlogging, and reduced environmental flows prompted interventions under the Murray–Darling Basin Plan and programs funded through federal initiatives. Water allocation conflicts have involved irrigators from districts around Deniliquin, Mildura, and Shepparton and environmental advocates including organisations such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and the World Wide Fund for Nature. Climate variability linked to phenomena monitored by the Bureau of Meteorology and research by the CSIRO exacerbates seasonal water scarcity and influences storage management at facilities such as Hume Dam and Dartmouth Dam.
Irrigated production is economically central in regions producing rice around Griffith (until recent policy-driven reductions), cotton in the Namoi River and Macquarie River catchments, fruit and wine in the Goulburn Valley and Barossa Valley, and sugar in Queensland districts like Bundaberg. Irrigation supports enterprises including processors headquartered in Melbourne and exporters using ports at Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Regional employment in towns such as Leeton, Griffith and Berri depends heavily on water allocations administered by bodies like the Murray–Darling Basin Authority and state water agencies.
Governance involves multiple jurisdictions across the Commonwealth of Australia and state entities in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Key instruments include the Murray–Darling Basin Plan overseen by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, environmental water holdings managed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, and state water rights frameworks administered by agencies such as the NSW Office of Water and Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Water markets, tradeable entitlements and pricing reforms have been subjects of policy debate involving parliamentary inquiries in the Australian Parliament, advocacy groups like the National Farmers' Federation and legal challenges brought before courts including the High Court of Australia.
Category:Water in Australia Category:Agriculture in Australia Category:Environmental issues in Australia