Great Artesian Basin is a vast underground rock formation filled with artesian water that extends across much of eastern Australia. Artesian water is underground water trapped under such great pressure that it gushes to the surface through any opening. The water can thus be brought to the surface merely by digging a well. It does not have to be pumped. The Great Artesian Basin is the largest artesian basin in Australia. It lies below a large part of Queensland, northern New South Wales, and the northeastern corner of South Australia. Within its total area of about 580,000 square miles (1,500,000 square kilometers), hundreds of artesian bores (deep, drilled wells) provide regular supplies of water for farming. Most of the water in the Great Artesian Basin is salty and so can be drunk only by livestock. See Artesian well .
