Einasleigh Uplands
Encyclopedia
The Einasleigh Uplands are an ecoregion
of savanna
and woodland located on a large plateau in inland Queensland
, Australia
.
in the northern section of Australia's Great Dividing Range
running inland as far as the town of Croydon
in the southwest. The plateau is covered in grassland dotted with eucalyptus
trees and cut through with ridges, gorges and lava tubes. The area has rich fertile soil. Natural features include the Great Basalt Wall
of dried volcanic lava and the lava tubes of Undara Volcanic National Park
.
The climate is cooler than the coast with summer nights being as cool as 90 C compared with 200 on the coast. The summer high temperatures are around 350. There is a wet season between December and March.
Rivers that have their source in the uplands include the Flinders River
which runs northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria
along with the Palmer
, Mitchell
and Gilbert-Einasleigh
while the Burdekin
and Herbert River
s run south-east from the tablelands to the Coral Sea
coast.
Urban areas include Herberton
and Croydon.
survey of diffent ecosystems in the country, while in the World Wildlife Fund's ecoregion mapping they are described as Einasleigh Upland Savanna. These descriptions are based on study of the climate, plant life and terrain compared with neighbouring areas. This area is inland from the moist Queensland coast but is not as dry as the Brigalow Belt and the Mitchell Grass savannas south, while the Cape York Peninsula
to the north is lower-lying and wetter. The region contains a number of specialised habitats that add to the variety of wildlife found here. These include lava flows and caves such as those of Chillagoe.
eucalyptus woodland but there are wetlands and patches of rainforest too. Lava flows are home to stands of thicker forest.
s such as the Antilopine Kangaroo
, the large Eastern Grey Kangaroo
and the near-endemic Godman's Rock-wallaby
and Mareeba Rock-wallaby
. There are a number of endemic mammals, reptiles and insects in the region especially in the more thickly forested areas where a large number of endemic reptiles occur. The caves and lava flows harbour specific wildlife of their own as do the wetter east-facing slopes of the uplands. Rivers such as the Burdekin have important populations of waterbirds as do the unique (to Australia) wetlands of Innot Hot springs.
gidgee (Acacia cambagei
) in the southeast of the uplands have suffered in particular. There are a number of protected areas containing a good variety of the different types of habitat found in the region, including Undara and the Great Basalt Wall as well as part of Bulleringa National Park
and the caves of Chillagoe
.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
and woodland located on a large plateau in inland Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Location and description
The uplands are an area of eroded volcanic rock on and to the west of the Atherton TablelandAtherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around...
in the northern section of Australia's Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
running inland as far as the town of Croydon
Croydon, Queensland
Croydon is a town in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, the town and surrounding area had a population of 255.-History:The historic goldrush town of Croydon is located in the heart of the Gulf Savannah, 562 km west of Cairns. Croydon was a large pastoral holding covering an area of...
in the southwest. The plateau is covered in grassland dotted with eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
trees and cut through with ridges, gorges and lava tubes. The area has rich fertile soil. Natural features include the Great Basalt Wall
Great Basalt Wall National Park
Great Basalt Wall is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1124 km northwest of Brisbane....
of dried volcanic lava and the lava tubes of Undara Volcanic National Park
Undara Volcanic National Park
Undara Volcanic is a national park in North Queensland, Australia and is notable for its lava tubes and gem fossicking. Minerals found there include topaz, moonstone, peridot, aquamarine, garnet, quartz and gold...
.
The climate is cooler than the coast with summer nights being as cool as 90 C compared with 200 on the coast. The summer high temperatures are around 350. There is a wet season between December and March.
Rivers that have their source in the uplands include the Flinders River
Flinders River
The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia at about . The river rises in the Burra Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, 110 km northeast of Hughenden and flows in a westerly direction past Hughenden, Richmond and Julia Creek then northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria...
which runs northwest to the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
along with the Palmer
Palmer River
The Palmer River is a river southwest of Cooktown in northeastern Australia. It was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1872. The Palmer River flows west across Cape York to the Gulf of Carpentaria, via the Mitchell River...
, Mitchell
Mitchell River (Queensland)
The Mitchell River is a river in the Far North Queensland region of Australia. The river begins on the Atherton Tableland about northwest of Cairns, and flows about northwest across Cape York Peninsula from Mareeba to the Gulf of Carpentaria....
and Gilbert-Einasleigh
Gilbert-Einasleigh River
The Gilbert-Einasleigh River is one of the largest river systems in northern Australia. It is located in north-central Queensland, between the Flinders River and the Mitchell River.-Description:...
while the Burdekin
Burdekin River
The Burdekin River in Queensland, Australia rises on the western slope of the Seaview Range and flows into the Pacific Ocean at Upstart Bay over 200 km to the southeast of the source. The river was first encountered by Europeans during the expedition led by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 and named...
and Herbert River
Herbert River
The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it is named after Robert George Wyndham Herbert , the first Premier of Queensland...
s run south-east from the tablelands to the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
coast.
Urban areas include Herberton
Herberton, Queensland
Herberton is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Herberton had a population of 974.-History:...
and Croydon.
Ecology
Einasleigh Uplands is the name given to this area in the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for AustraliaInterim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia
The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian Government's Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts...
survey of diffent ecosystems in the country, while in the World Wildlife Fund's ecoregion mapping they are described as Einasleigh Upland Savanna. These descriptions are based on study of the climate, plant life and terrain compared with neighbouring areas. This area is inland from the moist Queensland coast but is not as dry as the Brigalow Belt and the Mitchell Grass savannas south, while the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
to the north is lower-lying and wetter. The region contains a number of specialised habitats that add to the variety of wildlife found here. These include lava flows and caves such as those of Chillagoe.
Flora
This stony upland habitat is dominated by ironbarkIronbark
Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the genus Eucalyptus that have dark, deeply furrowed bark....
eucalyptus woodland but there are wetlands and patches of rainforest too. Lava flows are home to stands of thicker forest.
Fauna
These woodlands are home to many animals including a number of marsupialMarsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s such as the Antilopine Kangaroo
Antilopine Kangaroo
The Antilopine Kangaroo sometimes called the Antilopine Wallaroo or the Antilopine Wallaby, is a species of macropod found in northern Australia: in Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley region of Western Australia...
, the large Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. It is also known as the Great Grey Kangaroo and the Forester Kangaroo...
and the near-endemic Godman's Rock-wallaby
Godman's Rock-wallaby
Godman's Rock-wallaby is a diprotodont marsupial, and a rather typical rock-wallaby. It is found in northern and north-eastern Queensland, Australia. This rock-wallaby is found in low open forest, open scrub, or montane regions, often near the coast. It shelters in rocky terrain adjacent to...
and Mareeba Rock-wallaby
Mareeba Rock-wallaby
The Mareeba Rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a member of a group of seven very closely related species which also include the Cape York Rock-wallaby , the Unadorned Rock-wallaby and the Allied Rock-wallaby The Mareeba Rock-wallaby...
. There are a number of endemic mammals, reptiles and insects in the region especially in the more thickly forested areas where a large number of endemic reptiles occur. The caves and lava flows harbour specific wildlife of their own as do the wetter east-facing slopes of the uplands. Rivers such as the Burdekin have important populations of waterbirds as do the unique (to Australia) wetlands of Innot Hot springs.
Threats and preservation
The area has long been used for cattle ranching but apart from the heavily farmed Atherton Tableland is thinly populated so the landscape is well-preserved although it has been changed by overgrazing, clearance for agriculture and the introduction of weeds. Some areas of the acaciaAcacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
gidgee (Acacia cambagei
Acacia cambagei
Acacia cambagei, commonly known as Gidgee , Stinking wattle or Stinking gidgee is an endemic tree of Australia. It is found primarily in semi-arid and arid Queensland but extends into the Northern Territory, South Australia and north-western New South Wales. It can reach up to 12 meters in height...
) in the southeast of the uplands have suffered in particular. There are a number of protected areas containing a good variety of the different types of habitat found in the region, including Undara and the Great Basalt Wall as well as part of Bulleringa National Park
Bulleringa National Park
Bulleringa is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1448 km northwest of Brisbane....
and the caves of Chillagoe
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1455 km northwest of Brisbane....
.