Mallee

malleeA salt pan depression in Mallee, Victoria, Australia. The region is named for the “mallee,” a scrubby species of eucalyptus.

Mallee, region of northwestern Victoria, Australia. It occupies about 16,000 square miles (41,000 square km) between the Wimmera and Murray rivers, and its climate is semiarid, with only 10–12 inches (250–300 mm) of rainfall annually. A narrow belt of irrigated land supports vineyards, citrus orchards, wheat fields, and dairy and sheep farming, but intensive irrigation has increased salinity and soil degradation. The name Mallee is said to be derived from an Aboriginal term denoting species of eucalyptus. The region’s chief settlement is Mildura.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.
Citation Information
Article Title: Mallee
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 20 April 2012
Access Date: March 14, 2025