Northern Australia regions: Overview
- Rainfall was below average across most of northern Australia except for north Queensland.
- Storages in the Fitzroy and Ord regions were at their lowest levels in more than 10 years.
- A monsoon low over north Queensland during January–February 2019 caused a major flood in the Burdekin River.
Climate and Water
Rainfall across northern Australia during July 2018–June 2019 compared with historical records (1911–2018)
- Below-average annual rainfall occurred over much of northern Australia, including the Ord, Daly, and Fitzroy regions. Annual rainfall in the Ord and Daly regions was the lowest since 1991–92.
- Annual rainfall was high across northern Queensland, including the Burdekin region, due to an intense monsoon low that impacted the region in late January to early February 2019.
- Heavy rainfall associated with the monsoon low caused major flooding in the Burdekin River.
Percentage-full volume during 1 July 2013–30 June 2019 for northern Australian region storages
- Storage volumes in the Ord and Fitzroy regions declined for almost the entire year for the second successive year. At 30 June 2019, Ord and Fitzroy storages were at their lowest end-of-year levels in more than 10 years.
- In the Burdekin region, heavy rainfall associated with a monsoon low caused storage levels to exceed 200% full in February 2019 and remained above 100% full, with the dam continuing to spill, until May 2019.
- In the Daly region, the low wet season rainfall resulted in a decrease in aquifer storage. Groundwater levels in the Tindall Limestone Aquifer were the lowest in more than 20 years.
Water availability
Water allocations and abstractions in the northern Australian regions for 2018-19
- Total water allocations of 2,153,500 ML were similar to the previous year.
- 53% of the allocated water was estimated to have been used, compared with 56% last year.
- The small decrease in allocated water use was influenced by the wet conditions in the Burdekin region which meant less water was required for irrigation supply.
Water sources and supply
Total water sourced in the northern Australian regions for 2018-19
- Total water sourced across the northern Australia regions was 1,641,200 ML.
- Surface water made up 80% of total water supply and was the dominant source of water in the northern Australia regions except for Daly.
- In the Fitzroy region, the proportion of groundwater that made up the region's water supply was higher than previous years. This increase is likely due to the dry conditions and drop in surface water availability across the region over the last two years.
Users of water in the northern Australian regions for 2018-19
- Approximately 54% of total water supply was used for irrigation schemes while 44% was for individual users, primarily for agricultural purposes.
- In the Daly, where there are no irrigation schemes, most of the water was sourced from the Tindall Limestone and Oolloo Dolostone aquifers for agricultural purposes.
- In these sparsely populated areas, town water supply made up only around 1% of water use.