The Australian plague locust is a native insect and is found throughout Australia.
Plagues are frequent in the eastern Eastern States.
They form in central Queensland or north-western New South Wales and migrate into coastal agricultural regions and across the borders into South Australia and Victoria. In Western Australia, the Australian plague locust usually inhabits pastoral regions in relatively low numbers. Given favourable weather conditions, numbers can increase dramatically and locusts can migrate into the heart of the agricultural region. The immature, hopper stage damages mainly pastures in farming areas and gardens and lawns in horticultural and domestic areas. Adult locusts can form swarms and fly into areas and damage pastures, horticultural crops and domestic lawns as well as ripening cereal, lupin and pulse crops, grape vines, fruit trees and native tree seedlings.