MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog – State Supplement
Queensland
Version: 0.1 test template
Purpose: State-specific data sources and hydrological context for MIKE SHE models in Queensland
Complements: MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog – Australia (national datasets are not repeated here)
1. Hydrological Context
1.1 Climate
- tropical north with a pronounced wet season (December–April) and tropical cyclones
- subtropical south-east with intense summer storms
- semi-arid to arid west
- strong ENSO influence and extreme floods (e.g. 2011, 2022)
1.2 Landscape
- eastern coastal catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef (e.g. Burdekin, Fitzroy, Burnett)
- Gulf of Carpentaria rivers in the north
- Channel Country (Cooper, Diamantina, Georgina) in the Lake Eyre Basin
- Condamine-Balonne and Border Rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin
1.3 Key Modelling Challenges
- coal seam gas depressurisation in the Surat and Bowen basins
- Great Artesian Basin pressures and springs
- irrigation (Condamine, Burdekin, Bundaberg, Lockyer)
- seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers
- sediment and nutrient loads to the Great Barrier Reef
- flood pulses on very flat Channel Country floodplains
2. Major Aquifer Systems
| Aquifer / System |
Type |
Modelling Relevance |
| Great Artesian Basin (Hutton, Precipice, Hooray sandstones) |
Confined sandstone |
CSG impacts, springs |
| Condamine Alluvium |
Alluvial |
Irrigation depletion, connectivity to Walloon Coal Measures |
| Walloon Coal Measures |
Coal / aquitard |
Main CSG target |
| Burdekin Delta |
Coastal alluvium |
Managed aquifer recharge, seawater intrusion |
| Bundaberg coastal aquifers |
Coastal sedimentary |
Irrigation, seawater intrusion |
| Pioneer Valley |
Coastal alluvium |
Irrigation, seawater intrusion |
| Lockyer Valley alluvium |
Alluvial |
Irrigation, drought depletion |
3. State Data Sources
| Component |
Source |
Content |
MIKE SHE Use |
| Surface water and groundwater monitoring |
Water Monitoring Information Portal |
Streamflow, levels, groundwater levels, water quality |
Calibration, boundaries |
| Groundwater database and spatial data |
Queensland Globe |
Registered bores, soils (SALI), land use, geology |
Heads, bore logs, parameters |
| Open data |
Queensland Open Data Portal |
Land use (QLUMP), regional ecosystems, groundwater data |
Land use, vegetation zones |
| Geology |
GSQ Open Data Portal |
Geological data, boreholes, reports |
Hydrogeological layering |
| CSG impacts |
Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) |
Underground Water Impact Report, Surat regional groundwater model, spring data |
Boundary conditions, impact context |
| Water plans and licensing |
Business Queensland – Water |
Water plans, allocations, licences |
Zonation, pumping |
| LiDAR |
ELVIS / Queensland spatial data |
High-resolution elevation |
Floodplains, channel geometry |
4. Water Management and Regulation
- water is managed through water plans under the Water Act 2000
- OGIA assesses cumulative CSG impacts in declared Cumulative Management Areas (e.g. Surat CMA)
- Reef protection regulations apply to agriculture in Great Barrier Reef catchments
- bulk water suppliers (e.g. Seqwater, Sunwater) operate major storages
5. Modelling Notes
- use sub-daily forcing for the wet season, since daily SILO rainfall smooths cyclonic and convective intensities
- use LiDAR on Channel Country and coastal floodplains wherever available
- model the Burdekin recharge channels and pits as managed aquifer recharge
- use OGIA model outputs as context or boundary conditions for Surat-area models
- for the Condamine and Border Rivers, see also the Murray-Darling Basin supplement
- for GAB-related models, see also the Great Artesian Basin supplement
6. Checklist
- [ ] relevant water plan identified
- [ ] WMIP gauges and bores selected
- [ ] Queensland Globe bore logs extracted
- [ ] OGIA data checked for CSG influence
- [ ] regional ecosystem mapping used for vegetation zones