Ord Victoria Plain

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Victoria Plains tropical savanna.

Ord Victoria Plain
Australia
The interim Australian bioregions,
with the Ord Victoria Plain in red
Area125,407.03 km2 (48,419.9 sq mi)
Localities around Ord Victoria Plain:
Northern Kimberley Victoria Bonaparte Daly Basin
Central Kimberley Ord Victoria Plain Sturt Plateau
Great Sandy Desert
Tanami
Tanami

The Ord Victoria Plain, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, comprising 12,540,703 hectares (30,988,750 acres).[1][2]

The bioregion draws its name from the Ord River and the Victoria River.

Location and description

This is an area of large plains of dry grassland lying between the Tanami Desert to the south and the wetter, greener grassland to the north towards the coast. Sandstone outcrops rise from the grassland, the most famous of which is the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park. The grasslands have long been used for cattle grazing. The climate is wetter in the north (ave annual rainfall 1200mm), which receives some coastal monsoonal rain, and drier in the south (ave 600mm). The rainy season is between November and March and the whole area is almost completely dry for the rest of the year and the climate is hot with maximum temperatures between 25 °C and 35 °C year round.

Flora

The plain is largely covered with

hummock grass or heathland scattered with Grevillea
and Acacia trees. Riverine ecosystems around permanent water courses consist of paperbark (Melaleuca), river redgum (Eucalyptus) and river pandanus (Pandanus).

Fauna

There are few endemic species as these grasslands are typical of much of northern Australia at this latitude but the grasslands are nonetheless largely intact and rich in wildlife. Mammals include the large

bilby (Macrotis lagotis), northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) and golden bandicoot
(Isoodon auratus).

Birds include

lorikeets, friarbirds, and honeyeaters. Termites are a source of food for many of these birds and animals. The wildlife of the grasslands is still being researched so for example a new species of Ctenotus skink
has been discovered quite recently.

Threats and preservation

In general this is a large area of relatively unspoilt grassland used for grazing cattle. Some damage results from intensive cattle ranching leading to

Gregory National Park are still being researched by botanists and zoologists.[3]

See also

References

  1. Australian Government. Archived from the original
    on 5 September 2006. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
  2. ^ IBRA Version 6.1 data
  3. ^ "Victoria Plains tropical savanna". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

Further reading

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