The Surface Hydrology Points (Regional) dataset provides a set of related features classes to be used as the basis of the production of consistent hydrological information. This dataset contains a geometric representation of major hydrographic point elements - both natural and artificial. This dataset is the best available data supplied by Jurisdictions and aggregated by Geoscience Australia it is intended for defining hydrological features.

Poster prepared for International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress 2013 In this study, a multi-disciplinary systems mapping approach has completely revised our understanding of the age, stratigraphy, mode of deposition and landscape evolution of Lower Darling Valley (LDV) sediments within the north-western Murray Basin. The Cenozoic sequence in this area contains Paleogene and Neogene shallow marine, fluvial and shoreline sediments overlain by Quaternary lacustrine, aeolian and fluvial units. The surficial Quaternary fluvial units of the valley form a complex group of morphostratigraphic units which vary in their distribution, character and geomorphic expression through the study area. Resolving the distribution of these units has been particularly important for understanding surface-groundwater interactions. In the LDV Quaternary fluvial sequence, multiple scroll-plain tracts are incised into higher, older more featureless floodplains. Prior to this study, these were respectively correlated to the Coonambidgal and Shepparton Formations of the Riverine Plain in the eastern Murray Basin and associated with the subsequently discarded Prior Stream/Ancestral River chronosequence of different climatically controlled depositional styles. In contrast to that proposition, we ascribe all LDV Quaternary fluvial deposition to lateral-migration depositional phases of one style, though with more variable stream discharges and channel and meander-scroll dimensions. Successively higher overbank-mud deposition through time obscures scroll traces and provides the main ongoing morphologic difference. A new morphostratigraphic unit, the Menindee Formation, refers to the mostly older and higher floodplain sediments, where scroll traces are obscured by overbank mud which continues to be deposited by the highest modern floods. Younger inset scroll-plain tracts, with visible scroll-plain traces, are still referred to the Coonambidgal Formation. Another new stratigraphic unit, the Willotia beds, refers to even older fluvial sediments, now above modern floodplain levels and mostly covered by aeolian sediments. This work provides important insights into the nature of Australian Quaternary fluvial deposition, with important implications for hydrogeological processes, groundwater resources and the assessment of managed aquifer recharge options.

Poster prepared for International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress 2013 In this study, AEM mapping validated by drilling has enabled the lateral extents and thickness of the Pliocene aquifers to be identified. The Pliocene in this area dominantly comprises the fluvial Calivil Formation, with the shallow marine Loxton-Parilla Sands restricted to the southernmost part of the area. Post-depositional warping, tilting and discrete offsets associated with neotoectonics are also recognised. Facies analysis indicates the Calivil was deposited in deep braided streams across a dissected sedimentary landscape. Overall, the sequence is fining-upwards, with evidence for progradation over the Loxton-Parilla. Channel fill materials comprise gravels and sands, and local fine-grained units represent abandoned channels and local floodplain sediments. Integration of textural and hydraulic testing data has revealed there are five hydraulic classes within the Calivil,. At a local scale (10s to 100s of metres), there is considerable lithological heterogeneity, however at a regional scale (kms), sands and gravels are widely distributed with particularly good aquifers developed in palaeochannels and at the confluence of palaeo-river systems. Aquifer testing has revealed Calivil to be an excellent aquifer, with high storage capacity, and locally very high transmissivities (up to 50 l/s). Integration of the AEM data with borehole geophysical data (gamma, induction and NMR) and textural and pore fluid data has enabled maps of aquifer properties including groundwater salinity, porosity, storage and hydraulic conductivity to be derived. Overall, the multi-disciplinary approach adopted has enabled rapid delineation of new groundwater resources, and facilitated assessment of the Pliocene aquifers for managed aquifer recharge.

Geoscience Australia was recently involved in the reconceptualisation of the hydrogeology of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), as part of the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. The project refined the understanding of key hydrostratigraphic units within the GAB. This brochure describes key aquifers in the GAB and is designed to be distributed with samples from the aquifers. Aquifers covered are the Winton-Mackunda, Cadna-owie-Hooray, Adori Sandstone/Springbok Sandstone, Hutton Sandstone and Precipice Sandstone. Brochure prepared for the International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress 2013, Perth, Australia

Islands in the Pacific region rely heavily on their fresh groundwater, and for a number of islands it is the only reliable source of freshwater throughout the year. Stresses on groundwater resources in many Pacific Island countries are set to escalate in the future with projected population and economic growth. In addition, there are likely to be future climate impacts on groundwater availability and quality. Although a number of studies have been undertaken at a local scale, very limited information is available to consider the impacts of future climates on groundwater systems at a regional scale. This project provides a first-pass regional-scale assessment of the relative potential vulnerability of groundwater to: (i) low rainfall periods and (ii) mean sea-level rise for 15 Pacific Island countries and territories. The dataset associated with this report can be obtained from www.ga.gov.au using title "Pacific Island Groundwater Vulnerability to Future Climates Dataset" or catalogue number 81575.

Great Artesian Basin borehole porosity and permeability data from petroleum exploration wells within the GAB, quality checked by Jim Kellet (Geoscience Australia). Data is available in tabular format as a CSV file (comma delimited) and a Microsoft Excel 2010 file. This data set was produced for the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment and reported in: Section 5.5 'Hydrogeological properties' of Ransley TR and Smerdon BD (eds) (2012) Hydrostratigraphy, hydrogeology and system conceptualisation of the Great Artesian Basin. A technical report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Australia. Section 5.3 'Hydrology' of Smerdon BD and Ransley TR (eds) (2012) Water resource assessment for the Central Eromanga region. A report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Australia. Section 5.3 'Hydrology' of Smerdon BD and Ransley TR (eds) (2012) Water resource assessment for the Surat region. A report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Australia. This dataset and associated metadata can be obtained from www.ga.gov.au, using catalogue number 76562.

Difference between 'pre-development' (1900-1920) and modern (2000-2010) groundwater levels at selected bore locations in the Great Artesian Basin This GIS data set was produced by CSIRO for the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment and used in Figure 7.5 of Ransley TR and Smerdon BD (eds) (2012) Hydrostratigraphy, hydrogeology and system conceptualisation of the Great Artesian Basin. A technical report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Australia. This dataset and associated metadata can be obtained from www.ga.gov.au, using catalogue number 76931. For further information contact Phil Davies, Research Projects Officer, CSIRO Land and Water, Waite Road, Urrbrae SA 5064

Freshwater coastal aquifers provide an important resource for irrigated agriculture, human consumption and the natural environment. Approximately 18 million people live within 50 km of the coast in Australia, and many coastal communities are reliant on groundwater. These coastal aquifers are vulnerable to seawater intrusion (SWI) - the landward encroachment of seawater - due to their close proximity to the ocean. To assess the threat of SWI in Australia, a comprehensive literature review was undertaken with input from state/territory agencies. The literature review, in combination with contributions from stakeholders, identified sites within each of the states and the Northern Territory where SWI had been reported or where it was considered to be a serious threat. International Association of Hydrogeologists 2013 Congress poster

This report presents key results of groundwater level interpretations from the Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project in North Queensland, conducted as part of Exploring for the Future (EFTF)—an eight year, $225 million Australian Government funded geoscience data and information acquisition program focused on better understanding the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources across Australia. The Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project is a collaborative study between Geoscience Australia and the Queensland Government. It focuses on basalt groundwater resources in two geographically separate areas: the Nulla Basalt Province (NBP) in the south and the McBride Basalt Province (MBP) in the north. This report interprets groundwater levels measured in both provinces by Geoscience Australia and the Queensland Government to provide recommendations for resource management. The NBP and MBP basalt aquifers are heterogeneous, fractured, vesicular systems. Several lava flows are mapped at surface in both provinces, and the degree of hydraulic connectivity between these flows is unclear. Although there was some uncertainty due to monitoring well construction issues, barometric efficiency analyses from supporting project documents suggest that the basalts of the NBP and MBP were unconfined where monitored during the EFTF project. That finding generally matches observations presented here. Longer term groundwater hydrographs suggest that groundwater levels have been declining in the NBP and MBP following major flooding in 2010-2011 related to one of the strongest La Niña events on record. Groundwater levels are yet to decline to pre-flood elevations in places. Importantly, these longer term hydrographs set the project in context: the EFTF monitoring period is only a small fraction of a much longer-functioning, dynamic groundwater system. Nulla Basalt Province The NBP is elongated east-west, and is situated entirely within the Burdekin River catchment. Volcanic vents in the west identify that area as the main extrusive centre. Regionally, groundwater migrates through the basalts of the NBP from the western high ground towards the Burdekin River in the east. Although lava flows of the NBP reach the Burdekin River, direct groundwater discharge in this area has not yet been proven. However, groundwater does discharge to various springs and surface watercourses in the NBP that are known tributaries of the Burdekin River. Despite the presence of many registered extraction bores, no clear signs of pumping were observed in groundwater hydrographs from the NBP during the EFTF monitoring period. Water levels in many bores responded to major rainfall events, ranging from a simple change in declining hydrograph slope to a water level increase of ~6.8 m in the central west. While some responses could have been induced by loading, electrical conductivity loggers and the extent of water level rise showed that many were clearly caused by recharge. At nested monitoring locations, groundwater levels remained commensurate with downward flow potentials throughout the EFTF monitoring period. McBride Basalt Province The MBP is approximately circular in plan, with volcanic vents present in a north-northeast trending band through the province centre. Lava flows extend away from the high ground of the province centre towards lower ground near the edges. In part due to its geometry, the MBP is situated within four river catchments; only surface water landing in the east flows into the Burdekin River. Regionally, groundwater migrates through the basalts of the MBP from the central high ground radially towards the edges. Direct groundwater discharge from the MBP basalts into the Burdekin River has been shown in this project. Similarly to the NBP, groundwater is also known to discharge to numerous springs and surface watercourses in the MBP. Water levels in many bores responded to major rainfall events. Responses ranged from a change in declining hydrograph slope to a water level increase of ~6.8 m in the southeast. While some responses could have been induced by loading, the extent of water level rise showed that others were clearly caused by recharge. No nested monitoring locations were installed for the EFTF project, so vertical head gradients are currently unknown. Although there are numerous registered extraction bores in the MBP, groundwater level response to pumping was only definitively identified in the east in bore RN12010016. However, several registered bores with high estimated yields have been installed in the northeast since EFTF fieldwork completion. It is possible that these higher yielding extraction bores may induce visible drawdown in monitoring bores in the future. Their high estimated yields may be associated with lava tubes; features not reported in the literature reviewed for this project for the NBP, but identified at surface and potentially in several Queensland Government bores drilled in the MBP. Conclusions and recommendations The Upper Burdekin Groundwater Project has provided abundant information on various aspects of the hydrogeology of the Nulla and McBride basalt provinces. General groundwater flow processes are understood at a regional scale for the EFTF monitoring period, but more detailed investigations and longer term monitoring are required to fully evaluate local conditions. One of the main observations of this study are the long term groundwater level declines in both the NBP and MBP following the 2010-2011 La Niña-associated floods. Groundwater levels are yet to reduce to pre-flood elevations in places, showing that the EFTF monitoring period represents only a small fraction of a much longer-functioning, dynamic groundwater system. It is unclear what, if any, contribution groundwater extraction has made to regional water level declines. Numerous correlations were assessed between groundwater hydrograph characteristics and potentially influencing factors, but the results were mostly inconclusive. There is uncertainty in hydraulic connectivity across lava flow boundaries and between intra-lava flow aquifers. Although interesting groundwater processes were identified at many bores, at the current bore spacing it is not generally possible to interpolate between locations with any certainty. Knowledge gaps and suggestions for further investigation are recorded in Section 5 of the report. The gaps identified should assist planning of future work to inform: - Further characterisation of groundwater resources. - Protection of groundwater dependent ecosystems. - Appropriate groundwater resource management.

Thickness of Cenozoic weathering in the Great Artesian Basin. Data is available as isopachs and raster. Isopachs are in Shapefile format. Rasters are in both ESRI grid and ASCII grid formats. This GIS data set was produced for the Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment and used in Figure 3.3 of Ransley TR and Smerdon BD (eds) (2012) Hydrostratigraphy, hydrogeology and system conceptualisation of the Great Artesian Basin. A technical report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Australia. This dataset and associated metadata can be obtained from www.ga.gov.au, using catalogue number 76539.