Wimmera Southern Mallee (region)

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Wimmera Southern Mallee Region
Victoria
Australia Victoria Wimmera Southern Mallee region.svg
Mount Arapiles1.jpg
Mount Arapiles rises above the flat Wimmera plain.
Population54,645 (2011 census) [Note 1]
 • Density1.302219/km2 (3.37273/sq mi)
Area41,963 km2 (16,202.0 sq mi) [Note 2]
LGA(s)
Region Grampians
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s) Mallee
Localities around Wimmera Southern Mallee Region:
Murray Mallee Mallee Loddon
Limestone Coast Wimmera Southern Mallee Region Goldfields
Limestone Coast Western District Central Highlands

The Victorian government's Wimmera Southern Mallee subregion [1] is part of the Grampians region in western Victoria. [2] It includes most of what is considered the Wimmera, and part of the southern Mallee region. The subregion is based on the social catchment of Horsham, its main settlement.

Contents

The Wimmera district 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.

Most of the Wimmera is very flat, with only the Grampians and Mount Arapiles rising above vast plains and the low plateaux that form the Great Divide in this part of Victoria. The Grampians are very rugged and tilted, with many sheer sandstone cliffs on their eastern sides, but gentle slopes on the west.

The Wimmera does not include the southern Mallee area in the north part of the Shire of Yarriambiack (around Hopetoun). It does include the southern part of the Shire of Buloke, which is not part of the Victorian government's aforementioned subregion (around Wycheproof, Birchip, Donald and Charlton). This latter area, plus the St Arnaud area, makes up the East Wimmera region. [3] [4]

In the context of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, the Wimmera is a sub-region of 2,145,380 hectares (5,301,300 acres) located within the Murray Darling Depression bioregion. [5]

The Wimmera is one of the nine districts in Victoria used for weather forecasting by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. [6] [7]

The Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries defines the Wimmera as a 30,000-square-kilometre (12,000 sq mi) region for agricultural production purposes encompassing the Buloke, Hindmarsh, Horsham City, Northern Grampians, West Wimmera and Yarriambiack local government areas. [8]

The Victorian Government's Wimmera Catchment Management Authority [9] serves the catchment of the Wimmera River, and that of the Yarriambiack Creek south of the Mallee.

The Shire of Wimmera originally covered a large part of the Wimmera and southern Mallee, but retracted over time to cover only land near Horsham. It was later abolished, with most of being becoming part of the Rural City of Horsham.

The federal government Division of Wimmera originally covered roughly the same area as the Division of Mallee does today, but ended its life covering only the Wimmera area.

At the 2011 census, the six local government areas (LGAs) that are thought to comprise the Wimmera had a combined population of 54,645. The area of these same six LGAs is 41,963 square kilometres (16,202 sq mi).

History

The area was inhabited by its Indigenous residents (and continues to be) when it was surveyed by the first European to do so Thomas Mitchell in the mid-1830s, and he is credited with naming the Grampians after a mountain range in his native Scotland, [10] and naming the region as Wimmera, adapting a word from the local indigenous language meaning 'throwing stick'. [11]

Regional development and population

The area contains a number of important towns, such as Horsham, Warracknabeal, Dimboola, Stawell and Nhill. Almost all of these are largely dependent on the grain and sheep industries, and landscape is heavily dominated by flour mills and grain storage silos.[ citation needed ] The smaller towns in the area are dying due to the declining value of primary products that dominate the region's economy.[ citation needed ] Similarly, modern farm technology allows individual farmers to stay viable by farming more land, but the decreasing population, and better transport, make smaller service centres less and less viable.[ citation needed ]

Wimmera district LGA populations
Local government area AreaPopulation
(2011 census)		Source(s)
km2sq mi
Shire of Buloke 1 8,0043,0906,384 [12]
Shire of Hindmarsh 7,5272,9065,798 [13]
Rural City of Horsham 4,2491,64119,279 [14]
Shire of Northern Grampians 5,9182,28511,845 [15]
Shire of West Wimmera 9,1073,5164,251 [16]
Shire of Yarriambiack 7,1582,7647,088 [17]
Totals41,96316,20254,645
^1 The Shire of Buloke is included in both the Mallee and the Wimmera districts; hence the imprecise definition. [8]

Climate

The climate is semi-arid to sub-humid, with annual rainfall ranging generally from 380 millimetres (15 in) in the north to 580 millimetres (23 in) in the south. In the Grampians, annual precipitation can be as high as 1,150 millimetres (45 in) and snowfalls are not uncommon. Most rain falls in winter, though heavy summer falls can occur, the most famous of which was the thunderstorm that dumped 133.2 millimetres (5.24 in) on Nhill in mid-January 1974.[ citation needed ]

Temperatures are hot in summer, ranging typically from a maximum of 30 °C (86 °F) to a minimum of 14 °C (57 °F), whilst extremes can be as high as 46 °C (115 °F). In the winter, maximums are 15 °C (59 °F), but mornings can be cool, averaging at Horsham 4 °C (39 °F).[ citation needed ]

Geography

Most of the soils are very infertile and many are sandy; however in a narrow belt between Nhill and Warracknabeal there are heavy grey Vertisols, that, although still deficient in phosphorus, are otherwise free of major nutrient deficiencies and are able to hold water very well. These grey soils are the principal wheat soils of Victoria. Red-brown earths are also used for wheat but do not give as high yields and require more fertilisation.

The Wimmera River flows from the Pyrenees Ranges, across the northern foothills of the Grampians then towards Lake Hindmarsh. Many streams in the region flow only after sustained heavy rainfall and are often dry for long spells. In recent years Rocklands Reservoir, the main water storage of the district, has been consistently at unusually low levels due to a succession of dry years.[ citation needed ]

Natural heritage

The Wimmera is renowned for its natural heritage.

One of the key preservation areas is contained within the Grampians National Park, which possesses many unusual wildflowers and the greatest diversity of flora and fauna in Victoria west of the Snowy River. The Grampians also possess many important Aboriginal artifacts. A local Aboriginal name Gariwerd was adopted by the National Park in 1991 in recognition of this fact; however, this change was soon reversed after a change of state government in 1992.

The Little Desert National Park, south of Nhill and west of Dimboola, is a large wilderness area of sand dunes that were too infertile for productive farming even with superphosphate and trace elements.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Population figure is the combined population of all LGAs in the region
  2. ↑ Area figure is the combined population of all LGAs in the region

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Desert National Park</span> Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Little Desert National Park is a national park in the Wimmera Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. The 132,647-hectare (327,780-acre) national park is situated near Dimboola, approximately 375 kilometres (233 mi) west of Melbourne and extends from the Wimmera River in the east to the South Australian border in the west near Naracoorte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rural City of Horsham</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Rural City of Horsham is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 4,267 square kilometres (1,647 sq mi) and in June 2018, had a population of 19,875. It includes the towns of Brimpaen, Dadswells Bridge, Dooen, Haven, Horsham, Laharum, Natimuk, Noradjuha and Pimpinio. It was formed in 1995 by the amalgamation of the City of Horsham, most of the Shire of Wimmera and Shire of Arapiles, and part of the Shire of Kowree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Buloke</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Buloke is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) and, in August 2021, had a population of 6,201. It includes the towns of Birchip, Charlton, Donald, Sea Lake and Wycheproof. It was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Wycheproof, Shire of Birchip, Shire of Charlton, Shire of Donald, and parts of the Shire of Kara Kara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Hindmarsh</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Hindmarsh is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 7,527 square kilometres (2,906 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 5,645, having fallen from 5,852 in June 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Northern Grampians</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Northern Grampians is a local government area in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 5,730 square kilometres (2,210 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 11,431, having fallen from 12,087 in 2008. It includes the city of Stawell and the towns of St Arnaud, Great Western, Marnoo, Glenorchy, Stuart Mill, Navarre and the tourist town of Halls Gap. It was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the City of Stawell, Town of St Arnaud, Shire of Stawell, Shire of Kara Kara and parts of the Shire of Wimmera, Shire of Dunmunkle and Shire of Donald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of West Wimmera</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of West Wimmera is a local government area in the western part of the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 9,108 square kilometres (3,517 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 3,862. It includes the towns of Apsley, Edenhope, Goroke, Gymbowen, Harrow, Kaniva, Minimay, Nurcoung and Serviceton. It was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Kaniva and parts of the Shire of Kowree, Shire of Arapiles and Shire of Glenelg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Yarriambiack</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Yarriambiack is a local government area of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-western part of the state. It covers an area of 7,326 square kilometres (2,829 sq mi) and, in June 2018, had a population of 6,658, having fallen from 7,438 in 2008. It includes the towns of Hopetoun, Murtoa, Rupanyup and Warracknabeal. It was formed in 1995 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Warracknabeal, Shire of Karkarooc, and parts of the Shire of Dunmunkle and Shire of Wimmera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stawell, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Stawell ( "stall"), is an Australian town in the Wimmera region of Victoria 237 kilometres (147 mi) west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. Located within the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area, it is a seat of local government for the shire and its main administrative centre. At the 2021 census, Stawell had a population of 6,220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nhill</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Nhill is a town in the Wimmera, in western Victoria, Australia. Nhill is located on the Western Highway, halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Nhill had a population of 1,749. "Nhill" is believed to be a Wergaia word meaning "early morning mist rising over water" or "white mist rising from the water".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Central Victoria</span> Region in Victoria, Australia

North Central Victoria is a rural region in the Australian state of Victoria. The region lies to the south of the Victorian/New South Wales border as defined by the Murray River, to the southwest of the Hume region, to the west of the Great Dividing Range contained within the Central Highlands and Victorian Alps, to the north of Greater Melbourne, to the northeast of the Wimmera, and to the east of the Mallee region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsham, Victoria</span> Regional city in Victoria, Australia

Horsham is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of the state capital Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, Horsham had a population of 20,429. It is the most populous city in Wimmera, and the main administrative centre for the Rural City of Horsham local government area. It is the eleventh largest city in Victoria after Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wodonga, Mildura, Shepparton, Warrnambool, Traralgon, and Wangaratta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mallee (region, Victoria)</span> Region of Victoria, Australia

The Mallee is a sub-region of Loddon Mallee covering the most north-westerly part of Victoria, Australia and is bounded by the South Australian and New South Wales borders. Definitions of the south-eastern boundary vary, however, all are based on the historic Victorian distribution of mallee eucalypts. These trees dominate the surviving native vegetation through most of Mallee,. Its biggest settlements are Mildura and Swan Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wimmera River</span> River in Victoria, Australia

The Wimmera River, an inland intermittent river of the Wimmera catchment, is located in the Grampians and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Rising in the Pyrenees, on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the Wimmera River flows generally north by west and drains into Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, a series of ephemeral lakes that, whilst they do not directly empty into a defined watercourse, form part of the Murray River catchment of the Murray-Darling basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Dunmunkle</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Dunmunkle was a local government area about 160 kilometres (99 mi) west of Bendigo and 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Horsham, in western Victoria, Australia. The shire was bounded by the Yarriambiack Creek on the western boundary and the Richardson River on the east. The shire covered an area of 1,550 square kilometres (598.5 sq mi), and existed from 1877 until 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Arapiles</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Arapiles was a local government area in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of 2,342.62 square kilometres (904.5 sq mi), and existed from 1888 until 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Wimmera</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Wimmera was a local government area in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. The municipality covered an area of 2,611 square kilometres (1,008.1 sq mi), and existed from 1862 until 1995. Although its shire offices were located in Horsham, Horsham itself was governed by a separate council after it succeeded in 1882.

The regions of Victoria vary according to the different ways that the Australian state of Victoria is divided into distinct geographic regions. The most commonly used regions are those created by the state government for the purposes of economic development.

The Wimmera Regional Library Corporation is situated in the northwest of Victoria, Australia. It covers an area of approximately 36,800 km2. and serves two local government bodies -Horsham Rural City Council and West Wimmera Shire Council, with a combined population of approximately 23,700. As these figures indicate, its clientele is predominantly rural-based and often has considerable distances between centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grampians (region)</span> Economic region of Victoria, Australia

The Grampians is an economic rural region located in the western part of Victoria, Australia. The 48,646-square-kilometre (18,782 sq mi) region lies to the northwest of the western suburbs of Greater Melbourne, to the state's western border with South Australia and includes the Grampians National Park and significant gold mining heritage assets. The Grampians region has two sub-regions: the Central Highlands and Wimmera Southern Mallee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loddon Mallee</span> Economic region of Victoria, Australia

The Loddon Mallee is an economic rural region located in the north-western part of Victoria, Australia. Occupying more than a quarter of the state, it stretches from Greater Melbourne to the northernmost point of Victoria, sharing a border with South Australia and New South Wales, and has one of the most consistently warm climates in Victoria. It has two major regional cities Bendigo and Mildura and also contains the major settlements of Castlemaine, Echuca, Gisborne, Kerang, Kyneton, Maryborough, Swan Hill, Wedderburn and Wycheproof.

References

  1. ↑ Victoria, Regional Development (17 May 2018). "Grampians' Wimmera Southern Mallee Region". Regional Development Victoria. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Victoria, Regional Development (17 May 2018). "Grampians' Wimmera Southern Mallee Region". Regional Development Victoria.
  3. ↑ "EWHS Homepage". ewhs.org.au. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "East Wimmera – Diocese of Ballarat". www.ballarat.catholic.org.au. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Australia's bioregions (IBRA)". Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Commonwealth of Australia. 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Victorian Forecast Areas Map". Bureau of Meteorology . Commonwealth of Australia. 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Wimmera District Forecast". Bureau of Meteorology . Commonwealth of Australia. 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Wimmera: The Wimmera region". Department of Environment and Primary Industries . Government of Victoria. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Home | Wimmera Regional Catchment Strategy" . Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Australian History [usurped] Thomas Mitchell biography. Retrieved 10 March 2014
  11. ↑ Wimmera article in online Britannica.. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  12. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Buloke (S) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 15 August 2014. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  13. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Hindmarsh (S) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 15 August 2014. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  14. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Horsham (RC) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 15 August 2014. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  15. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Northern Grampians (S) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 15 August 2014. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  16. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: West Wimmera (S) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 15 August 2014. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  17. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Yarriambiack (S) (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 15 August 2014. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

37°27′S142°27′E / 37.45°S 142.45°E / -37.45; 142.45

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