Diversions

Field of grape vines trellised into the distance.

Our Diversions team is responsible for the licensing and management of services to customers who extract water via private works from regulated and unregulated rivers and streams; groundwater bores; and from dams. These customers are known as “diverters”.

The Diversions team provides services to diverters throughout our entire 68,000km² operational area; and private diverters account for more than 50 per cent of our customer base.

All Diversions customer categories are represented by Regional Water Service Committees. These committees play a key role in ensuring local issues are raised with management; as well as having input into strategic planning initiatives.

Find out more about licencing, Private Right and a range of topics by clicking on the relevant buttons below. 

Place of Take Approvals

The 'place of take' approvals framework is a new approach to water delivery entitlements in Victorian declared systems.

Your local Diversions Inspector

Our friendly Diversions operational team members are based at our Customer Service Centres in Wangaratta, Cobram, Shepparton and Rochester. Use the map below to find out what diversions zone you are in and the Diversions Inspector responsible for your zone.

More information

Our Diversions staff manage a range of rivers – both regulated and unregulated – and groundwater management areas. Please find below details of each office and the zones it caters for, noting some offices have a number of zones.

Table of diversions zones and the responsibility for those zones.
Zone number Office Regulated Rivers Unregulated Systems Groundwater Management Areas (GMA)
1a Wangaratta Mitta Mitta River Upper Murray River (above Hume) and tributary streams entering Mitta Mitta River below Dartmouth Upper Murray GMA (Indi and Hume Zone)
1b Cobram

Murray River (Hume to Yarrawonga)
Lower Ovens River (below Wangaratta)

Kiewa River and tributaries below Boyd Rd, Gundowing

Streams entering Murray River (Hume - Lake Mulwala) and Lower Ovens River

Kiewa GMA (Lower), Lower Ovens GMA (Ovens Plain Zone, Murray Zone and Mid Ovens Zone - Reedy Creek catchment)
2 Cobram Murray River (Yarrawonga - Goulburn River confluence) Streams entering Murray River (Yarrawonga - Goulburn River confluence) Katunga Water Supply Protection Area
3A Rochester Loddon River (including Cairn Curran, Laanecoorie, and Tullaroop storages) Lower Loddon tributaries Mid-Loddon GMA
3B Rochester Murray River (Goulburn confluence - Nyah), Campaspe River from Campaspe Weir to confluence with Murray River Tributaries of the Murray River downstream of Goulburn River Lower Campaspe Valley (Elmore-Rochester, Bamawm, and Echuca Zones)
4 Wangaratta N/A

Upper Ovens River and tributaries (above Myrtleford)

Kiewa River and tributaries above Boyd Rd, Gundowing

Mitta Mitta River and tributaries above Dartmouth

Upper Murray GMA (Dartmouth Zone); Upper Ovens Water Supply Protection Area; Kiewa GMA (Upper)
5 Wangaratta

Buffalo River (below Lake Buffalo)
Ovens River (Myrtleford - Wangaratta)
King River

All Buffalo River, Ovens River (Myrtleford - Wangaratta) and King River tributaries Lower Ovens GMA (Mid Ovens Zone - bar Reedy Creek catchment)
6 Shepparton Broken River
Broken Creek
Mokoan Pipeline
Lake Nillahcootie  
7a Shepparton Goulburn River - Eildon to Yea River (left bank) and Eildon Alexandra (right bank) Lake Eildon (check for parish)

Upper Goulburn GMA - Acheron Zone             
Upper Yea Zone - Grid 1
Lower Yea Zone - Grid 1
Upper Goulburn NON GMA - Grid 1

7b Shepparton Goulburn River - downstream of Alexandra to Goulburn Weir (right bank), Goulburn Weir to Murray River (right bank) and Wakiti Creek. Lake Eildon (check for parish) and Goulburn Weir (right bank) Mid Goulburn GMA - east side of Goulburn River
Strathbogie GMA - All zones
Upper Goulburn GMA - Home Zone, Yarck Zone and Goulburn Zone - Grid 3
Upper Goulburn None GMA - Grid 3
8 Shepparton Goulburn River - downstream of Yea River to Goulburn Weir (left bank) and Goulburn Weir to Murray River (left bank) Goulburn Weir (left bank) and Waranga Basin Mid Goulburn GMA - West side of Goulburn River
Upper Goulburn NON GMA - Grid 2
Upper Goulburn GMA - King Parrot Zone 1113 and Upper Yea Zone Grid 2
9 Rochester Campaspe River from Lake Eppalock to Campaspe Weir (including Lake Eppalock) Campaspe River tributaries, Coliban River tributaries (excluding Coliban Water managed storages) Lower Campaspe Valley WSPA (Barnadown Zone) and Central Victorian Mineral Springs GMA (Coliban, Campaspe Zones)
10 Rochester Bullarook Creek (including Newlyn and Hepburn’s Lagoon) Upper Loddon tributaries, Bullarook tributaries, Tullaroop tributaries. Loddon Highlands WSPA, Central Victorian Mineral Springs (Loddon Zone)

Land Use Activity Agreements under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 exist between traditional owners and the State of Victoria.

The Land Use Activity Agreements give procedural rights to traditional owners regarding proposed activities on public land. The greater the impact of those activities on traditional owner rights, the higher the level of procedural rights under the Land Use Activity Agreements.

Some licences (authorisations) issued by Goulburn-Murray Water for works on public land may be considered land use activities under the Land Use Activity Agreements.

Information regarding the Land Use Activity Agreements can be found on the Department of Justice and Community Safety webpages Land Use Activity Agreement information for local government and Overview of the Taungurung LUAA

If you have a query regarding a particular licence or application, please contact us on 1800 013 357.