Basin page


		Angling Waters of the Mallee Basin
			MALLEE BASIN MAP (PDF 101Kb)
			CARDROSS LAKE
			CULLULLERAINE LAKE
			HATTAH LAKES
			HAWTHORN LAKE
			KINGS BILLABONG
			LINDSAY RIVER
			MURRAY RIVER (NSW)
			WALLA WALLA LAKE
			WALLPOLLA CREEK

			THERMAL STRATIFICATION

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Murray cod

The Basin is located in a semi-arid zone and is characterised by low ridges, dunes and hummocks. There is a lack of perennial streams apart from several anabranches of the Murray River. Swamps and lakes of varying salinity are common with most filled by overflow of the Murray River.

Mean annual rainfall is 600mm in the south decreasing north to 270mm at Mildura. Vegetation varies from widespread Mallee to extensive grassy-plains, sand-plains and salt pans in the northern Sunset Country. The Big Desert in the south is infertile sand, covered with scrub. Groundwater in the south is fresh to marginal but is saline (>8,000EC) in the north.

Management

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 assessed Cardross Lake, Lindsay River and Walpolla Creek as native fish waters.

The Mallee Catchment Management Authority manages the catchment. Irrigation and rural diversion is managed by the Wimmera-Mallee Rural Water Authority in the south and by the Sunraysia Rural Water Authority in the northern area including Mildura. Urban water diversion in the south is managed by the Grampians Region Water Authority and along the Murray River by the Lower Murray Region Water Authority.

Streamflow Management Plans are not currently being prepared for any waters in the Basin.

Diversions

Towns are supplied from groundwater, the Murray River, or the Wimmera-Mallee Domestic and Stock Supply System.

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

None in this Basin.

Ramsar Sites

Lakes Bitterang, Cantala, Konardin, Yelwell, Yerang, Mournpall, Bulla, Hattah, Arawak, Brockie and Kramen in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park are listed as wetlands of international significance under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran 1971).

Fish Stocking

The Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) fish stocking program is designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities for:

Desirable introduced species such as brown trout, rainbow trout, Chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon, and
Desirable native fish species such as golden perch, Murray cod, Australian bass and silver perch.

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.

Best Fishing Waters

Water	Species
Cullulleraine Lake	golden perch, Murray cod
Lindsay River	golden perch, Murray cod
Walpolla Creek	golden perch, Murray cod

Freshwater Fish in the Basin

Native	Exotic
Australian smelt	carp
bony bream	goldfish
freshwater catfish	mosquitofish
flat-headed galaxias	redfin
flat-headed gudgeon
golden perch
Murray cod
Murray hardyhead
Murray rainbowfish
silver perch
non-specked hardyhead
southern purple-spotted gudgeon

Most surveys used fishing gear designed to catch larger fish. The small species are probably much more common and widespread than shown in the description of individual waters. The Murray spiny crayfish, Euastacus armatus, is present in this Basin.

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed silver perch and southern purple-spotted gudgeon as Critically Endangered; Murray hardyhead as Endangered, Murray cod, freshwater catfish and golden perch as Vulnerable and Murray rainbowfish and flat-headed galaxias as Data Deficient. Silver perch, Murray hardyhead, Murray cod, freshwater catfish, Murray rainbowfish, southern purple-spotted gudgeon, Murray spiny crayfish and non-specked hardyhead have been listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Environmental Condition of Waterways

The main waterways (anabranches) are in excellent condition with natural riparian vegetation, deep pools with debris and good fish habitat. The water is fresh with few, if any, saline pools. There is some de-oxygenation in the bottom of pools during summer but this is a common, natural occurrence in deep, warm, slow-flowing waterways in northern Victoria.

Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia