Zone 12 water price — SA River Murray
Zone 12 is the South Australian River Murray — one interstate trading zone from the border to the sea, anchored by the Riverland’s permanent horticulture. SA’s supply arrives as an entitlement flow secured under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement, its irrigation water is held almost entirely as Class 3 (High Security) entitlement, and the zone sits on the premium, below-Choke side of the market. For today’s tradeable level, call (03) 5824 3833.
Need a Zone 12 quote?
Call (03) 5824 3833 or request a callback.
Where Zone 12 prices are published
We don’t display live Zone 12 figures on this page — recorded trade data for this zone is published by the sources below, and published prices can lag the live market by days. For today’s tradeable level, call the desk on (03) 5824 3833 for a quote benchmarked against current market depth.
- DEW WaterConnect — allocation trade price charts
The state’s own register data: volume-weighted average price of approved zone 12 allocation trades over the last five business days plus a 30-day median, with zero-price trades already excluded. The most reliable published read on SA prices.
- WaterConnect — water trading reports
Trade-level detail — price, volume and count per season — downloadable for deeper analysis. Recorded prices still include related-party trades, so treat single entries with care.
- Bureau of Meteorology — water market information
National, standardised trade data across all state registers, useful for comparing zone 12 against Vic Zone 7 and NSW Zone 11.
Zone 12 price at a glance
- • Quoted in: AUD per megalitre (ML) of allocation traded within, into or out of zone 12
- • Supply: SA’s 1,850 GL annual entitlement flow under the Basin Agreement, secured via Lake Victoria, Hume and Dartmouth
- • Entitlements: Class 3 (High Security) is the irrigation class — about 98% of the main tradeable consumptive classes
- • Main demand: Riverland permanent horticulture — citrus, almonds, wine grapes
- • Trade: connected with Murray zones 6, 7, 10 and 11 — but no net trade from above the Barmah Choke to below it
What drives the Zone 12 water price?
Zone 12 (SA River Murray) allocation prices respond to a handful of forces specific to this system. Understanding them helps buyers and sellers time a trade.
DEW allocation announcements
The SA Department for Environment and Water announces a projected minimum opening allocation on 15 April, an update on 15 May, and the official opening in mid-June, then raises allocations through the season until they reach 100%. Class 3 has reached full allocation in most years — but openings of 2% (2008–10) and 31% (2019–20) show what severe basin-wide drought does to the zone.
The below-Choke premium
Zone 12 buys in the same connected pool as Vic Zone 7 and NSW Zone 11, where the Barmah Choke rule blocks net trade down from the above-Choke zones. Constrained imports plus permanent plantings that cannot defer watering keep SA prices at the firm end of the basin in dry years.
Riverland horticulture demand
Citrus, almonds and wine grapes dominate SA’s river irrigation. Permanent plantings need water every season regardless of price, which sets a demand floor — and in tight years pulls water from as far upstream as the trade rules allow.
Upstream storage and special accounting
SA’s entitlement flow depends on water available in Hume, Dartmouth and Lake Victoria. In very dry sequences the MDBA declares special accounting and SA receives a share of actual upstream resources rather than the full 1,850 GL — the scenario in which zone 12 allocations open low and local prices spike.
Conditional carryover
SA private carryover is a drought measure, not an annual feature: it becomes available to Class 3 holders only when the projected opening allocation is 50% or less, capped at 20% of entitlement. When it is triggered, carryover decisions in April–June reshape both supply and demand for the season ahead.
Temporary water vs allocation in Zone 12
The Zone 12 temporary water price and the Zone 12 allocation price are the same figure — the cost of one season’s water, quoted in AUD per megalitre. It is separate from the price of a permanent water entitlement in this zone, which is the ongoing asset that receives allocation each year. For the full distinction see entitlements vs allocations, or our overview of temporary water prices in Victoria.
Permanent water
Thinking of selling your Zone 12 (SA River Murray) water shares?
Watching allocation prices is often the first step in a bigger decision. Integra also brokers permanent water entitlement sales — Class 3 (High Security) water access entitlements in Zone 12 (SA River Murray) and across the southern basin — appraised against recorded register transfers, not list prices.
An appraisal is confidential, obligation-free, and tells you what your entitlement would realise in today’s market — so the decision to sell (or hold) is made on numbers, not guesswork. See how a permanent entitlement sale works, or the difference between entitlements and allocations.
Zone 12 water price — FAQs
What is the current SA River Murray (Zone 12) water price?
Zone 12 allocation prices move with DEW allocation announcements, below-Choke demand and conditions upstream, and typically track Vic Zone 7 and NSW Zone 11 closely. DEW’s WaterConnect charts publish a volume-weighted average of recent approved trades — the best public read — but published data can still lag the live market. For a firm, current Zone 12 price before you trade, call Integra on (03) 5824 3833.
What are SA water classes — and is Class 3 the one I hold?
SA structures river entitlements as classes rather than reliability categories. Class 3 (High Security) — irrigation, recreation and environment — is the main irrigation class, making up about 98% of the main tradeable consumptive classes (Classes 1, 3 and 5). Class 1 covers stock and domestic use, Class 2 country town supply, Class 6 metropolitan Adelaide (not tradeable). If you irrigate from the river, you almost certainly hold Class 3.
What happened to Class 3a?
It was merged away. Classes 3a, 3b, 4 and 7 were consolidated into the single Class 3 at the start of 2018–19, because they had always been treated identically for allocations, trade and carryover. Older listings and licences that say “Class 3a” refer to what is now simply Class 3.
How reliable are SA River Murray allocations?
High, but not immune. On DEW’s published record, Class 3 has received 100% allocation in at least 82% of years since 1975–76 — including every year from 2011–12 through 2025–26. The exceptions are severe basin-wide droughts: openings of just 2% in 2008–09 and 2009–10, and 31% in 2019–20. SA’s reliability rests on its 1,850 GL entitlement flow under the Basin Agreement, secured through Lake Victoria and the upstream storages.
Does the Barmah Choke affect South Australian water?
Not the entitlement flow — the MDBA delivers SA’s share via Lake Victoria and upstream storages regardless. What the Choke affects is trade: the default rule blocks net allocation trade from above the Choke (zones 6 and 10) to below it, which limits how much upstream water can be bought into zone 12. That constraint, alongside permanent plantings, is why SA prices sit at a premium in dry years.
Can I carry water over in South Australia?
Only conditionally. SA private carryover is triggered when the projected minimum opening allocation is 50% or less — it is then available to Class 3 holders up to 20% of entitlement held at 30 June, with availability announced on 15 April and applications due by 15 June. In normal years there is no private carryover in SA, which is a real difference from Victoria and NSW worth planning around.
Can Integra sell my SA River Murray entitlement?
Yes. Integra brokers permanent sales of SA water access entitlements — Class 3 (High Security) shares — alongside allocation trades, appraised against recent recorded WaterConnect dealings. Riverland entitlements attract steady demand from permanent horticulture; call (03) 5824 3833 for a confidential appraisal before you decide to sell or hold.
Liz Johnston
Senior Water Broker
Indicative only. Not financial advice. Water trade involves risk of principal loss. Prices shown are indicative and may not reflect current market conditions. All trades subject to SA water trading rules, the River Murray water allocation plan, and MDBA water trading rules.