The Kimberley
This is an area of around 300,000 square kilometres and includes the spectacular rocky gorges and ridges of the north Kimberley which grade into flatter cattle country in the south. The area is defined by the biogeoraphic regions of Dampierland, North Kimberley, Central Kimberley and part of the Ord-Victoria Plains.
Darwin-Kakadu
This region includes the coastal country and woodlands stretching from Darwin to Kakadu National Park in the Top End of the Northern Territory. It also includes the coastal region south-west of Darwin and the spectacular escarpment country of Kakadu-Katherine Gorge-western Arnhem Land. Covering slightly more than 100,000 square kilometres, this is one of the more densely populated regions of the tropical savannas and holds its second-largest city, Darwin. Major income-generating industries are mining and tourism and major land uses are pastoralism and nature reserves.
VRD-Sturt
The Victoria River District and Sturt Plateau region cover around 270,000 square kilometres of the country south of Katherine, straddling the border between the Northern Territory and Western Australia. To the west it features the spectacular rocky bluffs characteristic of the Kimberley - such as the Bungle Bungle area - while its eastern end is dominated by the flatter grassy plains of the Barkly. The southern parts grade into the Tanami Desert.
Arnhem Land
This region, of around 70,000 square kilometres, covers the low-lying parts of Arnhem Land in the Top End of the Northern Territory, east of the stony escarpment. This is almost all Aboriginal land and has some areas leased for other purposes such as Gurig (Coburg) National Park and the mining operations near Nuhlunbuy (Gove) and on Groote Eylandt. There is a small area of pastoral land in the south-west of the Central Arnhem biogeographic region. Because the region is Aboriginal land, together with the neighbouring Kakadu national park, it forms the largest block of land not given over to cattle gazing in the tropical savannas.
Gulf Country
The Gulf Country covers the southern shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria and the country surrounding the many rivers that flow into the gulf. It includes the ridged landscapes surrounding Mount Isa. This is the largest of the tropical savanna regions as we have defined them, covering around 425,000 square kilometres. The major land use in the region is pastoralism, although most income is generated by mining with several large mines in the region including the Mount Isa Copper Mine and the McArthur River and Century Lead-Zinc mines. The fishing industry is also a major employer in the region.
Mitchell Grasslands
This large region of 320,000 square kilometres stretches north west from the Desert Uplands region of Queensland across into the Northern Territory. It is dominated by the largely treeless plains of Mitchell Grass (grasses of the genus Astrebla). The land area in this region is almost totally given over to pastoralism - unsurprising as the region is defined by a grass type that is good for grazing cattle.
Cape York
This region covers Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland. It has spectacular natural landscapes, numerous pastoral leases and Aboriginal communities as well as a large bauxite mine at Weipa. It covers an area of 115,000 square kilometres and has a relatively large area set aside for conservation. Pastoralism however is the dominant land use. This area is defined by the the single biogeographic region Cape York Peninsula.
North East Queensland
Covering the savanna country in north east Queensland, lying inland from Cooktown in the north to Rockhampton in the south, this region covers around 310,000 square kilometres and does not include the rainforest areas of the wet tropics and the central Mackay coast. Land use is dominated by pastoralism and includes major beef cattle areas in its southern parts. It is the most populous of our eight tropical savanna regions with many towns including Townsville, Chillagoe, Charters Towers, and Emerald.
Some information is provided courtesy of the Tropical Savannas CRC. Please visit their Savanna Explorer web site for comprehensive information on the Tropical Savannahs Of Northern Australia.
