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Desalination in Victoria

The Victorian government started building the Victorian Desalination Plant in 2009. The goal was to ensure our long-term water needs. Built in Wonthaggi on the South Gippsland coast, the plant takes salty seawater and turns it into drinkable freshwater.

Around 96% of the state’s drinking water continues to come from rivers, streams and groundwater. But since 2017, the desalination plant has boosted these water sources and added to the state’s existing water supply.

Desalination uses a process called reverse osmosis. This process separates seawater, sourced from Bass Strait, into pure water and salty water.

Seawater is collected through an underground tunnel, where fine particles are removed. It then passes the water through a system that purifies water to make it suitable for drinking and pumps it into Cardinia Reservoir.

Once there, it is ready for use by those in southern Victoria. The Victorian Desalination Plant is the largest in Australia and one of the most environmentally sustainable in the world.

Water produced here meets Australian drinking water standards as well as those set by the World Health Organization.

An interconnected system

The plant in Wonthaggi provides an example of an interconnected system. Victorians can depend on it when freshwater supplies are limited.

Climate change and population growth will likely lead to a stronger reliance on desalination across the world. It's a human constructed process introduced as an alternative to the natural water cycle.

It allows the movement of water through a network of pipes across Victoria. Therefore, emphasising our important interconnection with the sea.

Case study

As seen in this planning video, the 38-hectare Victoria Desalination Plant is set among constructed dunes and restored woodlands and wetlands.

As of 2024, the plant is capable of producing 150 million litres of water a year. That’s enough to fill the MCG nearly 100 times.

Watch the video

Victorian Desalination Plant Virtual Tour (6 min 31 sec)

Meet the expert

Zoe Burrows works at the Victorian Desalination Plant in Wonthaggi. In this video, she shares her experience of studying and learning to become a site operator at the largest desalination project in the southern hemisphere and the benefits she's found working there.

Source: DEECA
View transcript

Photo essay

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This animated slide demonstrates the delivery of water from the Victorian Desalination Plant to Cardinia Reservoir and customers of metropolitan Melbourne including the Mornington Peninsula. This slide was taken from the video Integrating the Victorian Desalination Project located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTo0dRA98pw Image credit: DEECA and Melbourne Water

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The Victorian Desalination Plant viewed from above shows how its buildings are incorporated into the landscape with native plants both around the plant and on top of the main building. Image credit: DEECA

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The Victorian Desalination Plant sits next to Bass Strait in Wonthaggi, its assorted infrastructure produces drinking water from seawater. Image credit: DEECA

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The entrance to the Victorian Desalination Plant in Wonthaggi on the coast of Gippsland welcomes employees and guests to the plant and the ecological reserve that surrounds the plant. Image credit: DEECA

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Large pipes connect Bass Strait to the Victorian Desalination Plant and onwards to the technical reverse osmosis equipment, tanks and then on towards Cardinia Reservoir. Image credit: DEECA

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Large tanks line the exterior of the Victorian Desalination Plant. Image credit: DEECA

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Large tanks line the exterior of the Victorian Desalination Plants Image credit: DEECA

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The reverse osmosis room of the Victorian Desalination Plant features an inter-connected network of pipes, tubes and vessels for turning saltwater into water for human consumption. Image credit: DEECA

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The reverse osmosis room of the Victorian Desalination Plant features an inter-connected network of pipes, tubes and vessels for turning saltwater into water for human consumption. Image credit: DEECA

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The reverse osmosis room of the Victorian Desalination Plant features an inter-connected network of pipes, tubes and vessels for turning saltwater into water for human consumption. Image credit: DEECA

Further resources

Below you can find a variety of resources to further research and understand desalination in Victoria.

Page last updated: 16/09/25