The tropical savannas are the landscapes of dense grass and scattered trees that stretch across northern Australia from Broome to Townsville.

Occupying 1.9 million square kilometres - or about a quarter of mainland Australia's land area - the tropical savannas comprise 19 bioregions across 2 states and 1 territory. The Tropical Savannas Cooperative Research Centre has aggregated these areas into 8 geographic regions to present comprehensive information on north Australia's land uses, unique flora, fauna, geology and climate.

The savannas are often seen as rather boring country - the sort of thing you pass through on your way to somewhere more picturesque. But these landscapes are very important for a number of reasons. Many of them stem from the fact that the tropical savannas represent the less-developed end of Australia.

Aboriginal Culture

The tropical savannas are still home to a rich Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal land covers substantial parts of the region such as Arnhem Land in the Top End of the NT. Aboriginal people have a long association with the land over tens of thousands of years and much traditional knowledge of land management.

Pastoral Industry

North Australia is also home to a pastoral industry that manages the largest area of land of any group. Here are some of the largest cattle stations in Australia, and with a rich history of legendary stations like Victoria River Downs.

Plants And Animals

The tropical savannas are also home to an extraordinary variety of plants and animals - and not just in the rainforest patches that dot the region, but also in the grassy woodlands. Many factors contribute to this richness, not least of which is the fact that the tropical areas of the world tend to harbour high levels of biodiversity and the fact that north Australia still retains substantial natural habitat for plants and animals.

Tourism

These three factors - Aboriginal culture, the cattle station lifestyle and the natural environment - are major attractions for an increasing tourist trade to the savanna country. Such visitors are often Australians who have retired on extended self-drive trips. As an example of the trend in tourist numbers to certain parts of the north, arrivals to commercial tourism accommodation in the Kimberley region of WA have increased from 141,600 in 1981/82 to 348,969 in 1996/97.

Mining

The largest money generator in the tropical savannas region, however, is mining - with some of the worlds largest mineral orebodies and mining operations in the region. Metal resources in the tropical savannas include bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, tin, gold, managanese, uranium and magnesite. Other mineral resources include diamonds, mineral sands, phosphate rock, kaolin, limestone and silica. Energy resources include coal and petroleum. Mining activities generate the bulk of the $13.5 billion a year in income of the tropical savannas.

Defence Forces

An increasing presence in the tropical savannas are the Australian Defence Forces. As part of the Australian Army's expansion of its ready deployment force, the 1st Brigade has been moved to Darwin. As part of this expansion, the Army is also managing larger amounts of land in the tropical savannas. It has taken over what was formerly Bradshaw cattle station in the Victoria River District as a training area.

This 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.