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Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Goulburn River Basin 5
MANAGEMENT
| DIVERSIONS
| HERITAGE | THREATENED
FISH | FISH
STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | FRESHWATER
FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS
 Troutspinning on the Goulburn River |
The Basin extends for 200km from steep hills and mountains in the Hume Range and Great Dividing Range northward through the Murray Plain. There are extensive forests of very tall Mountain Ash and mixed species in the mountains south of Eildon. In this area, the rivers are clear, cold and fast flowing with gravel and rubble substrates and could be described as typical trout streams.
Further north the Basin is cleared for farmland with isolated patches of forest and an area of intensive irrigation and cropping north of Waranga Reservoir. Mean annual rainfall is highest (700-1,400+mm) in the mountains south of Lake Eildon but decreases northward to 400-500mm at the Murray River. Lake Eildon captures most of the flow originating in the southern mountains and together with Goulburn Weir at Nagambie now controls the flow in the Goulburn River.
The natural flow regime (52% of flow July-September and 5% January-March) has been altered by irrigation releases resulting in lower winter/spring flows (now 33%) and higher summer flows (now 23% of mean annual flow). This has changed a large section of the Goulburn River downstream of Lake Eildon from a native fish water to a tailrace trout fishery. Surface water quality is good with only slightly increased salinity in the Murray Plain lowland area and some bacterial contamination from livestock and urban wastes. Water quality is excellent for aquatic biota.
Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stocking and fisheries policy. Northern Fisheries, DPI, manages compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy has listed Cooper, Eildon and Greens Lakes, Waranga Reservoir, Big, Delatite and Goulburn River above Seymour, Goulburn River (Seymour to Goulburn Weir), Howqua and Jamieson Rivers; Seven Creeks above Polly McQuinns, Seven Creeks (Galls Gap Bridge to Euroa) and King Parrot Creek as mixed species fisheries.
The Goulburn River downstream of Goulburn Weir, Goulburn Weir, Loch Garry and Seven Creeks (Euroa to the Goulburn River) have been listed as native fish waters. The Acheron River, Eildon Pondage, and Rubicon Rivers have been listed as salmonid waters.
The Goulburn-Broken Catchment Management Authority manages the catchment. The Goulburn-Murray Water Authority manages irrigation and rural diversion. The Goulburn Valley Region Water Authority manages urban demand. Streamflow Management Plans have been completed for the Yea River, King Parrot Creek, and are being developed for Seven Creeks and the Delatite River. A Fisheries Management Plan has been developed for waters in the Goulburn-Eildon Region.
Water from the Goulburn River is stored in Lake Eildon and Goulburn Weir. It is also pumped out of the Goulburn River to Shepparton, Mooroopna, Toolamba, Murchison, Seymour, Nagambie and Alexandra. It is diverted from Honeysuckle Creek into a 76ML reservoir, another 122ML reservoir then to Violet Town.
Also from Mountain Hut Creek into Waterhouse Reservoir (320ML) and a 14ML reservoir then to Euroa.
From Polly McQuinns Reservoir and Gooram Weir, both on Seven Creeks, to Euroa. From Nine Mile Creek into a 16ML reservoir then to Longwood. From Sunday Creek into a 1,700ML reservoir then to Broadford and Kilmore.
From Hazel and Harpers Creeks into Hollowback Reservoir (114ML) to Kilmore. From Mollisons Creek to Pyalong.
From Falls Creek into Trawool Reservoir (75ML) then to Seymour.
From Silver and Wallaby Creeks via three weirs to the Yan Yean system. From the Yea River to Yea.
From the Steavenson River to Buxton and Marysville.
From the Rubicon River to Thornton. From Lake Eildon to Eildon and Bonnie Doon.
From the Delatite River to Mansfield and Sawmill Settlement. From Brewery Creek to Woods Point. From diversion channels to Corop, Stanhope, Rushworth, Colbinabbin, Kyabram, Tatura, Merrigum, Girgarre, Tongala and Tallygaroopna.
Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers
The Goulburn River (from Lake Eildon to the Murray River), the Howqua River (from the junction of the north and south branches to Lake Eildon), and the Big River (from the junction of Spring and Oaks Creeks to the junction of Fryer Creek and Big River Arm at Lake Eildon), have been listed as Heritage River Areas.
Cornella Creek has been listed as a Representative River for East Victorian dissected uplands, riverine plains. Williams Creek on the Upper Goulburn River has been listed as a Natural Catchment Area.
Ramsar Sites
None in this Basin
The Department of Primary Industries and Environment has listed trout cod, silver perch and the barred galaxias as Critically Endangered, Macquarie perch as Endangered, Murray cod, freshwater catfish and golden perch as Vulnerable and Murray rainbowfish and flat-headed galaxias as Data Deficient. Murray cod, Macquarie perch, trout cod, freshwater catfish, barred galaxias, silver perch, Murray rainbowfish, Murray spiny crayfish and the Lowland Riverine Fish Community of the Southern Murray-Darling Basin have been listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988
The Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) fish stocking program is designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities for:
The Department of Sustainability and Environment stocks trout cod in an attempt to establish self-sustaining populations and ensure the survival of this 'critically endangered' species.
Stocking Plans for desirable species are developed annually as part of the regional consultation process involving VRFish representatives and various arms of DPI including Fisheries Victoria and Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic).
Up to date information can be found on the Fish Stocking section in Fisheries and Aquaculture.
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Water |
Species |
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Lake Eildon |
trout, redfin, |
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Eildon Pondage |
trophy brown trout & rainbow trout |
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Goulburn River. Pondage to Alexandra |
brown trout, rainbow trout |
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Goulburn River downstream of Shepparton |
Murray cod, golden perch |
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Native |
Exotic |
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Australian smelt |
brown trout |
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barred galaxias |
carp |
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blackfish |
goldfish |
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bony bream |
mosquitofish |
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catfish |
rainbow trout |
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flat-headed galaxias |
redfin |
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flat-headed gudgeon |
roach |
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golden perch |
tench |
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Macquarie perch |
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mountain galaxias |
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Murray cod |
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Murray rainbowfish |
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southern pygmy perch |
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trout cod |
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western carp gudgeon |
The Murray spiny crayfish, Euastacus armatus, is also present in this Basin.
The smaller-sized fish species are not captured by anglers nor during most netting surveys. They are also difficult to capture when electrofishing in deep, turbid water. For these reasons they are probably more widespread and abundant than surveys indicate.
Environmental Condition of Waterways
The majority (61%) of sites on waterways inspected by the Department had good to excellent conditions with no sedimentation and good native riparian vegetation. However there was a loss of native riparian vegetation, infestation of willows or blackberry, bank erosion and sedimentation, in the small streams on the northern side of Lake Eildon. The lower reaches of Sunday Creek, Hughes Creek and Seven Creeks, as well as other small tributary streams in open farmland in the centre and north of the Basin, also suffered similar degradation.
| Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia |
© The State of Victoria
