57-805: 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
114-748: A long history since colonisation of Victoria. Wine production is concentrated around the Central Highlands and its associated tablelands and includes the Grampians wine region , the Pyrenees , the Yarra Valley , and the Ovens and Murray region. In the state's north-west, the Murray Darling and Swan Hill regions also produce wine. The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia places parts of Victoria in
171-481: A quarter of Victoria and stretches from Greater Melbourne to the northwest corner of the state that marks the boundaries with South Australia and New South Wales. The region includes the local government areas of Greater Bendigo City , Buloke , Campaspe , Central Goldfields , Gannawarra , Loddon , Macedon Ranges , Mildura City , Mount Alexander , and Swan Hill City . The approximately 80 local government areas of Victoria are grouped into 17 regions also known by
228-579: A result, the names and boundaries of regions can vary and overlap even in popular usage. In addition to Greater Melbourne , the Victoria State Government has divided Victoria into five regions covering all parts of the state. The five regions are: The Barwon South West region stretches from the tip of the Queenscliff Heads to the border of South Australia . It is home to Victoria’s largest provincial centre, Geelong . The region includes
285-490: A substantial output of firewood, furniture timber and Eucalyptus oil . Approximately 13% of the North Central catchment is public land, comprising flora reserves and state and national parks. Regions of Victoria 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
342-520: A water source for important reservoirs and water supply projects such as the Upper Nepean Scheme , Snowy Mountains Scheme and Warragamba Dam . The Bradfield Scheme has been mooted as a way to transport water from the Wet Tropics of Queensland in the coastal northeast of Far North Queensland via a series of Dams & Tunnels , southwest to inland dryer regions, including a tunnel through
399-632: Is contained within the Division of Bendigo , a southwestern portion of the Division of McEwen , the westernmost portion of the Division of Murray , the northeasternmost portion of the Division of Mallee , and the northeastern–most portion of the Division of Wannon , For the purposes of Victorian elections for the Legislative Assembly , the North Central region is contained within the electoral districts of Bendigo East , Bendigo West , Macedon , Murray Plains and Ripon . For administration purposes
456-729: Is only one major road crossing the highlands from north to south, the Great Alpine Road . Parts of the highlands consisting of relatively flat and, by Australian standards, well-watered land were developed for agricultural and pastoral uses. Such areas include the Atherton Tableland and Darling Downs in Queensland, and the Northern Tablelands , Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands in New South Wales . Other parts of
513-497: The Shire of Hepburn within the region. The major urban centres are Bendigo , Castlemaine , Maryborough and Rochester . Smaller localities include Kyneton , Pyramid Hill , Kerang , Donald and Creswick . In 2002 the estimated population of North Central Victoria was 200,000. For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives , the North Central region
570-656: The Australian Alps . The central core of the Great Dividing Range is dotted with hundreds of peaks and is surrounded by many smaller mountain ranges or spurs, canyons , valleys and plains of regional significance. Some of the major plains include the High Plains of South-Eastern Australia, the Southern Highlands, the Central Highlands and Bogong High Plains of Victoria. Other tablelands considered part of
627-687: The Bass Strait . Rivers west of the Dividing Range drain in various westerly directions according to latitudes: the Murray–Darling basin in southeastern Australia ( Darling Downs /eastern South West Queensland , West/Central New South Wales , Northern Victoria and the Murraylands / Riverland region of southeastern South Australia ) drain southwestwards into the Great Australian Bight via
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#1732851579137684-622: The Calder Highway , the Western Highway , and the Murray Valley Highway traverse parts of the range. Much of the range lies within a succession of national parks and other reserves . Most of the national parks are listed below, and there are almost double that amount of state forests. In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Great Dividing Range was announced as one of
741-587: The East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands , is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges , plateaus and rolling hills . It runs roughly parallel to the east coast of Australia and forms the fifth-longest land-based mountain chain in the world , and the longest entirely within a single country. It is mainland Australia 's most substantial topographic feature and serves as
798-564: The Goulburn Valley and upper Murray River catchments to the north and west. An extensive network of natural lakes includes Lake Buloke (the terminus for the Avon-Richardson River), Lake Batyo Catyo near the town of Donald , and a northern network comprising Lakes Boort, Merna, Kangaroo, Charm, Lalbert and Boga . Groundwater beneath this northern lakes network supplies approximately 80% of Australia's mineral springs , supplying
855-606: The Great Dividing Range and the Tasman Sea forms its eastern boundary. The region includes the local government areas of Bass Coast , Baw Baw , East Gippsland , Latrobe City , South Gippsland and Wellington . The Grampians region stretches from the western edge of Melbourne to the South Australian border and includes the Grampians National Park and significant gold mining heritage assets. The region includes
912-824: The Great Dividing Range , the Mount Carmel Ranges to the east and the New South Wales border to the north. This includes the management of rural water allocations and environmental protection for the Avon-Richardson, Avoca , Campaspe and Loddon rivers. Regional water consumption for irrigation, stock and domestic use greatly exceeds local supply. Irrigation consumes an average 1.4 gigalitres (310 × 10 ^ imp gal; 370 × 10 ^ US gal) per annum, while domestic use consumes around 40,000 megalitres (8,800,000 × 10 ^ imp gal; 11,000,000 × 10 ^ US gal) per annum. More than 75% of regional water needs are met from water imports from
969-475: The Gulf of Carpentaria . The sharp rise between the coastal lowlands and the eastern uplands has affected Australia's climate , mainly due to orographic precipitation , and these areas of highest relief have revealed an impressive gorge country. Areas to the east of the mountain range in southern NSW usually experience a Föhn effect , which is a dry wind originating from the Great Dividing Range that abruptly raises
1026-619: The Latrobe Valley and Wilsons Promontory ). Whereas on the downwind (eastern) slopes, Cooma , Omeo , Goulburn , Bowral , Bombala , Nimmitabel , and Canberra , are warmer and drier relative to altitude. Moreover, Oberon , Shooters Hill and Sunny Corner are on the crest of the ranges and thus exposed from all directions, hence their evenly spread rainfall. The main ski resorts in New South Wales, such as Thredbo Village , Perisher and Charlotte Pass , lie transitionally between
1083-583: The Liverpool Range , Mount Royal Range and the Monaro District . Whilst some of the peaks of the highlands reach respectable heights of a little over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), the age of the range and its erosion mean that most of the mountains are not very steep, and virtually all peaks can be reached without mountaineering equipment. In some areas, such as the Snowy Mountains , Victorian Alps ,
1140-579: The Scenic Rim and the eastern escarpments of the New England region, the highlands form a significant barrier. The eastern escarpment is the site of many spectacular waterfalls which were formed by rivers plunging off the tablelands. In other areas the slopes are gentle and in places the range is barely perceptible. Well known passes on the range include Coxs Gap , Cunninghams Gap , Dead Horse Gap , Nowlands Gap , and Spicers Gap . Major cities located on
1197-559: The Shoalhaven River . Those that flow south, primarily through Victoria, include the Snowy , Cann , Tambo , Mitchell , Latrobe , Thomson , Yarra , Werribee , Hopkins and Glenelg rivers. At some high hill passes the range provides cool sites appropriate for vineyards . The engineers of early rail passages across the Great Dividing Range needed to find low sections of the range to cross, as well as suitable, "low" gradient paths up
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#17328515791371254-423: The Snowy Mountains portion of southern Great Dividing Range. The Dividing Range does not consist of a single continuous mountain chain , but is rather a combined complex ( cordillera ) of mountain ranges , plateaus , hilly upland areas and escarpments with an ancient and complex geological history . The physiographic division name for the landmass is called the East Australian Cordillera . In some places
1311-503: The Victorian Legislative Council . They are: The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines regions for its own purposes, some of which share names with the economic regions, even though the exact boundaries may not correlate. As of November 2014, they are: Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North East, East Gippsland, West & South Gippsland, Central, North Central, South West, Alpine and Melbourne. Viticulture has
1368-508: The Wimmera plains as rolling hills west of the Grampians region . The width of the Range varies from about 160 km (100 mi) to over 300 km (190 mi). The Greater Blue Mountains Area , Gondwana Rainforests and Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Areas are located in the Range. The highest place in Australia, the 2,228 m (7,310 ft) Mount Kosciuszko , resides in
1425-414: The drainage basins of river systems east (the coastal or rainward side) and west (the inland or leeward side) of it. The higher and more rugged parts of the "range" do not necessarily form part of the crest of the range, but may be branches and offshoots from it. The term "Great Dividing Range" may refer specifically to the watershed crest of the range, or to the entire upland complex including all of
1482-460: The local government areas of Colac Otway , Corangamite , Glenelg , Greater Geelong , Moyne , Queenscliffe , Southern Grampians , Surf Coast and Warrnambool City . The Gippsland region stretches from the eastern outskirts of Melbourne to the southeastern tip of Victoria and north to the Black-Allan Line denoting the border with New South Wales . Its western boundary is defined by
1539-509: The ABS as "statistical areas level 4". The non-Melbourne areas are: North West, Warrnambool and South West, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Shepparton, Hume, Latrobe - Gippsland, Mornington Peninsula. Melbourne is divided into: Melbourne - Inner, Melbourne - Inner East, Melbourne - Inner South, Melbourne - North East, Melbourne - North West, Melbourne - Outer East, Melbourne - South East, Melbourne - West. There are 8 electoral regions, which are used to form
1596-687: The Blue Mountains were later named after each of these men. This was the start of the development of the agricultural districts of inland New South Wales . A road was built to Blaxland by convicts within six months. Easier routes to inland New South Wales were discovered towards Goulburn to the southwest, and westwards from Newcastle . Subsequent explorations were made across and around the ranges by Allan Cunningham , John Oxley , Hamilton Hume , Paul Edmund Strzelecki , Ludwig Leichhardt and Thomas Mitchell . These explorers were mainly concerned with finding and appropriating good agricultural land. By
1653-507: The Great Divide is only a slight rise in the surrounding topography. Knowing that local Aboriginal people had already established routes crossing the range and by making use of Aboriginal walking trails, a usable ridge-top route was finally discovered by Europeans directly westward from Sydney across the Blue Mountains to Bathurst by an expedition jointly led by Gregory Blaxland , William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth . Towns in
1710-576: The Great Dividing Range and the Victorian Alps, its southern boundary defined by Greater Melbourne and its western boundary characterised by the Goulburn and Broken river catchments and food bowl. The region includes the local government areas of Alpine , Benalla City , Indigo , Mansfield , Mitchell , Moira , Murrindindi , Greater Shepparton , Strathbogie , Towong , Wangaratta City , and Wodonga City . The Loddon Mallee region occupies more than
1767-536: The Great Dividing Range are the Atherton Tableland , Canberra wine region and the Southern Tablelands . The Dandenong Ranges , Barrington Tops , Bunya Mountains , Blue Mountains , Liverpool Range , McPherson Ranges and the Moonbi Range are some of the smaller spurs and ranges that make up the greater dividing range. Other notable ranges and tablelands which form part of the Great Dividing Range include
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1824-676: The Great Dividing Range into the Flinders River then a tunnel into the Torrens Creek in the White Mountains National Park then flows south into Thompson River / Cooper Creek , part of the Eyre Basin . Many other variations have been proposed. The Great Dividing Range creates the drainage basins of the Australian south-east coast drainage division and the Australian north-east coast drainage division , whose water flows to
1881-687: The Murray–Darling Basin from Victoria include the Goulburn , Mitta Mitta , Kiewa , Ovens , King , Loddon and Campaspe rivers. Rivers that flow east into the Pacific Ocean include the Annan River , Barron River , Brisbane River , Burdekin River , Burnett River , Clarence River , Daintree River , Fitzroy River , Hastings River , Hawkesbury River , Hunter River , Karuah River , Macleay River , Mary River , Pascoe River , Richmond River and
1938-447: The aggregate population of the eight local government areas that comprise the region. Sustainability Victoria, a Victorian Government agency, defines North Central Victoria as the municipalities of Buloke , Gannawarra , Loddon , Campaspe , Central Goldfields , Mount Alexander , Macedon Ranges and the City of Greater Bendigo . A climate change study by La Trobe University also includes
1995-404: The air temperature in the lee of that mountain range and reduces atmospheric moisture. This dry wind, which elevates fire danger in the warm months, occurs because of the partial orographic obstruction of relatively damp low-level air and the subsiding of drier upper-level air in leeward of the mountains. The drier air is then heated more because of the adiabatic compression as it comes down
2052-419: The bulk of domestically produced mineral water and providing substantial local employment. The predominant land use is agriculture , including sheep and cattle grazing and the production of cereals, grains and legumes. The gross value of agricultural output exceeds $ 0.8 billion a year. Forestry is also a major employer in the area surrounding the former gold rush towns of Creswick and Daylesford , with
2109-620: The coastal Lake Alexandrina ; the eastern half of the Lake Eyre basin in east central Australia (the Cooper Creek and Warburton River systems in Central /western South West Queensland and eastern Far North of South Australia) drain southwestwards into the endorheic Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre ; the numerous rivers of western Cape York Peninsula in northeastern Australia ( North / Far North Queensland ) drain westwards or northwestwards directly into
2166-509: The coastal and inland regions. Many descendants of these nations still exist today, and some remain the traditional owners and custodians of their lands. After British colonisation in 1788, the ranges were an obstacle to exploration and settlement by the British settlers. Although not high, parts of the highlands were very rugged. Crossing the Blue Mountains was particularly challenging due to
2223-471: The definitive watershed for the river systems in eastern Australia, hence the name. The Great Dividing Range stretches more than 3,500 kilometres (2,175 mi) from Dauan Island in the Torres Strait off the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula , running the entire length of the eastern coastline through Queensland and New South Wales , then turning west across Victoria before finally fading into
2280-458: The east coast and into the Pacific Ocean, Tasman Sea , and Bass Strait with the westerly Murray–Darling basin which flow inland, away from the coast into the interior plains. Some of the rivers which flow west of the ranges includes the Condamine River , Flinders River , Herbert River , Lachlan River , Macdonald River , Macintyre River and Namoi River . Rivers that flow north into
2337-526: The east of the Mallee region. Towns in this region include Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill, and Castlemaine. North Central Victoria is known for its historical significance, as well as its contributions to agriculture, tourism, and industry within the state. It's also an important electoral region in Victorian politics. As at the 2016 Australian census , the North Central region had a population of 249,660, representing
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2394-638: The far southeast. Temperatures are warm in summer, typically ranging from a maximum of 31 °C (88 °F) to a minimum of 14 °C (57 °F) in Kerang in the northwest and from 27 °C (81 °F) to 11 °C (52 °F) in the south. Winters are cool with minimum temperatures of 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) across the region. Natural resource management is administered by the North Central Catchment Management Authority covering 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi) bounded by
2451-585: The following bioregions , some of which are wholly contained with the state, and others that cover two or more states and territories. The Country Fire Authority (CFA) divides Victoria into nine fire districts. From west to east, and north to south: Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central, Central, North East, East Gippsland, West & South Gippsland. A number of other regional terms are used to define certain areas, although their exact boundaries are unclear. For example: Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range , also known as
2508-540: The highlands are too rugged for agriculture and have been used for forestry. Many parts of the highlands which were not developed are now included in National Parks . All of mainland Australia 's alpine areas, including its highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 metres or 7,310 feet AHD ), are part of this range, called the Main Range . The highest areas in southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria are known as
2565-478: The hills and mountains between the east coast of Australia and the central plains and lowlands. At some places it can be up to 400 km (249 mi) wide. Notable ranges and other features which form part of the range complex have their own distinctive names. As a rule of thumb , rivers east/southeast of the Dividing Range drain directly eastward into the South Pacific and the Tasman Sea , or southward into
2622-641: The late 1830s, the most fertile rangelands adjacent to the mountain ranges had been explored, appropriated from the traditional inhabitants and some settled. These included the Gippsland and Riverina regions in the south, up to the Liverpool Plains and the Darling Downs in the north. Various road and railway routes were subsequently established through many parts of the ranges, although many areas remain remote to this day. For example, in eastern Victoria there
2679-881: The lee slopes, forming a rain shadow . In the cool season, the Great Dividing Range would shield much of the southeast (i.e. Sydney , Central Coast , Hunter Valley , Illawarra , the ACT , the Monaro and South Coast ) from south-westerly cold fronts that originate from the Southern Ocean , which bring chilling rains, sleet and snow to the upwind side of the ranges, such as on the western Central Tablelands , South West Slopes and Snowy Mountains regions – all which have relatively wetter winters. Upwind locations include Crookwell , Batlow , Tumut , Corryong , Bright , Beechworth , Eildon , Tolmie and those in West Gippsland (namely
2736-430: The leeward and windward side (the former town being more leeward and the latter more windward). Although they receive substantial precipitation from over the crest of the ranges, they lack the persistent cloud cover which characterises truly windward locations on the western face, which are; Cabramurra , Kiandra , Mount Buller , Falls Creek , Mount Hotham , Mount Buffalo and Mount Baw Baw . The Great Dividing Range
2793-401: The local government areas of Ararat City , Ballarat City , Golden Plains , Hepburn , Hindmarsh , Horsham City , Moorabool , Northern Grampians , Pyrenees , West Wimmera and Yarriambiack . The Grampians region has two sub-regions, Grampians Central Highlands and Wimmera Southern Mallee . The Hume region stretches south from the Murray River with its eastern boundary defined by
2850-485: The mistaken idea that the creeks should be followed rather than the ridges, and almost impenetrable, labyrinthine, sandstone mountains. The Blue Mountains actually lie to the east of the watershed that divides the Hawkesbury - Nepean system and the Murray-Darling system , the true Great Dividing Range. The watershed in this area lies to the west of Lithgow , passing near the locality of Mt Lambie and village of Capertee . There, as in some other places in New South Wales,
2907-861: The mountains on either side. Rail passages include: Many of Australia's highways such as the Alpine Way , Great Alpine Road , Snowy Mountains Highway , Hume Highway , Illawarra Highway , Northern Highway , Melba Highway , Maroondah Highway , Midland Highway , Pyrenees Highway , Sunraysia Highway , Monaro Highway , Olympic Highway , Newell Highway , Lachlan Valley Way , Barton Highway , Federal Highway , Kings Highway , Great Western Highway , Mitchell Highway , Mid-Western Highway , Castlereagh Highway , Mulligan Highway , Capricorn Highway , Cunningham Highway , Gore Highway , Flinders Highway , Gregory Highway , Peak Downs Highway , Dawson Highway , New England Highway , Golden Highway , Bruxner Highway , Gwydir Highway , Oxley Highway , Warrego Highway , Summerland Way , Waterfall Way , Thunderbolts Way ,
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#17328515791372964-430: The region is divided into eight local government areas : The North Central region contains the Greater Bendigo National Park , Gunbower National Park , Heathcote-Graytown National Park , and the Terrick Terrick National Park . The climate is moderate with wet winters and warm, dry summers. Annual rainfall ranges from 350 millimetres (14 in) near Swan Hill in the north, to over 1,200 millimetres (47 in) in
3021-424: The state government for the purposes of economic development . Others regions include those made for land management, such as agriculture or conservation, and for the gathering of information, such as statistical or meteorological. Although most regional systems were defined for specific purposes and given specific boundaries, many regions have similar names and extents according to the different regionalisations. As
3078-408: The terrain is relatively flat, consisting of very low hills. Typically the highlands range from 300 to 1,600 metres (980 to 5,250 ft) in height. The mountains and plateaus, which consist of limestones , sandstone , quartzite , schists and dolomite , have been created by faulting and folding processes. The crests of the Great Dividing Range is defined by the watershed boundary between
3135-403: The towns/cities located on or near the range include: The lower reaches are used for forestry, an activity that causes friction with conservationists. The range is also the source of virtually all of eastern Australia's water supply, both through runoff caught in dams, and throughout much of Queensland, through the Great Artesian Basin . Valleys along the chain of mountains have yielded
3192-432: The upland areas of the range include Canberra , Toowoomba and the outer suburbs of Sydney , Melbourne , Brisbane , Gold Coast and Cairns in north Queensland. Many towns and cities are located on the range, and also in lowland areas and foothills adjacent to the highlands. There is a strong natural history and cultural attachment to the Dividing Range region in towns and on many, sometimes remote, landholdings. Some of
3249-511: Was formed during the Carboniferous period —over 300 million years ago—when Australia collided with what are now parts of South America and New Zealand. The range has experienced significant erosion since. (See Geology of Australia .) For tens of thousands of years prior to British colonisation the ranges were home to various Aboriginal Australian nations and clans. Evidence remains in some places of their traditional way of life including decorated caves, campsites and trails used to travel between
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