<div>This presentation is about the National Hydrogeological Inventory, developed as part of Geoscience Australia's national-scale groundwater research efforts in the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program. The presentation is part of the 2024 Distinguished Geoscience Australia Lecture (DGAL) series.</div><div><br></div><div>One of Geoscience Australia's strategic drivers is to Improve understanding of Australia's groundwater systems to support sustainable management and help to secure our water resources to optimise and sustain their use. Aligned with this key objective, and as part of the EFTF program, Geoscience Australia developed and delivered the first comprehensive update to the Hydrogeology of Australia map and supporting report since first published more than 35 years ago.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Known as the National Hydrogeological Inventory (NHI), this new online mapping application delivers consistent national-scale synthesis of hydrogeological and related data and information for the nation's 42 major groundwater provinces. Accessible via the Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal, the NHI provides an enhanced and updated picture of groundwater systems across Australia, giving us a broader understanding of the communities, industries, and environments that rely on access to groundwater. This presentation uncovers the story behind the development of the inventory, looking at why it was developed, the type of information it contains, and plans for further improvements as part of the new Resourcing Australia's Prosperity Initiative.</div><div> </div>

<div>In outback Australia, beneath a blanket of red earth, lies an ancient part of the continent that formed over 500 million years ago. The Delamerian Orogen.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Through a multi-disciplinary approach to geological and geophysical data collection and integration, we shed new insights into&nbsp;Delamerian Orogen—its evolution and its mineral prospectivity. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As part of Geoscience Australia-led Exploring for the Future Program, this talk will speak to how we sought&nbsp;to unite disjointed geological architecture of the eastern Delamerian Orogen into a cohesive framework to enable us to understand the regional mineral systems and enhance the exploration potential of this under-explored region.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>