Barkly Tableland
The Barkly Tableland is an undulating plain of grass that extends in Australia from the east of the Northern Territory to the west of Queensland . It is one of the five regions that make up the Northern Territory and, at 283,648 square kilometers, covers about a fifth of its area. Its border runs parallel to the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria from Mount Isa in Queensland to near Daly Waters .
history
William Landsborough discovered the table land and named it after Sir Henry Barkly , the governor of Victoria .
In 1877 Nathaniel Buchanan and Sam Croker crossed the Barkly Tableland to the Trans-Australian Telegraph Line . to open up new land for settlers. When more generous leases were established in the late 1870s, more people settled in the area. In 1883 the cattle thief Harry Redford , who served as a model for the fictional character Captain Starlight , drove a herd of cattle into the Barkly Tableland and founded the village of Brunette Downs (later called Corella Creek ). By 1884, 2,500 cattle were herded to Brunette Downs. More farms were established in Alexandria, Mittiebah and Walhallow.
geography
The table country rises from Queensland to the border of the Northern Territory to more than 300 meters. The largest part of the table land consists of black earth plains. There is very little rain (no more than 350 mm per year). Precipitation is very unevenly distributed over the year and practically only occurs from November to March during the hot summer. Winters are cool and it can freeze too, especially in the southern part of Queensland's Tableland. The Barkly Tafelland is a landscaped part of the great West Australian Plateau (West Australian Shield). It includes the Mueller Plateau and the Sandover-Pituri Platform , areas between the highland deserts in the west, Mount Isa and Queensland in the east. The table land drains into the Gulf of Carpentaria over the Flinders River , the southwestern plateau into Lake Eyre over the Diamantina River and into the Simpson Desert over the Georgina River . The running waters in the Barkly Tableland are narrow because most of the water seeps into the porous limestone. In some places there are salt lakes like Lake Buchanan in Queensland. To the west of the table country lies Tarrabool Lake , the largest forested swamp area in tropical Australia. There are also a number of artesian springs such as the Edgabaston Reserve as water reservoirs .
With just over 5,900 inhabitants, the Barkly Region has the lowest population density of all regions in the Northern Territory . Most of the residents live in the capital cities of Tennant Creek and Renner Springs .
economy
The main source of income in the region are the large cattle farms, which are among the largest beef producers in Australia. Other important industries are agriculture, fishing and the military. More than 140,000 tourists come to Tableland every year.
environment
The table land is largely a semi-arid savannah that is overgrown with Mitchell grass and extends over 1,500 kilometers into the Channel Country of Queensland. To the south and west of it lies the central Australian desert . The grasslands are home to large cattle farms and some of the world's most endangered species. The higher areas around Mount Isa and the Selwyn Range are also unique biotopes .
flora
The hard Mitchell grass has long roots and is therefore well adapted to dry soils and long periods of drought. Acacia trees are scattered across the plain. There is no dense forest anywhere.
fauna
There is hardly any biodiversity in the Mitchell Grass Plains. It is home to some mammals such as the Brushtail ( Trichosurus vulpecula ), Pseudantechinus mimulus (genus of the fat -tailed pouch mouse ) and the Julia Creek pouch-footed mice .
