Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Water resources - Overview - Queensland

Location map of Great Artesian Basin - Gulf - Queensland

Groundwater Management Unit: Great Artesian Basin - Gulf - Queensland

Introduction

The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) comprises 23 hydrologic zones (accounting for interstate / territory boundaries). These zones were determined by the Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council (GABCC) in 1999. The total area of the GAB is approximately 1.8 million sq km.

The Gulf Groundwater Management Unit (GMU) is one of these hydrologic zones. Its area is about 203 thousand sq km which accounts for 11.2% of the total GAB area.

The Gulf zone is the northern most zone. It extends over 800 km south from the tip of Cape York Peninsula (the Cape) on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. It primarily lies in Queensland with a small protrusion into Northern Territory at the Gulf of Carpentaria (the Gulf).

Natural surface levels predominantly range from zero to 100 m above mean sea level. Moving further inland away from coastlands and towards the Gulf zones mapped boundaries, natural surface levels tend upward to 200 m above mean sea level.

Rainfall in the Gulf zone varies from about 400 mm/yr (inland at the southwest corner of the GMU) to greater than 1600 mm/yr (at the Cape). Approximately 90% of rainfall occurs in the months November to March.

Except for at Cape where rainfall is in surplus, evaporation generally exceeds average annual rainfall. Average annual evaporation may exceed average annual rainfall by up to 3200 mm/yr.

The dominant land use is for cattle industry purposes.

Leasehold land tenure predominates this zone.

In the north, forestation presides to nearly the entire Cape. Propagating south along the eastern side of the Great Divide, the vegetation can be described as woodland in nature. Further to the west and southwest, various grasslands become characteristic of the area.

Vital Statistics:

Area: 200,000 Km2
Total water allocated: no data
Total water consumed: 21,260 ML/yr
Average salinity: 815 mg/l
Sustainable yield: 18,570 ML/yr
Depth to top of aquifier: 0 m

Further Information

Key

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