Planting Calendar & Monthly Lists
Scroll to Map & Zone DescriptionThe Arid Zone (North and South) occupies the dry heartlands of Australia from coastal Western Australia between Geraldton and Carnarvon to the areas west of the Great Dividing Range, inland from Sydney and Brisbane in the East. It includes all the desert areas around Kalgoorlie, Alice Springs, Birdsville and Bourke. It includes all the dry inland areas of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. The area can be divided into a northern arid zone with mild winters and a southern zone with cold winter temperatures. The inland arid region in Australia, even if water, apart from rain, is available. There are very high summer temperatures; extremely high evaporation rates. A long dry summer with very little rain is common. The southern areas can be quite cold in winter, average annual minimum temperature of -5°C, with some frosts. It pays to install shade cloth over your garden to reduce the extreme temperatures. A ready supply of artificial water, from bores or other sources, is also essential.
While most of the Murray Darling Basin lies in the Arid Zone, irrigation has allowed this area to become the 'food-bowl' of Australia - where there is water, there is life.