Mallee is a district in northwestern Victoria, Australia. It is named for a type of eucalyptus tree common in the area. The Mallee district lies south of the Murray River and east of the South Australian border.
The Mallee has an annual rainfall of less than 15 inches (38 centimeters). It experiences extreme droughts and extremely high temperatures. The average daily maximum temperature is 90 °F (32 °C) in February and 59 °F (15 °C) in July. The annual evaporation exceeds 59 inches (150 centimeters). The region has no streams apart from the Murray River. The main rivers entering from the south are lost in the sands.
The Mallee is an area of gently rolling land. Sand dunes and plains formed on the beds of ancient lakes are the most distinctive features of the surface. Soils are sandy along the ridges. The depressions have heavy clay loams.
Sheep-raising is important in the Mallee, and wool and meat are major sources of farm income. Farmers also grow wheat, oats, barley, and rye. The densely settled irrigation districts along the Murray River date from 1887, when irrigation along the river first began.
