The Pilbara
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 thirdof the region. Most Pilbara residents live in the region's towns, which include Port Hedland, Karratha, Wickham, Newman and Marble Bar. 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.
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 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. A detailed geological history and description is given in the
Pilbara Craton article.
The WA Gas Industry 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.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'.
The first European to explore the area was Francis Gregory in 1861 and mining first
started in 1943 in Wittenoom Gorge.
The climate of the Pilbara is semi-arid and arid, with high temperatures and low rainfall.
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
set a world record of most consecutive days of maximum temperatures of 100 degrees
Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) or more, during a period of 160 such days from 31
October 1923 to 7 April 1924.
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.
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.
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.
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.
