National scale land use data
Land use data mapped at the national scale (1:2,500,000) using ABS agricultural commodity data and satellite imagery can be downloaded from this page. Table 1 provides links to the datasets and associated documents that should be read before using the data. National land use data is available for the 1992-93, 1993-94, 1996-97, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2005-06 and 2010-11 financial years. The 2015-16 dataset is currenlty in production.
Please note that the 2010-11 and 2005-06 national land use map use version 5 and version 4 of the national mapping methodology, respectively, while the earlier versions use version 3. The 2010-11 and 2005-06 user guide documents provide more information on the difference between the methodologies.
Catchment scale land use data
Land uses mapped at the more detailed catchment scale (1:5,000-1:250,000) have been collected by the ACLUMP state partners. Land use information at catchment scale has been produced for all states in Australia with dates and scales varying depending on when the data was collected and the intensity of land use. See Figures 1 and 2 for the dates and scale of mapping.
Figures 1 and 2. Maps showing the year and currency of catchment scale land use mapping (as at December 2018) - click on map to enlarge
The Catchment Scale Land Use of Australia – Update December 2018 dataset was released in March 2019. Complementing this dataset is the second release of a commodities dataset. The Catchment Scale Land Use of Australia – Commodities – Update December 2018 dataset contains commodity level data for all of the Northern Territory, and for the following commodities nationally (as at the date mapped):
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Crops – rice, sugar cane, cotton
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Fruit – bananas (except Southern Queensland), avocados, mangoes, olives, grapes
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Nuts – macadamias
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Livestock – dairy cattle, pigs, poultry, horse studs, aquaculture.
Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria have also collected some land management practices information for selected areas. This information is contained in the state polygon datasets. More information on the mapping of commodities and land management practices is available in the
ALUM Classification Version 8 Guidelines (
PDF [902 KB, 114 pages]).
Table 2 provides links to catchment scale data and associated reports currently available. Data are available as either a combined 50m raster for all of Australia for all land uses, a combined vector dataset for Australia of commodities where available or individual polygon datasets by state or region.
* Unless otherwise stated, datasets have been mapped using version 8 of the Australian Land Use and Management Classfication (ALUM). Translation tables to convert from version 7 to verison 8 are available on the
ALUM Classification page.