The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) covers 13 per cent (three million hectares) of Victoria, one of the largest CMA regions in the state. The region is rich in cultural history and unique in terms of its land-use and environmental assets, assets that have significant economic, environmental, cultural and social values. Eighty-seven per cent of land in the region is privately owned and mostly used for agriculture.
The North Central CMA is committed to connecting rivers, landscapes, and people to deliver lasting positive change – protecting and enhancing the natural environment in partnership with Traditional Owners, community and partners. The CMA’s statutory responsibilities are outlined in the Victorian Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the Water Act 1989 and our work guided by the North Central Regional Catchment Strategy 2021-27.
The region has a Mediterranean climate with winter dominant rainfall and evaporation highest over the summer months, although rainfall patterns have changed over the past 30 years, and over the long term, winter and spring rainfall is predicted to decrease. With reduced rainfall and increased temperatures our future climate will be hotter and drier overall. The impacts of climate change are pervasive, exacerbating existing threats and vulnerabilities. The North Central CMA’s Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan guides our climate change action.
The North Central CMA region includes four inland river catchments, the Campaspe, Loddon, Avoca and Avon-Richardson, that rise on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and flow northward emerging onto the wide, flat riverine plains of northern Victoria. The catchments all form part of the Murray-Darling Basin.
The region’s waterways, which include more than 100,000 km of streams and 1600 wetlands, have economic, environmental, cultural and social importance to Traditional Owners and regional communities.
Eighty-seven per cent of land in the region is privately owned and most of it used for agriculture. In the steeper terrain of the uplands, land is mostly used for livestock grazing. Further north, in the gentler more undulating foothills of the Campaspe, Loddon, Avoca and Avon-Richardson river basins, cropping is common alongside mixed farming enterprises.
Dryland farming is practiced on more than two million hectares and accounts for about 66 per cent of the region’s total land use, with most of the irrigated agriculture within the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID) in the north. Improving soil health continues to be an important priority for farmers across the region. Reduced water availability has already caused significant changes to irrigated agriculture within the GMID. Continuing to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems and support increased resilience and long-term productivity of irrigated agriculture in this area is a priority for the CMA.
More than 250,000 people call the north central region home. Almost half the population lives in the City of Greater Bendigo, which is one of the fastest growing Local Government Areas in regional Victoria. Macedon Ranges, Mitchell, Mount Alexander and Hepburn shires are attracting significant numbers of tree-changers.
We are fortunate to have more than 200 community-based environment groups including Landcare groups and networks, sustainable agriculture groups and others, actively working across the region.
The North Central CMA region includes the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Yorta Yorta, Barapa Barapa, Wamba Wemba, Wadi Wadi people and clans represented by Barengi Gadjin Land Council (Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk).
North Central’s contributions to our national NRM snapshots
