The Pilbara is a region in the north of Western Australia. Regionalisations of Western Australia are systems by which Western Australia is divided into distinct geographic regions. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is one of nine regions of the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993, and is also a region under the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA). The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia ( IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian Government's Department [1][2]
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Etymology of name
The WA Gas Industry [3] 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. There are other meanings of the word Mullet. There are other fishes called 'mullets' notably the Red mullets ' Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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'. Panyjima is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in the Hamersley Range, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
History
The first European to explore the area was Francis Gregory in 1861 and mining first started in 1943 in Wittenoom Gorge. Francis Hoyt Gregory ( October 9, 1780 – October 4, 1866) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 [4]
The Regional Development Commissions Act region
Under the Regional Development Commissions Act regionalisation, it is situated south of the Kimberley, and is made up of the local government areas of Ashburton, East Pilbara, Port Hedland and Roebourne. The Kimberley is one of the nine Regions of Western Australia. The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 142 Local Government Areas (including Christmas Island and the The Shire of Ashburton is one of the four Local Government Area in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, covering an area of. The Shire of East Pilbara is one of the four Local Government Areas in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and with an area close to, is claimed The Town of Port Hedland is a Local Government Area in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the twin towns of Port Hedland and The Shire of Roebourne is one of the four Local Government Areas in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
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, Wickham, Newman and Marble Bar. Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14000 (this includes Karratha is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia that developed with the onset of the Iron ore mining and export in the region Wickham is a townsite located 1572 km north of Perth and 13 km north of Roebourne in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region Marble Bar is a town and rock formation in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia. A substantial number of people also work in the region on a fly-in/fly-out basis.
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. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands.
The region has inland ranges - the dominant being the Hamersley Range which has a considerable number of mining towns, and natural attractions in the form of gorges. The Hamersley Range is a mountainous region of the Pilbara, Western Australia. The region contains some of the world's oldest surface rocks, including the ancient fossilised remains known as stromatolites and rocks such as granites that are more than three billion years old. Stromatolites (from Greek στρώμα strōma, mattress bed stratum and λιθος lithos, rock are layered accretionary Structures formed in Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. A detailed geological history and description is given in the Pilbara Craton article. The Pilbara craton (the Pilbara province in northwest Western Australia) along with the Kaapvaal craton (the Kaapvaal province of South Africa
Climate
The climate of the Pilbara is semi-arid and arid, with high temperatures and low rainfall. A Semi-arid climate or steppe climate generally describes climatic regions that receive low annual Rainfall (250-500 mm or 10-20 in In general terms the Climate of a local or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available Water, to the extent of hindering 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 37. Marble Bar is a town and rock formation in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia. 8°C (100°F). [5]
Flooding is a major hazard in the Pilbara with periods of torrential rainfall between November and May. Like most of the north coast of Australia the coastal areas of the Pilbara experience frequent tropical cyclones. Due to the relatively low population density in the Pilbara region cyclones rarely cause large scale destruction or loss of life.
Economy
The Pilbara's economy is dominated by mining and petroleum industries. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit [6]
Most of Australia's iron ore is mined in the Pilbara, with mines mostly centred around Tom Price and Newman. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Iron ores are rocks and Minerals from which Metallic Iron can be economically extracted Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an industrial town Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region The iron ore industry employs 9000 people from the Pilbara area. The Pilbara also has one of the world's major manganese mines, Woodie Woodie, situated 400 kilometres southeast of Port Hedland. Manganese (ˈmæŋgəniːz is a Chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn.
The first iron ore reserves were first discovered by Lang Hancock, and considerable portions of the Pilbara region are still claimed by his daughter Gina Rinehart and the family company Hancock Prospecting continues to gain from its interests in the region - as well as commencing its own mine workings. Georgina "Gina" Hope Rinehart (born 1954 is the Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, and the daughter of Mining magnate Lang Hancock Hancock Prospecting Is a Western Australian mining company chaired by Gina Rinehart the billionaire daughter of Lang Hancock. Blue asbestos was first mined in Wittenoom Gorge in 1943. [4]
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. Karijini National Park is a National Park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia ( Australia Millstream-Chichester National Park is a national park in the Pilbara region of Western Australia ( Australia) and is located north of the state capital The Dampier Archipelago ( is a group of islands near Dampier Western Australia. Ningaloo Reef is a fringing Coral reef located off the west coast of Australia, approximately 1200 km north of Perth.
Railways
The first railway in the Pilbara region was the narrow gauge Marble Bar Railway between Port Hedland and Marble Bar. A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways The isolated Port Hedland to Marble Bar railway was a Western Australian Government Railways {{RailGauge|42}} gauge Branch line that was opened Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14000 (this includes Marble Bar is a town and rock formation in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia.
Currently four heavy duty railways are associated with the various iron ore mines, with a fifth line proposed to serve the Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. mines. Fortescue Metals Group ( is an Australian mining company set to become a major exporter of Iron ore. The railways are all standard gauge and are built to the heaviest North American standards. The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. The total tonnage of ore exceeds 150MT per year.
Ports
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
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. Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14000 (this includes Tom Price, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an industrial town Paraburdoo is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The town of Pannawonica is located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near the Robe River Karijini National Park is a National Park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia ( Australia Millstream-Chichester National Park is a national park in the Pilbara region of Western Australia ( Australia) and is located north of the state capital Stygofauna are any Fauna that live within Groundwater systems such as caves and aquifers or more specifically small aquatic groundwater Invertebrates An aquifer is an underground layer of Water -bearing Permeable rock or unconsolidated materials ( Gravel, Sand, Silt, or Clay
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. Acacia is a Genus of Shrubs and Trees belonging to the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first
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. Karijini National Park is a National Park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia ( Australia
See also
References
- ^ Environment Australia. The terms North West Australia, The North West and North Western Australia have been used as a regular label for the region of the North of Western Australia Pilbara historical timeline This timeline is a detailed list of events and locations of the development of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Pilbara newspapers This is a selection of newspapers published in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA formerly the Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEWR is a department of the Australian "Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report". . Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Australian Government Retrieved on 2007-01-31. The Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA formerly the Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEWR is a department of the Australian This article describes the federal government of Australia See Australian governments for other jurisdictions Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes
- ^ IBRA Version 6.1 data
- ^ http://www.nwsg.com.au/industry/pilbaraplaces.html
- ^ a b Hema Maps (1997). Discover Australia's National Parks. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia, 274. Milsons Point is a Suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Random House Inc is the world's largest English-language general trade book publisher ISBN 1975992472.
- ^ Climate statistics for Australian locations
- ^ The Pilbara’s oil and gas industry is the region’s largest export industry earning $5. 0 billion in 2004/05 accounting for over 96% of the State's production. source - http://www.pdc.wa.gov.au/industry/types-of-industries/oil-and-gas.aspx
Further reading
- Sharp, Janet, and Nicholas Thieberger. (1992). Aboriginal languages of the Pilbara Region: Bilybara. Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, Port Hedland WA.
External links
- Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre
- Pilbara Development Commission
- NASA-Macquarie University Pilbara Education Project
- Olive Python captive breeding program
- Pilbara wattle conservation program
- Karijini National Park
- Yamatji Marlpa Barna Baba Maaja Aboriginal Corporation, the Native Title Representative Body incorporating the Pilbara Native Title Service
- Woodie Woodie mine details
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