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Sand drift in the Mallee

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Sand drift in the Mallee, 1929
photographer unknown
Black and white photo, 1929
Collection of Birchip Historical Society

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Birchip History Museum

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This photograph can only be used for research purposes and must not be reproduced, copied or published in any form without the permission of the Birchip Historical Society

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Birchip Historical Society

After clearing and ploughing the Victorian Mallee from the early 1880s, soil erosion in the region became a significant issue, particularly in times of drought. In 1933, the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission reported that it had spent over £300,000 in the years 1929, 1930 and 1931 clearing sand drift from 4,000 miles of channels in the Mallee. This photo shows a fence disappearing under Mallee soil in 1929 after a series of drought years and a severe El Nino event in 1926.

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Culture Victoria

Sand drift in the Mallee

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