Pilbara region of Western Australia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Pilbara is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is situated in the north west of Western Australia, south of the Kimberley. The Pilbara is made up of the local government areas of Ashburton, East Pilbara (the largest shire in the world), Port Hedland and Roebourne.

The Pilbara region covers an area of 507,896 km² (including offshore islands). It has a population of just under 40,000 people, most of whom live in the western third of the region. Most Pilbara residents live in the region's towns, which include Port Hedland, Karratha, Newman and Marble Bar. A substantial number of people also work in the region on a fly-in/fly-out basis.

Location of Pilbara

The Pilbara consists of three distinct geographic areas. The western third is coastal sandplain, and supports most of the region's population and much of its industry and commerce. The eastern third is almost entirely desert, and is sparsely populated by a small number of Aboriginal peoples. In between is a vast area of inland ranges, which contain a number of mining towns, and natural attractions in the form of gorges. The region contains some of the world's oldest surface rocks, including the ancient fossilised remains known as stromatolites and granites that are more than three billion years old.

1 Climate
2 Economy
- 2.1 Railways
3 Environment and Ecology
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Climate

The climate of the Pilbara is semi-arid, with high temperatures and low rainfall. During the summer months, maximum temperatures exceed 32°C (90°F) almost every day, and temperatures in excess of 45°C (113°F) are not uncommon. The Pilbara town of Marble Bar is claimed by some to be the world's hottest place, having once recorded 161 consecutive days in which the maximum temperature reached or exceeded 100°F (37.8°C).

Marble Bar Historical Temperatures, bom.gov.au

[edit] Economy

North of the Pilbara looking south at the range

The Pilbara's economy is dominated by mining and petroleum industries. Most of Australia's iron ore is mined in the Pilbara, with mines mostly centred around Tom Price and Newman. The first reserves were first discovered by Lang Hancock, later to become one of Australia's richest men. The iron ore industry employees 9000 people from the Pilbara area. The region also has a substantial tourist sector, with popular natural attractions including the Karijini and Millstream-Chichester national parks, the Dampier Archipelago and the Ningaloo Reef.

The WA Gas Industry [1] claims that the region takes its name from pilbarra, an Aboriginal word for the mullet and that the name was derived from the Pilbara Goldfield, discovered in 1885, which was itself named after Pilbara Creek (originally spelt "Pilbarra") a tributary of the Yule River. Alternatively, Wangka Maya (Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre) says in its publication Bilybara (p. ii) that it derives from the name for the Pilbara region in Nyamal and Banyjima, bilybara meaning 'dry'.

[edit] Railways

The first railway in the Pilbara region was the narrow gauge Marble Bar Railway between Port Hedland and Marble Bar.

Currently four heavy duty railways are associated with the various iron ore mines, with a fifth line proposed to serve the Fortescue mines. The railways are all standard gauge and are built to the heaviest North American standards. The total tonnage of ore exceeds 150MT per year.

The ports and their mines include:

Port Hedland
- Mount Whaleback near Newman
- Jimblebar
- Yandi
- Area C

Finucane
- Mount Goldsworthy
- Shay Gap
- Yarrie

Dampier
- Tom Price
- Paraburdoo
- Marandoo
- West Angelas
- Yandicoogina

Cape Lampert
- Pannawonica

[edit] Environment and Ecology

The Pilbara is home to a wide variety of endemic species, including dozens of species of stygofauna; microscopic invertebrates which live underground in the aquifers of the region.

The Pilbara olive python is only one of many endangered species of animals within the fragile ecosystems of the desert.

Several species of acacia (wattle) trees are endemic to the Pilbara and are the focus of conservation programs.

The protection of culturally and environmentally sensitive areas of the Pilbara is also advanced by the delineation of several world-famous National Parks, namely the Millstream-Chichester National Park and the Karijini National Park.

[edit] References

Sharp, Janet, and Nicholas Thieberger. (1992). Aboriginal languages of the Pilbara Region: Bilybara. Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, Port Hedland WA.