South East

The South East Region extends from the coast south of Mt Gambier north to Bordertown and west to Robe. It is generally divided into two sub-regions Lower South East and Upper South East. The South East is also known as the Limestone Coast.

The South East region is one of the richest farming regions of the state.  The land mass is approximately 20,000 square kilometres which is ~2% of the state, however the region produced over 30% of the state's agriculture.  There are around 63,000 people living throughout the thriving rural communities in this beautiful part of the world.  For more information on this region visit the Limestone Coast Regional Development Board.

The South East is a very important part of the South Australian dairy industry.  Presently it produced ~280 million litres of milk, which represents 42% of the states production. There are approximately 40,000 milking cows in this region, mostly in a year round production system, resulting in per cow average of just over 7000litres.

Lower South East

 The Lower South East comprises dunes with the low-lying land between the dunes often subjected to surface flooding and waterlogging. The tendency for the area to be waterlogged has led to extensive drainage schemes.

The Lower South East includes most of the 136 dairy farms in the South East region.   The mild climate and excellent pastures account for the higher production levels and excellent quality milk seen in this region.  The average farm size is just under 300 cows.

Rainfall ranges from around 750 mm per year in the south to around 600mm in the north. Evaporation is low (< 1600 mm/year) throughout the region. This equates to approximately a 7 to 8 month growing season (where transpiration is greater than evaporation).  There are extensive high productivity groundwater aquifers in the region with high quality groundwater (<1500 mg/Land >5l/sec). Groundwater is licensed and is currently being converted to volumetric licenses.

Although there is unused capacity in the confined aquifer groundwater reserves of the Lower South East, Government policy aims to ensure that any further development is sustainable and that present irrigation practices are improved to increase the efficiency of water use.

Upper South East

 The Upper South East extends north from about Naracoorte and includes a small number of dairies around Bordertown and Mundulla.

The groundwater resources of the region are highly valued and used primarily for irrigation of horticultural crops and some pastures. Water from unconfined (or watertable) aquifers is easily accessible (< 10 m in most low-lying areas) and used extensively. These aquifers are recharged by local rainfall. Water from the confined aquifer originates in Victoria and is deeper (>50 m) but generally of low salinity (600 - 3000 mg/L). In most areas it is sub-artesian but between Lucindale and the coast it is artesian and thus easily accessible and used to irrigate pastures. Water from the confined aquifer is not recharged by rainfall but in part from the watertable and mainly through specific recharge areas.

In the Upper SouthEast the water used for irrigation comes from unconfined aquifers which tend to be more saline. Irrigation inevitably increases the salinity of the groundwater and in some areas increased use of this resource has led to significant increases in salinity.

References:  DairySA Regional Action Plan 2000

• Soil, water, topography, climate
  
• Feed Systems
  
• Regional Contacts
  

South East Soils, Topography, Climate, Rainfall & Water Sources

Detailed district plans outlines land descriptions (soil, water, rainfall, climate etc), land management issues and land management strategies for each district.

Hard copy plans can be obtained from Soil Conservation/Boards on 1800 678 477 for:

Lower South East (Mt Gambier, Penola, Kongorong, Pt MacDonnell, Allendale East, Glencoe, Kalangadoo etc)

Lacepede Tatiara (Mundulla, Bordertown, Kingston SE, Naracoorte)

South East Forage and Feeding Systems

* Figures are approximate only and are intended as a guide ONLY. Variations within regions obviously occur therefore ranges may extended outside of figures given in any one region.

South East Regional Contacts