Residents in Victoria's Goulburn Valley and towns along the Murray are the least water wise in the state, new figures show.
Using an average of 412 litres of water per person, per day, Swan Hill on the Murray River used the most water, followed by Shepparton and the nearby town of Congupna, in the state's north, which used 411 litres.
People in Sunbury/Macedon (145 litres), Ballarat (147) and Melbourne (154) are the lowest water users in the state.
Water Minister Tim Holding said some parts of the state have higher temperatures than in Melbourne, historically high water use and have been on low levels of water restrictions for some time.
"It takes time to turn those things around," he told reporters in Melbourne.
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"The community has done an amazing job in reducing their household water use."
Premier John Brumby said the government would make an announcement concerning Melbourne's water restrictions before the end of March.
Melburnians have been on 3a water restrictions for almost three years.
"We are in a position ... where virtually all of the areas outside Melbourne, the big country towns and provincial cities, have had water restrictions eased and we hope to be able to do the same for Melbourne," Mr Brumby said.
