Wheatbelt (Australia)

The Australian wheatbelt is the name given to the inland agricultural regions of southern and eastern Australia where wheat has long been the staple crop. The belt lies within the temperate zones of the country, in areas that receive more than about 300 millimetres of rain a year, and its outer edge follows the same line as Goyder's Line in South Australia. Towns that mark the margin include Orroroo and Minnipa in South Australia, Southern Cross in Western Australia, Mildura in Victoria, Cobar and Walgett to Deniliquin in New South Wales, and St George in Queensland. Because the land is relatively dry with little underground water, farming depends on rainfall, and both productivity and land prices rise and fall with it. Besides wheat, the belt grows barley, oats, sorghum, maize, oilseeds and legumes.