Geography Hay, New South Wales

the old man plain, extensive saltbush plain between hay & wanganella

the riverine plain alluvial plain consisting of sediments of silt, clay , fine sand deposited extensive ancestral streams of quaternary period (overlying more ancient granite rocks , sediments).  snow-fed murrumbidgee river flows westwards across plain; north major tributary, lachlan, flows in long arc until 2 rivers join in maze of reed-bed swamps , channels between hay , balranald.  south of murrumbidgee billabong creek fed variety of streams, , flows edward river (an anabranch of murray river).  plant communities along river corridors near hay typically consist of forests dominated river red gum (eucalyptus camaldulensis), black box trees (e. largiflorens) on outer margins , in low-lying areas further river.

away river hay surrounded flat, mostly-treeless plains, predominately of grey clay , red earth soils.  saltbush shrublands (atriplex sp.), understorey of grasses , forbs, dominant plant community @ time of european settlement.  severe depletion of saltbush has occurred after years of overstocking, damage rabbits , broad-scale agriculture of recent decades, particularly in areas along river , proximate irrigation canals.  plains surrounding hay feature complex system of shallow creek beds , dry lakes, interspersed wind-created sand-ridges cypress-pine (callitris sp.) found growing.

climate

hay has semi-arid climate (bsk) warm hot summers , cool winters. climate records have been kept hay since 1877. temperature extremes quite marked on full year: average maximum temperature in january 33.0 °c (91.4 °f) , average minimum temperature in july 3.5 °c (38.3 °f). highest temperature recorded @ hay 47.7 °c (117.9 °f) on 5 january 2013; lowest recorded −3.8 °c (25.2 °f) on 3 august 2014. average annual rainfall 368.3 millimetres (14.50 in).