Water Bore Drilling in Mildura — questions and answers

Short answers on household water bores around Mildura: who to ask first, whether bore water is safe, what the completion report is and what to do with an old bore. Every rule is a Victorian Government body's own, with its read date. This site sets no prices.

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Cost

How much does water bore drilling cost in Mildura?

We do not answer that with a price, because no government source we can show sets one for a bore in Mildura and a figure from a seller's page would be the seller's number. What the sources do say is that bore water should be tested before it is used, that a new bore should be sited away from contamination sources and sealed, and that a bore more than three metres deep goes through the local or rural water authority first. Ask Lower Murray Water what applies, and ask the provider for a written quote that says what it assumes. The costs page lists every line with its source and read date. The costs page's rules check lists the Victorian lines for a household bore, each with its source and the date it was read.

Does Mildura's low rainfall matter to a bore?

It is the setting, not a rule. The Bureau of Meteorology's record for Mildura Airport gives a mean of 285.1 mm of rain a year, and the Victorian Water Accounts say the Mallee basin relies heavily on groundwater use. The Victorian Government also says shallow groundwater can be affected by drought and that deep groundwater is more resilient to changes in rainfall. No source says which a bore at your block would reach.

Rain around Mildura

Which months a bore reading is taken in

A bore's level and yield can be read in a wet month or a dry one, and the two are not the same reading. This marks the months of the Bureau of Meteorology's Mildura Airport record with the most and the least rain. It does not say when to drill.

Best monthsAvoidNo source names the month

Jan
FebAvoid
MarAvoid
AprAvoid
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
SepBest
OctBest
NovBest
Dec

The wettest months
Best months: Sep, Oct, Nov
September, October and November have the highest mean rainfall in the record, at 26.2, 29.4 and 27.7 mm. A reading taken then has had the most rain behind it that the year brings, in a place where even that is not much.
Statistics Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual Years Plot MapMean rainfall (mm) 22.7 20.3 18.7 19.5 24.7 22.4 24.5 25.1 26.2 29.4 27.7 24.0 285.1 80 1946
Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Climate statistics for Mildura Airport (station 076031) · read 7 Oct 2026
The driest months
Avoid: Feb, Mar, Apr
February, March and April have the lowest mean rainfall, at 20.3, 18.7 and 19.5 mm. Avoid taking a reading from these months as the bore's reading for the whole year.
Statistics Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual Years Plot MapMean rainfall (mm) 22.7 20.3 18.7 19.5 24.7 22.4 24.5 25.1 26.2 29.4 27.7 24.0 285.1 80 1946
Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Climate statistics for Mildura Airport (station 076031) · read 7 Oct 2026

Each period names its source and the date it was read. Best here means the months with the most rain behind a reading and avoid the months with the least; neither is a rule about when to drill, and no source read for this site gives one. A monthly mean is not a forecast for any year. The months come from the cited source and are a seasonal guide only. Ask the provider when a reading was taken.

Process

Is the groundwater around Mildura salty?

It can be. The Victorian Government says groundwater varies from fresh drinking water to saltier than seawater, and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority lists a salt interception scheme at Mildura-Merbein, a place where groundwater is particularly high in salt. No source read says what a bore at your address will find, so test the water.

What should I keep a record of?

The Commission says you should keep detailed records of your bore, its construction and performance to monitor its efficiency and to determine reasons for any problems that may occur. Lower Murray Water's bore completion report form is one record to ask for.

Timing

How quickly can someone get to me?

We cannot promise a time. It depends on the provider's bookings. Form and phone enquiries are passed to a local provider, who contacts you directly.

What is the bore completion report?

Lower Murray Water's bore completion report and drill log form has sections for casing details, particulars of strata, and cementing, gravel pack or annular fill details. Ask who completes it for your bore, and ask for a copy.

Permits and approvals

Does a bore need anything before it is built?

Ask Lower Murray Water. The Victorian Building and Plumbing Commission's bore water page says a groundwater bore more than three metres deep goes through your local or rural water authority before it is built or altered, and Lower Murray Water says its region covers the municipality of Mildura. This site states nothing beyond that.

Source: Victorian Building and Plumbing Commission, Bore water; Lower Murray Water, About us; read 7 October 2026.

Service area

Which suburbs do you cover?

Mildura and the nearby Victorian localities. Three pages are written around one sourced fact each: Mildura, Merbein and Red Cliffs. The rest are covered on the same terms. Places outside the list are not covered.

Do you drill the bores yourselves?

No. This site is run by a marketing company, which passes each enquiry to an independent local provider. The provider inspects the site, quotes and does any work itself; we have no rigs, no crews and do not carry out the work.