Wheatbelt (Western Australia)
- 33117Koordinaten: 33 ° 0 ' S, 117 ° 0' O The West Australian wheat belt is a 9 geographic regions in the state of Western Australia, as defined by the Act to improve the economic situation in rural areas by 1993 ( Regional Development Commissions Act 1993). Alternative names in common usage loud Heartlands and Wheat - Sheep Zone.
Location
The Wheatbelt region partially surrounds the metropolitan area of Perth, which is not treated as well in the 1993 Act, bordered to the north by the region of Mid West, on the east by the Region Goldfields - Esperance, who are sometimes as two separate regions regarded in common parlance, and to the south by the Great Southern and South West. In the West, Wheatbelt region extends north of Perth to the Indian Ocean, while south of the metropolis, the small Peel region lies between the coast and the Heartlands.
Overall, the Western Australian wheat belt covers about 69,000 inhabitants on 154,862 km ², including some of the coastline of offshore islands. The population is distributed widely on the sparsely populated country, and only 16,000 people live in the small towns of Northam, Narrogin, Merredin, Moora and York.
Wheat and sheep farming
Got its name from the wheat-growing region. This was introduced by European settlers in the course of exploring the country. The first settlements inland from Perth were in Dale and in the Avon Valley, where there was very fertile soil. The first was founded for agricultural purposes inland settlement in Western Australia was York in 1831. Followed the colonization of the discovered by John Septimus Roe until the mid 19th century heartland around the present-day province cities Bruce Rock Narembeen, Corrigin, Kondinin and Kulin. In 1840 the Victoria Plains was discovered northeast of Perth, which were initially leased for grazing. At the turn of the 20th century ran out of many of these leases and settlers who afterwards settled in this region, started on the more fertile soils also with the cultivation of wheat. After the end of the First World War, when a large number of former soldiers wanted to colonize the country, Kwongan -Heiden was opened, where it was found that with appropriate fertilization could also grow wheat profitably. This led to a massive expansion of the wheat growing area. A network of railway lines were built and eventually led water to the farms, so that there also livestock to be held throughout the year.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the wheat had become firmly established in these heartlands as an economic factor; at the same time (1901-1907) was built to defend against advancing from the east the first of three rabbits Rabbit-Proof Fences to a length of 1837 km from north to south. Large parts of this once- longest fence in the world with the original post are still preserved.
In the following decades, the wheat growing area expanded to southeast. The large area -scale production by mechanized system that requires the use of drills and combines, as well as adequate transportation to the silos and flour mills, dating back to the 1920s and 1930s.
To this end, bushland were cleared by and by a total of 18 million hectares. Today, two -thirds of the total Australian wheat production, which occupies 7th place in the world ranking with 24 million tonnes originate from this region. Australian wheat is exported worldwide, especially after Near East and Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Japan.
Western Australian wheat is sown in autumn ( March / April), grows in the winter and is harvested in spring ( October / November). In the frost -free, mild winters ( 15-20 ° C) there is in contrast to the U.S. and European winter wheat no resting phase and fall sufficient only in the cooler months rainfall.
The second most important economic activity of the Wheatbelt region is sheep farming. Of the four types of Merino sheep, which were introduced by Europeans in Australia in the 19th century, dominate in Western Australia, the Peppin Merino and the South Australian Merino. They supply 50 % of Australia's wool production, with medium fine and coarse wool predominates.
However, both industries are declining and threatened by a creeping due to the extensive clearances climate and environmental change, the attention is paid only since the end of the 20th century. On the one hand warming and declining rainfall have a drying out of the soil and wind erosion result. At the same time it comes in rainfall by too quickly seeping water, which can not be absorbed as in the days of the original vegetation of deep -rooted plants, an increase in the groundwater level. The water then triggers an extremely salty soil layer immediately below the surface and drives salts upwards. Increasingly deserted arable and pasture land the Wheatbelt region by salinity; places to great salt lakes have formed. Countermeasures are reforestation programs since the 1990s, its sustainability remains to be seen.
Mining
In unsuitable for agriculture arid eastern part of the region, on the border with the neighboring region of Goldfields - Esperance, iron ore and nickel is mined in addition to other minerals. East of York was about Merredin and Southern Cross the historic Western Australian gold rush route of the 19th century to the reference in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie.
Tourism
Since the end of the 20th century, tourism is an emerging industry in the Wheatbelt region. Make daily from the 350 km north-west metropolitan Perth organized group excursions at several points station, which are also visited by individual travelers. From the Tourism Authority advertised attractions are, for example,
- The listed city of York on the Avon River;
- In which, for example, the rock amphitheater and the Sculpture Park by Bruce skirt, the dog cemetery of Corrigin and wild flowers Reserves are frequently visited at Kulin - also called Open Wheatbelt and approximately 30,000 km ² comprising: - the historical heartland of the wheat belt;
- Of an area of indigenous bush land surrounded granite rock formation Hyden rock to the natural monument Wave Rock is one; this is one of the main objectives of the excursion tourism of Perth.
Relevant for the bathing and leisure tourism in the city of Perth is the coast to about 150 km north of the city at the height of Lancelin; opened until the end of the 2010 Indian Ocean Drive continues until after Cervantes ( Pinnacles / border with Region Mid West ). The inland areas of this northern section is, though, not used agriculturally for Wheat Belt region belonging, but originary bushland.
Administrative divisions
The Western Australian wheat belt covers the following Local Government Areas in Western Australia:
- Beverley
- Brookton
- Bruce skirt
- Chittering
- Corrigin
- Cuballing
- Cunderdin
- Dandaragan
- Dalwallinu
- Dowerin
- Dumbleyung
- Gingin
- Goomalling
- Kellerberrin
- Kondinin
- Koorda
- Kulin
- Lake Grace
- Merredin
- Moora
- Mount Marshall
- Mukinbudin
- Narembeen
- Narrogin ( Town)
- Narrogin ( Shire )
- Northam ( Town)
- Northam ( Shire )
- Nungarin
- Pingelly
- Quairading
- Tammin
- Toodyay
- Trayning
- Victoria Plains
- Wagin
- Wandering
- West Arthur
- Westonia
- Wickepin
- Williams
- Wongan - Ballidu
- Wyalkatchem
- Yilgarn
- York