Service region

The region along the magnificent lower Murray River in north-west Victoria is one of Australia’s most important agribusiness and horticultural areas, and has been since the 1880s.

Our commitment is to provide responsible and sustainable water and wastewater services. We carefully manage our environment, considering not just growth and development, but also biodiversity, sustainability, extreme weather and climate change.

We live in a delicate region that is affected by development, regulation and climate challenges, including drought. Our goal is to understand the impacts of our activities and manage our water and environment responsibly and sustainably.

Our Urban / potable water supplies start at Koondrook on the Murray through to Merbein. Our rural water supplies start at Nyah and follow the Murray through to the South Australian Border.

Mildura

Mildura is located on the Murray River in north-west Victoria on the border of New South Wales. It is 550 kilometres north west of Melbourne, 400 kilometres north-east of Adelaide and 1080 kilometres west of Sydney.

The Mildura region has access to sufficient water and sewerage for future business and industry growth. Water is managed in the region through various government organisations.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority is the Commonwealth agency that allocates base loads of water from the overall river system. The Victorian Government – through its agent Goulburn-Murray Water – manages the transfer of water to us – the local corporation. Bulk water entitlements are made available to:

• urban users – for residential and industrial use
• rural users – for irrigation use
• the environment.

Agribusiness

In 2021, irrigated horticulture used 88,125 hectares of land – an almost 115% increase from 1997.

The Mildura region economy generates $2.788 billion in Gross Regional Product (GRP) per annum. This is diversified across agriculture and/or horticulture, advanced manufacturing, logistics and services.

The Mildura region is one of Australia’s most important areas for agribusiness – in particular, horticultural – production. For example, the region grows the following percentage of Australia’s produce:

• 95% of dried vine fruit
• 74% of table grapes
• 41% of pistachios
• 65% of almonds
• 24% of citrus
• 20% of wine grape crush
• 16% of asparagus
• 11% of carrots

Our regional districts and towns

Swan Hill Rural City is principally an agricultural and horticultural region. It gets its income from these industries and the businesses that service them.

The municipality is bordered by the Murray River – Australia’s greatest river – for over 300 kilometres. The area is highly dependent on the river for irrigation, domestic and industrial water supplies, as well as for recreation.

Swan Hill and Robinvale are the 2 largest service centres in the municipality. There are also a number of smaller towns – including Lake Boga, Nyah, Nyah West, Piangil, Ultima and Woorinen South – that offer a variety of lifestyles.

The Gannawarra Shire is located in the Loddon Murray region in Victoria. It is a 3-hour drive from Melbourne.

Gannawarra Shire is one of Victoria’s most diverse agricultural regions. It is located in the thriving Loddon Murray Region in the north of the state and includes Koondrook, Kerang, Murrabit and Mystic Park.