Project Groundwater
Australia is the driest inhabited continent and the highest per capita user of water.
As such, the Groundwater Sector plays a critical role in national water security, contributing $6.8 billion per year to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Groundwater represents 17% of available fresh water in Australia and is essential for providing increased supply during periods of drought for agriculture and community consumption in many parts of the country. In addition, many mineral and energy deposits occur in remote areas where groundwater is the only secure water source.
During the period from 2016 to 2020, Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program focused on northern Australia. In northern Australia, groundwater resources and water banking/aquifer storage provide significant opportunity for economic expansion due to the seasonal limitations of surface water flows, the limited availability of surface dam sites, and high evaporation rates that rapidly deplete surface water storages. Harnessing these groundwater opportunities requires thorough investigation of groundwater systems and resources.
1 Deloitte Access Economics, National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, October 2013,
Economic value of groundwater in Australia.
What we did
Five regional areas were selected for targeted geoscience studies in East Kimberley, Northern Stuart Corridor (Howard East and Daly River Basin), Southern Stuart Corridor (Tennant Creek to Alice Springs), Upper Burdekin (Nulla and McBride basalt provinces), and the Surat and Galilee basins.
The current Exploring for the Future (2020-24) program continues regional groundwater studies with a broadened focus to improve a national understanding of groundwater systems. These studies are included in the Darling-Curnamona-Delamerian and Officer-Musgrave deep-dive projects.
The regional groundwater investigations involved the collection, interpretation and delivery of a range of new pre-competitive hydrogeological, geophysical, geospatial and remote sensing datasets to map the near-surface geology and groundwater systems, and assess potential salinity hazards associated with resource development.
Collaboration
Geoscience Australia collaborated with a range of stakeholders, including Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies, local councils, pastoral leaseholders, local Indigenous groups and Land Councils.
Related information
L214 Northwest Northern Territory Seismic Survey (NW NT Seismic Survey)
Hossain, M., Costelloe, R., Rasheed, H., Henson, P. (2024)
West Musgrave 3D palaeovalley model report and data
Symington, N., Halas, L., Smith, M., Thiele, Z., Lester, J., Sundaram, B. (2024)
Predictive grids of major oxide concentrations in surface rock and regolith over the Australian continent
Wilford, J., de Caritat, P., Basak, S. (2023)
