Glenelg
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The location of the Glenelg region is shown in the catchment map. The region encompasses the Glenelg Hopkins and Portland Coast basins.
The Glenelg Hopkins Region
The location of the Glenelg region is shown in the catchment map. The region encompasses the Glenelg Hopkins and Portland Coast basins lying south of the Great Dividing Range in southwest Victoria. The region covers approximately 25,000 square kilometres extending from Ballarat in the east to the South Australian border in the west, and from the southern coast of Victoria to the townships of Edenhope and Ararat in the north. The region includes the cities and townships of Hamilton, Warrnambool, Ararat, Casterton, Coleraine, Port Fairy, Beaufort and Portland.
The region is dominated by flat volcanic plains, characteristic of what is known as the Western Districts. These plains comprise the southern two-thirds of the region. The north of the region is dominated by the Grampians, the Dundas Tablelands, the Central Highlands and sedimentary rises which are the western extremity of the Great Dividing Range.
Average annual rainfall in the area ranges from 500mm/yr near Lake Bolac to more than 910mm in the Cobboboonee Forest west of Heywood and the Grampians. The region has a high winter rainfall, falling between April and November. Temperatures range from 4 degrees Celsius to about 27 degrees Celsius in the north with January and February being the hottest months.
From: Glenelg Regional Catchment & Land Protection Board State Office (1997) Glenelg Regional Catchment Strategy.
