Coolgardie (biogeographic region)

The IBRA regions, with Coolgardie in red

Coolgardie is an Australian bioregion and a World Wildlife Fund ecoregion consisting of an area of low hills and plains of infertile sandy soil in Western Australia.[1][2][3]

Location and description

This is a transition zone between the Mediterranean climate of Australia's south-west coast and the country's dry interior. The poor soil makes it unsuitable for agriculture but Coolgardie has been a gold and nickel mining area.

Flora and fauna

The low hills are home to woodland of endemic species of eucalyptus while the sand plains are covered in scrubland. The areas nearer the west coast have more protea flowers while the drier inland is home to acacia trees and kwongan heathland.

Wildlife of the Coolgardie bioregion includes birds such as malleefowl, laughing kookaburra and the barking owl, and reptiles such as thorny devils and desert death adders. Mammals include the egg-laying anteaters echidna, and many marsupials, including the brushtail possum, red kangaroo, eastern wallaroo, and the bilby.

References

Further reading

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