Vineyard, orchard and horticulture boundary fencing in Sunraysia

Vineyard fencing in Mildura and orchard boundaries

Vineyard fencing in Mildura and the wider Sunraysia district is mostly about the edge of the block: the boundary line, the gates where vehicles and pickers come in, the track and the channel or river on the other side. This page covers that perimeter and boundary fencing for irrigated vineyards and orchards on both sides of the Murray, and what to ask a contractor before you agree to a quote. Your enquiry is passed to a local contractor, who does the work and is responsible for holding any licence or registration that applies.

It is not about trellis, which is a separate skill set, and it is not a bird or wildlife netting offer. Where the problem is a named animal, such as rabbits or kangaroos, start on the exclusion page. Where the problem is the boundary, the gate or the channel edge, this is the page.

Where horticulture sits in the 2021 Census

Grape growing is a top-five industry for employed people in several Sunraysia districts, and the share is highest at Robinvale. The table gives the 2021 Census figures. The Mildura and Buronga urban area spans the river, and Buronga is in New South Wales.

A regional workforce guide (regional workforce guide) lists the main crops of Greater Sunraysia as table grapes, citrus, almonds, olives, summer fruit, wine grapes, vegetables and dried grapes, and says 50 per cent of Victoria's fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown there. The Red Cliffs and Irymple page and the Robinvale page have the local detail.

Boundaries, gates and entry points

A perimeter fence marks the line, controls where vehicles and people come in and, depending on the design, keeps stock off the block. Ask the contractor what the fence is meant to do, and let that decide the height, the wire and the gate. A supplier handbook places strainer assemblies at gateways as well as ends and corners, so each gate adds posts and bracing. Ask how wide the gate opens, which way it swings and whether machinery can turn in from the track.

Two things are worth asking about the line itself. Who locates it, and from what? And is there an old fence there now, and does it come out? On a boundary shared with a neighbour, the answer affects who pays, and that depends on the side of the Murray, covered below.

Channels and the river edge

Lower Murray Water's channel works cover about 26.7 km of channel, made up of 16.0 km at Mildura, 7.0 km at Merbein and 3.7 km at Red Cliffs, with lining and some replacement by buried pipelines (project fact sheet). Works are mostly in winter and access arrangements are negotiated with landholders. The fact sheets say nothing about fences or channel reserve boundaries. That is a gap, so if your block adjoins a channel, ask Lower Murray Water before you plan the fence.

On the Victorian side of the Murray, Crown water frontages have their own rules. The Victorian guidance says proposed fencing alignments must be approved before installation, and that pedestrian access must be provided at any fence that crosses a frontage (Victorian Crown frontage FAQ). Neither frontage page we read names the Murray, so ask the land manager whether they apply to your block. The Murray page covers flood overlays, vegetation and Crown land on both sides.

Flood-prone edges and mesh

Blocks near the river can be flood-prone, and a mesh boundary fence is worth raising with the contractor there. Two catchment authorities outside the Mallee, North Central and Wimmera, both advise against wire mesh or rabbit-proof netting fences in flood-prone areas (North Central CMA and Wimmera CMA). They describe flood-friendly types with wide-spaced posts instead. That guidance was written for their own regions, so use it to frame questions, not as a Mildura rule. For a block on the Victorian side of the Murray, ask Mildura Rural City Council whether a flood overlay means a planning permit for your fence.

Boundary with a neighbour, by side

On the Victorian side of the Murray, costs are shared equally in the normal case, the neighbour has 30 days from receipt to respond to a Fencing Notice, and Justice Victoria says a sufficient rural dividing fence might be a wire and post fence (Justice Victoria). On the New South Wales side of the Murray, Legal Aid NSW says neighbours generally share the cost, and the notice must be served at least one month before an application. See the Victorian and New South Wales pages. Crown land and public land neighbours are treated differently on each side.

Questions to put to a contractor

• Trellis and netting. Trellis is a separate skill set, and a national training unit on vine trellis covers trellis ends, posts and strain assemblies without mentioning fencing (training unit). We found no source showing that rural fencing contractors offer trellis or bird netting. Netting at the boundary is a question to ask, not something this site offers.
• Harvest and pruning. Ask how harvest and pruning affect access to the block. We give no calendar.
• Licence or registration. The regulator pages we found do not say whether vineyard or orchard fencing needs one. Ask which the contractor holds and check it with the regulator for the side of the Murray where the fence is. See the licensing page.
• The quote. Ask for the line, gates, posts, wire, clearing and permits itemised, and compare with the cost guide.