Southern Victoria gets a July soaking

Parts of Gippsland and the Western Districts received strong rain totals in July. See the rainfall totals around the state.

It’s been a wetter month than usual for southern Victoria, with the Western District finally receiving some much needed rain late in July after a dry few months.

Hamilton and Mortlake had received 136 per cent and 142 per cent of their long term average respectively for the mid-winter month as of Monday morning, while on the other side of the state Bairnsdale, Sale and Morwell had received more than 139 per cent of their usual July average.

Bill Lambert of Taronga Poll Herefords at Paschendale said things had “turned a corner a little bit” in their area after experiencing drought-like conditions so far this year, with about 50mm of rain falling in the past week, bringing their total to 70mm for July.

“We have a green mat, and the cattle are getting a little bit of a nibble, but there’s still a long way to go,” he said.

“It’s actually one of the wetter Julys we’ve had in the past few years, but we’re coming from a long way back.”

Rainfall totals for July 2024.

In the north of the state and southern New South Wales rain levels were not as plentiful, with Echuca, Hay, Mildura and Balranald all receiving less than 20mm.

Hugh Macague, who runs a broadacre cropping operation at Diggora just west of Rochester, said they had received about 25mm, close to half their usual July average, but that relatively consistent rain since June had kept things in a good spot.

“We haven’t had any significant falls, but we’ve been getting pretty consistent 5-10mm falls every week or so … it’s wet atop the ground that’s for sure,” he said.

“I also think it’s been a lot colder this July than usual, slowing down plant growth … (and) having that 150mm in January has also kept subsoil levels pretty full.”

Of the 32 stations monitored by The Weekly Times, Portland was the wettest for July, receiving 114mm, with Lake Eildon (102mm) the only other station across the state to receive more than 100m.