Salinity Province 83, Mt Camel Range

Thumbnail image showing the location of the Mt Camel Range Province in Victoria The medium sized Mt Camel Range Salinity Province lies on the border of the North Central and Goulburn Broken catchments about 40 km east of Bendigo. It has undulating to steep hilly terrain, colluvial/alluvial fans and flatter alluvial plains centred along the Mt. Camel Range.

Local to intermediate scale Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs) in fractured Cambrian rocks and colluvial and alluvial fans are dominant with a regional scale GFS present in the flatter alluvial plain areas. Most of the native vegetation has been cleared for grazing, cropping and horticulture. Salinity has been a major problem in the area since the 1950s. Significant areas of land have been salinised at the ‘break-of-slope’ and along gullies within the ranges. Salinity is mainly caused by high recharge at the ridges and upper slopes being discharged at the lower slopes.

Salinity management options for this province include: planting trees and establishing perennial pastures over high recharge areas on the ridges and upper slopes; planting salt tolerant grasses in the discharge areas coupled with groundwater pumping along fault zones.

Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:	NORTH CENTRAL
Priority Status:	High
Province Area:	46,490 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area ¹:	1975 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:	Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:	Definite
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):	2.1.1, 2.1.2
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):	Regional & Local/Intermediate
Relevant Irrigation Areas:	Rochester

Mt Camel Range Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing the Mt Camel Range 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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