Southern Rural Water will sell 1,000 ML of high reliability and 441 ML of low reliability permanent water shares within the Macalister Irrigation District system on Thursday, 28 May 2026.
General Manager Service Delivery, Rachel Lunn, said anyone with an allocation bank account (ABA) can take part in this auction.
“We would encourage those who have access to use the water in the Macalister Irrigation District to bid at auction,” she said.
“This water sale is a great opportunity for irrigators in the Macalister Irrigation Area wanting to bolster their water supplies and increase their productivity,” she said.
"These water savings have been achieved after a period of significant investment by irrigators and State and Federal Governments into modernising ageing and inefficient supply infrastructure in the Macalister Irrigation District as part of the Macalister Irrigation District 2030 Modernisation Project delivered over three phases between 2017 and 2024,” she said.
“This is the third amount of water to be auctioned from savings achieved as part of Phase 1A of the project. There will be further auctions over the coming years, as water savings from subsequent modernisation phases in the Macalister Irrigation District are validated.
“These significant investments in modernisation help to secure the future of farming in central Gippsland,” she said.
These water shares will be sold in a range of lot sizes on Thursday 28 May 2026 via an online auction from 9:00am to 12:30pm on the Southern Rural Water Exchange trading platform. Proceeds of the water sales will contribute to funding the modernisation works that have already been completed.
These shares will be sold without allocation for the 2025-26 season. The first allocation announcement will happen on 1 July 2026.
Vist our water sales and auction page for more information.