Salinity Province 94, Paradise

Thumbnail image showing the location of the Paradise Province in Victoria The relatively small Paradise Salinity Province is the headwater catchment of the Richardson River where a number of tributaries drain the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range.

Local to intermediate scale Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs) in fractured and deeply weathered Palaeozoic rocks and minor alluvials underlie the province. Undulating topography forms a horseshoe shaped stream system restricting subsurface drainage. The sub-catchment contains extensive ‘break-of-slope’ salinity expressed on the valley floor alluvial material below weathered meta-sedimentary ridges.

Small ‘break-of-slope’ tree plantings have had little effect on the discharge sites, whilst perennial pastures (lucerne) have been more successful. Groundwater levels remained high in valley floors, but some fall in level has been observed on the upper slopes following the drought decade.

Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:	NORTH CENTRAL
Priority Status:	High
Province Area:	24,090 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area ¹:	80 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:	Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:	None
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):	2.1.X
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):	Local/Intermediate
Relevant Irrigation Areas:	N/A

Paradise Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing the Paradise Salinity Province

Links to further reading and material related to the North Central Salinity Province
For further information relating to groundwater levels and salinities in this Province please see: Visualising Victoria's Groundwater (VVG)

¹ Please Note: The ‘Recorded Soil Salinity Area’ indicated in the Salinity Province Attribute Table, comprises the total geographic area that has been mapped as having, or showing symptoms of, dryland soil salinity at some time (past or present). As dryland salinity occurrence in the Victorian landscape exhibits many different levels of severity and can change due to climate, landuse and vegetation, previously mapped areas may no longer be showing symptoms. In addition, as not all parts of the State have been mapped, or mapped in the same way, the mapping may not have captured some occurrences.

The soil salinity mapping used to calculate this ‘area’ does not cover irrigation regions. In irrigation regions, depth to watertable and watertable salinity mapping has been used to convey the threat of high watertables on soil waterlogging and/or soil salinisation and these areas are not included in this ‘area‘ calculation.

Please contact the Department, your Catchment Management Authority or your rural water provider for more information about salinity in your location.

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