When to fence in Sunraysia: heat, fire bans and harvest

Total Fire Ban fencing work: what the Victorian sources say

On the Victorian side of the Murray, two CFA documents we found bear on fencing-type work, and both are old. A CFA news item dated 20 October 2015 said that for the Mallee district the use of angle grinders and welding equipment in the open was also prohibited on a day of Total Fire Ban, and that machinery working in paddocks must carry firefighting equipment (CFA news item). The CFA brochure "Can I or can't I?", updated September 2014 and covering Victoria only, says welding, grinding, charring, soldering or gas cutting are banned on Total Fire Ban days without special permits (CFA brochure). It adds that in the Fire Danger Period, grinding or welding needs a fire-resistant shield or guard, and machinery must be free from faults that could cause a fire.

Because both documents are old, check current CFA rules before any work. On the New South Wales side of the Murray, we found no Rural Fire Service statement, so we say nothing about its rules: ask the RFS. Ask the contractor which parts of your job involve grinding or welding in the open, and what happens to the booking if a Total Fire Ban is declared.

Is there a best time to build a fence in summer? The sources do not say

We found no source that names a best month for rural fencing around Mildura, so we do not. What the Bureau of Meteorology does give is the climate: monthly means for the Mildura Airport station (076031, records from 1946 to 2026). They describe the district, and they do not say when fencing is best. The airport is at Mildura. It is not Robinvale, Ouyen or Wentworth, and we did not fetch climate figures for those towns.

The annual mean maximum is 24.0 C. The mean minimum is 16.9 C in January and 4.4 C in July (Bureau of Meteorology). Mean annual rainfall is 285.8 mm, and the monthly means run from 19.3 mm in April to 29.4 mm in October, so there is no wet season. We do not give days over 40 C or any record temperature, because the page we fetched does not. Ask the contractor how heat shapes their working day and their booking calendar.

Flash floods and storms

Rain is low and spread evenly through the months, but short intense falls cause flash flooding. Victoria SES says the last significant riverine flood event at Mildura occurred in 1956, that levees and planning have reduced riverine risk, and that flash flooding is the higher risk, giving February 2011 as an example, when 108 mm fell in 4 hours (Victoria SES). It also says there are no Local Flood Guides for Mildura Rural City. The source gives no flood season, so we publish none. For the permit side of building near the river or in a flood area, see the Murray page.

Harvest and pruning: a question about access

Harvest changes who and what is on a vineyard or orchard block. A regional horticulture workforce page (Greater Sunraysia workforce hub) gives workforce numbers of 8,000 to 14,000 for the table grape peak and names no months. News items about the dried fruit season and the table grape peak describe seasonal timing, but their dates are unverified, so we publish no harvest calendar. We also found no pruning calendar.

The practical question is access. A fence along a vineyard boundary may sit beside harvest bins, trailers and people on the track, so ask the contractor how harvest and pruning affect access to the block, and tell them any dates when your own crews need the track clear. The vineyard, orchard and boundary fencing page covers boundaries, gates and channel or river edges.

Irrigation channel works

Lower Murray Water's Sunraysia Water Efficiency Project fact sheet (irrigation channel works) describes channel lining and some replacement with buried pipelines, with works mostly in winter and access arrangements negotiated with landholders. The fact sheets say nothing about fences or channel reserve boundaries, so any rule about fencing a channel is a gap in our sources. If your fence meets a channel, ask Lower Murray Water.

Questions to ask about timing

1. What is the plan on a Total Fire Ban day? Ask how the booking moves if grinding or welding in the open is restricted.
2. Which tasks involve grinding or welding? And what shield, guard or equipment is carried.
3. How do harvest and pruning affect access? Tell the contractor any dates when the track must stay clear.
4. Which side of the Murray is the fence on? Check current CFA rules for Victoria, or ask the RFS in New South Wales.
5. Is there a rain or flood trigger? Ask how the contractor handles a forecast storm.

How timing feeds into a quote is covered in the cost and quote guide, and the farm and stock fencing page covers the jobs themselves. When you are ready, send your town, the side of the Murray and your preferred dates.