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Distribution of the Australian plague locust
The Australian plague locust is widespread on the mainland and is commonly found in a variety of grassland and open, wooded habitats.
Adult Australian plague locusts are nomadic and often make nocturnal migratory flights. They can be transported over long distances by upper-level winds and are therefore occasionally found in more coastal parts of the mainland and even in northern Tasmania. In eastern Australia migrant locusts sometimes establish populations in valleys east of the Great Dividing Range, such as the Hunter Valley, but these populations usually die out after several generations.
The Australian plague locust is inactive at temperatures below about 15° C, so there is little egg laying during the winter months in the southern part of its distribution area. Most eggs laid in autumn in southern areas enter diapause and only resume development in late winter when cold temperatures continue to delay hatching until spring. Therefore at the start of spring the majority of the population occurs as eggs in the soil.