Kimberley (Australia)

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Kimberley
Kimberley.png
The Kimberley region in Australia
structure
State : Australia Australia
State : Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia
LGA : Broome , Derby-West Kimberley , Wyndham-East Kimberley , Halls Creek
Dates and numbers
Area : 424,517 km²
Residents : 38,000
Population density : 0.09 inhabitants / km²
Purnululu2.jpg
Bungle Bungle Range , Purnululu National Park

Coordinates: 18 ° 0 ′  S , 122 ° 0 ′  E

Kimberley is one of the nine regions of the Australian state of Western Australia . It is located in the north of the state and is bounded to the west by the Indian Ocean , to the north by the Timor Sea , to the south by the Great Sand and Tanami Desert and to the east by the Northern Territory . The area of ​​the Kimberley region amounts to 424,517 km 2 and is therefore almost as large as Germany and Austria combined.

The population is approximately 38,000 people and is growing by 4.8% annually. About half of the population are Aboriginal .

Geographical breakdown

The Kimberley Region is divided into three core regions (also popularly known as the Kimberleys in the plural ):

The inaccessible northern Kimberley is characterized by 1.8 billion year old volcanic and sedimentary rocks that were raised around 200 million years ago (so-called Kimberley Plateau ). Rivers have carved deep gorges into the plateau. Characteristic landscape formations are the Mitchell Plateau with its spectacular waterfalls, the lush bushland on the banks of the Drysdale River and Price Regent River and the mangroves on the north coast (Timor Sea).

The geologically younger western Kimberley includes the sandy plains with dunes on the Dampier Peninsula with Cape Leveque , interspersed with acacia bushland; Geographically, this peninsula - as Aboriginal land only accessible with permission - is a north-western extension of the Great Sandy Desert, but with higher rainfall. The western Kimberley also includes the land on the Fitzroy River , the national parks on the Devonian limestone reef of the Napier Range ( Windjana Gorge National Park , Tunnel Creek National Park , Geikie Gorge National Park ) and the granite formation of the King Leopold Range running parallel to the east ( Edge of the Kimberley Plateau).

The geologically differentiated eastern Kimberley includes landscapes as diverse as the Bungle Bungle on the one hand and the sandstone formations around Halls Creek on the other. Climatically, it represents a transition zone to the arid climate of the Tanami Desert , which also affects flora and fauna. The fertile plains on the Ord River and Lake Argyle limit the northeastern Kimberley to the Northern Territory .

Climate: The southern heat pole

In the Kimberley region, there is a tropical monsoon climate during the summer rainy season from October / November to March / April . During this time 90% of the total annual precipitation falls ; the humidity is often 80 to 90% during this time. This is followed by an equally long winter dry season (April / May to September / October), during which the humidity drops to 27%. The interior of the Kimberley region is considered the hottest part of Australia and even the entire southern hemisphere. Here in summer there are hot and humid daytime temperatures with peaks of 40 to 45 degrees Celsius and even in winter - dry and hot, but more bearable - 30 to 35 degrees Celsius. The region is therefore also known as the “southern heat pole”.

landscape

Lennard River

The northern Kimberley Plateau is largely a plateau covered with sparse eucalyptus and acacia bushland, in which rivers have carved deep sandstone gorges. In the center the plateau reaches a height of about 800 m; Towards the coast, the height gradually decreases to around 300 m. The plateau drops into steep cliffs towards the Timor Sea.

In the canyons, which are protected from the sun and in which the water is stored even in the dry season, there are "islands" of tropical rainforest up to 50 hectares in size . An endemic fan palm species ( Livistona eastonii ) dominates the Mitchell Plateau. The coastal areas are mainly overgrown with mangroves.

The southern Kimberleys, especially east of the Fitzroy River, consist of flat tree savannah . During the rainy season the grasses grow between the eucalyptus and acacia and up to two meters high; The Australian boab ( Adansonia gregorii ), which has become the tourist emblem of the region, is also endemic to the savannahs of the Kimberley . Flowering plants such as the Kimberley Bauhinie , the Kapok Bush ( Cochlospermum ) and the Kimberley Heath enrich the savannah vegetation. In the southernmost areas in the edge zone to the arid climate the vegetation changes into a Spinifex steppe.

Some heavily eroded sandstone formations - for example the "beehives" of the Bungle Bungle - are brown-red in color and almost entirely without vegetation, as the heavy rains during the rainy season wash the entire soil into the savannahs in the lowlands.

The animal world of the Kimberleys is just as diverse as the landscape. Australian crocodiles live in the waters of the Napier Range and the Fitzroy River, and saltwater crocodiles are found all along the coast, from the muddy floodplains of Kings Sound at Derby in the southwest to the Cambridge Gulf near Wyndham in the northeast. The habitat of the mountain and rock kangaroos are the steep gorge walls. Over 80 reptile and over 100 bird species are documented in some national parks such as Windjana Gorge, Purnululu and Parry Lagoons. Flying foxes live in colonies on eucalyptus and paper bark trees.

Settlement, economy

The Kimberley region is one of the earliest inhabited regions in Australia; the first immigrants came over the islands of what is now Indonesia around 40,000 years ago . Different Aboriginal tribes now inhabit their own area, for example the Bunuba the Napier Range, the Djaru and Kija the area around Halls Creek and the Bungle Bungles, the Bardin the Dampier Peninsula, the Wunambal the Mitchell Plateau and the Worara the area around the Prince Regent River. The Bradshaws , 50,000 year old Aboriginal rock paintings, bear witness to this early settlement .

Europeans did not appear in this area until the late 19th century. One of the first European pioneers was Alexander Forrest (1879), who explored the area 400 km along the Fitzroy River and then further east over Halls Creek to the Northern Territory. He discovered the Napier Range and the King Leopold Ranges, the Margaret River and the Ord River. He named the country he discovered after the Earl of Kimberley like its counterpart in South Africa ; Forrest could not have known that there are also diamonds in the Australian Kimberley and it was sheer coincidence that turned out to be in retrospect.

As a result - from around 1885 - settlers were attracted who were looking for good grazing land for their cattle. Despite difficult climatic conditions, cattle breeding still plays a decisive role today. At the end of the 19th century, the gold discoveries at Halls Creek also became a temporary attraction for many immigrants; the gold mines are closed today.

Agriculture is only possible in the fertile plain on the Ord River near Kununurra through a sophisticated irrigation system. After cotton, sugar cane and fruit cultivation have been tried with more or less satisfactory results, agriculture is currently concentrated on sandalwood plantations .

French Trappists came in 1890 and began the Roman Catholic missionary work among the Aborigines. In 1901, Pallottines from Germany took over the Beagle Bay Mission, where the Sacred Heart Church was built until 1918, which is known for its shell fittings.

Broome is one of the many historical settlements , the gateway to the Kimberleys, which is the largest town in the Kimberley with around 15,000 inhabitants. Their economic orientation was based on pearl diving and breeding. Wyndham and Derby are port cities, Halls Creek a gold rush town, Kununurra a satellite town of the dam construction of the 1960s and the Argyle Diamond Mine , one of the world's largest diamond mines and an important employer in the region.

Tourism has been the region's main source of income since the 21st century - after the infrastructure was expanded and the national park administrations in all these settlements became more professional.

transport

The central and only paved connection along the southern edge of the Kimberley is the Great Northern Highway from Derby via Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek to Kununurra.

The - apart from the first 60 km east of Derby - unpaved Gibb River Road runs parallel to the north through the central Kimberleys. Side tracks open up the individual gorges.

The main road to the north is Kalumburu Road with some difficult side tracks, for example to the Mitchell Plateau, as well as the Carson River Track , which is only accessible with Aboriginal permission .

The Fairfield Leopold Downs Road is a popular touristic track past the national parks of Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.

Aside from the paved stretch of the Great Northern Highway, a four-wheel drive vehicle is essential to the Kimberley . Even with good road conditions, the Kimberleys cannot be explored in conventional vehicles in the dry season. In the rainy season, all unpaved connections including the Gibb River Road are not passable.

literature

  • Janine Günther, Jens Mohr: Western Australia and the top end. 1st edition, Verlag 360 °, Gamehl 2005, ISBN 3-9809763-0-0 .
  • Carolyn Thomson-Dans: North-West Bound from the Batavia Coast to the Kimberley. WA Naturally Publications, Kensington 2007, ISBN 978-0-7307-5568-1 .
  • Ian Tyler: Geology and Landforms of the Kimberley. Dept. of Conservation and Land Management, Como, WA 2005, ISBN 0-7309-6852-9 .
  • Kevin Kenneally, et al .: Common Plants of the Kimberley. Dept. of Conservation and Land Management, Como, WA 2007, ISBN 0-7309-6993-2 .
  • Madeleine Reincke, Hilke Maunder: Australia. Baedeker travel guide. 11th edition Baedeker, Ostfildern 2014, ISBN 978-3829713412

photos

Web links

Commons : Kimberley (Australia)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. dlp software and travel service GmbH: AUSTRALIEN-INFO.DE: Kununurra and the eastern Kimberleys. In: www.australien-info.de. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  2. Kimberley Australia: Adventurous Region in Northern WA. In: www.in-australien.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  3. Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung from October 17, 2010, page V5: So far, so far
  4. Kimberley Australia: Adventurous Region in Northern WA. In: www.in-australien.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  5. Australia individually - Australia, travel, travel information, Western Australia, Perth, Broome, Kimberly Australia individually. In: www.australien-individuell.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  6. Michael Horn: Australia Attractions - Western Australia - Kimberley Region. In: www.australien-panorama.de. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  7. Michael Horn: Australia Attractions - Western Australia - Kimberley Region. In: www.australien-panorama.de. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  8. Michael Horn: Australia Attractions - Western Australia - Kimberley Region. In: www.australien-panorama.de. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  9. dlp software and travel service GmbH: AUSTRALIEN-INFO.DE: Kununurra and the eastern Kimberleys. In: www.australien-info.de. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
  10. dlp software und reiseservice GmbH: AUSTRALIEN-INFO.DE: Route from Broome to Darwin - via Gibb River Road and via Victoria Highway. In: www.australien-info.de. Retrieved June 21, 2016 .