Murchison Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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![]() The interim Australian bioregions, with Murchison in red | |||||||||||||||
Area | 281,205.54 km2 (108,574.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
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The Murchison is a loosely defined area of Western Australia located within the interior of the Mid West region. It was the subject of a major gold rush in the 1890s and remains a significant mining district. The Murchison is also included as an interim Australian bioregion. [1] The bioregion is loosely related to the catchment area of the Murchison River and has an area of 281,205 square kilometres (108,574 sq mi). [2]
The landscape is characterised by low hills and mesas, separated by colluvium flats and alluvial plains. [3] The western portion of the bioregion is drained by the upper Murchison and Wooramel rivers, which drain westwards towards the coast. [4]
Together with Gascoyne bioregion, it constitutes the Western Australian mulga shrublands ecoregion. [5]
Population is scattered; the largest population centres are Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, and Leonora, with smaller mining and pastoral towns at Yalgoo, Sandstone, Cue, Wiluna, and Leinster.
The Murchison bioregion has two subregions:
Local government areas within the bioregion include the Shire of Yalgoo, the Shire of Mount Magnet, the Shire of Murchison, the Shire of Cue, the Shire of Sandstone, the Shire of Meekatharra, the Shire of Wiluna and the Shire of Leonora. [3]
The climate is arid, with rainfall predominantly in the winter months. [3]
The predominant plant community is low mulga woodlands and shrublands, characterized by mulga (Acacia aneura), with an understory of herbaceous ephemeral plants and bunchgrasses. Other plant communities include saltbush ( Atriplex spp.) shrubland on calcareous soils, low samphire ( Tecticornia spp.) shrubland on saline alluvium, and hummock grassland on red sandplains. [3] [4]
The Murchison is one of the main pastoral areas in Western Australia, dominated by large pastoral leases on Crown land operated as sheep and cattle stations. Mining (gold, iron and nickel) is the major contributor to the region's economy. There are extensive mining areas, with a large number of abandoned historical mining towns and settlements. [3]
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope is located nearby, and was officially opened in October 2012. [6]
Purchase of pastoral leases by the Western Australian Government increased the area set aside for conservation purposes from about 0.5% of the bioregion in 1998 to 6.7% in 2004. [3] Protected areas include: [7]
The Carnarvon xeric shrublands is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Western Australia. The ecoregion is coterminous with the Carnarvon Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) bioregion.
Coolgardie is an Australian bioregion consisting of an area of low hills and plains of infertile sandy soil in Western Australia. It has an area of 129,122.09 square kilometres (49,854.32 sq mi). It includes much of the Great Western Woodlands.
Gascoyne is an interim Australian bioregion located in Western Australia. It has an area of 180,752.57 square kilometres (69,788.96 sq mi). Together with Murchison bioregion to the south, it constitutes the Western Australian Mulga shrublands ecoregion, as assessed by the World Wildlife Fund.
Hampton is an interim Australian bioregion located in southeastern coastal Western Australia, with a small portion (4%) extending into adjacent South Australia. It has an area of 1,088,198 hectares. The Hampton bioregion is part of the Coolgardie woodlands ecoregion.
The Northern Kimberley, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia, comprising 8,420,100 hectares.
Yalgoo is an interim Australian bioregion located in Western Australia. It has an area of 5,087,577 hectares. The bioregion, together with the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains bioregions, is part of the larger Southwest Australia savanna ecoregion as classified by the World Wildlife Fund.
The Western Australian Mulga shrublands is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of inland Western Australia. It is one of Australia's two mulga ecoregions, characterized by dry woodlands of mulga trees interspersed with areas of grassland and scrub.
The Pine Creek biogeographic region, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory, and comprises 2,851,777 hectares.
The Gulf Plains, an interim Australian bioregion (IBRA), is located in the Northern Territory and Queensland, comprising 22,041,825 hectares. It is one of 89 such bioregions defined in Australia, with 419 subregions as of IBRA version 7, compared with the 85 bioregions and 403 subregions described in IBRA6.1.
Burt Plain, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory, and comprises 7,379,719 hectares.
The Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields, an interim Australian bioregion, comprises 27,984,283 hectares, and is part of four state/territories of Australia: the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland
Mount Isa Inlier, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Queensland, and comprises 6,778,263 hectares.
Central Mackay Coast, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in Queensland, and comprises 1,464,208 hectares.
Cobar Peneplain, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in New South Wales, and comprises 7,385,346 hectares.
Finke, an interim Australian bioregion, comprises 7,267,416 hectares, and is part of two state/territories of Australia: the Northern Territory and South Australia. It is part of the Central Ranges xeric scrub ecoregion.
Stony Plains, an interim Australian bioregion, comprises 13,166,372 hectares, and is part of two state/territories of Australia: the Northern Territory and South Australia.
Tanami is an interim Australian bioregion, comprising 25,997,277 hectares in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is part of the Great Sandy-Tanami desert ecoregion.
Davenport Murchison Ranges is an interim Australian bioregion located in the Northern Territory. It has an area of 5,805,108 hectares. The bioregion is part of the larger Great Sandy-Tanami desert ecoregion.
Gawler is an interim Australian bioregion located in South Australia. It has an area of 12,002,883 hectares. Gawler bioregion is part of the Tirari–Sturt stony desert ecoregion.
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