The Tirari–Sturt stony desert is a

deserts and xeric shrublands Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (Ancient Greek 'dry') shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this habitat ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in central

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Location and description

The Tirari–Sturt stony desert ecoregion contains the

gibber plain A desert pavement, also called reg (in western Sahara), serir (in eastern Sahara), gibber (in Australia), or saï (in central Asia) is a desert surface covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded Rock (geology), rock fragments ...

s (desert pavement) and red sands of the large

Sturt Stony Desert Sturt Stony Desert (previously Sturt's Stony Desert) is an area in the north-east of South Australia, far south western border area of Queensland and the far west of New South Wales. It was named by Charles Sturt in 1844, while he was trying ...

, the

Tirari Desert The Tirari Desert is a desert in the eastern part of the Far North region of South Australia. It stretches 212 km from north to south and 153 km from east to west. Location and description The Tirari Desert features salt lakes and ...

to its southwest and the

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

and

Gawler Ranges The Gawler Ranges are a range of stoney hills in South Australia to the north of the Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Highway skirts the south of the ranges. The Gawler Ranges National Park is in the ranges north of Kimba, South Australia, Kimba and Wud ...

to the south. The Tirari has more sand dunes than the Sturt Stony Desert and has also been the site of some important fossil findings. Towns of the ecoregion include the opal mining centre of

Coober Pedy Coober Pedy () is a town in northern South Australia, north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. A blower truck ...

, famous for its underground dwellings. The climate is very hot with summer temperatures reaching 50 °C. The region consists of the Stony Plains,

Gawler Gawler, established in 1839, is the oldest country town in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the st ...

, Flinders Lofty Block and the

Broken Hill Complex The Broken Hill Complex (code ''BHC''), an interim Australian bioregion, is located in both New South Wales and South Australia, and comprises an area of of inland Australia. IBRA 5.1 describes ''BHC'' as being: Hills and colluvial fans on P ...

bioregion A bioregion is a geographical area, on land or at sea, defined not by administrative boundaries, but by distinct characteristics such as plant and animal species, ecological systems, soils and landforms, Human settlement, human settlements, and ...

s of the

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeography, biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ( ...

(IBRA).IBRA Version 6.1
data

Flora and fauna

As well as stony plain and sands there are areas of

chenopod Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making ...

, mallee and mulga wooded scrubland. The region is home to a variety of wildlife that has adapted to the hot dry conditions including the

wedge-tailed eagle The wedge-tailed eagle (''Aquila audax'') also known as the eaglehawk, is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. A ...

s, yellow-footed rock wallaby,

red kangaroo The red kangaroo (''Osphranter rufus'') is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the Largest mammals#Marsupials (Marsupialia), largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, exce ...

s, and

western grey kangaroo The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, i ...

s of the Flinders Ranges. The desert proper is uninhabitable and the environment there remains undamaged, while the greener fringe are used for sheep grazing.

Protected areas

10.34% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include: * Bimbowrie Conservation Park * Black Rock Conservation Park * Bon Bon Station Conservation Reserve * Boolcoomatta Conservation Reserve * Buckaringa Private Nature Reserve * Bunkers Conservation Reserve * Caroona Creek Conservation Park *

Coongie Lakes The Coongie Lakes is a freshwater wetland system located in the Far North region of South Australia. The lakes system is located approximately north of the Adelaide city centre. The wetlands includes lakes, channels, billabongs, shallow floo ...

Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance * Danggali Wilderness Protection Area * Ediacara Conservation Park * Elliot Price Conservation Park *

Gawler Ranges National Park Gawler Ranges National Park is a protected area lying north-west of Adelaide in the northern Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. It is known for its spectacular rock formations. History The national park originated as the Paney Station pasto ...

Hiltaba Nature Reserve Hiltaba Nature Reserve is located in the north of the Eyre Peninsula on the western edge of the Gawler Ranges, South Australia. It is situated on a former pastoral lease known as Hiltaba, or Hiltaba Station, that had operated as a sheep statio ...

* Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park * Ironstone Hill Conservation Park * Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park *

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park KATI (94.3 FM), branded as 94.3 KAT Country, is a radio station which broadcasts country music and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Licensed to California, Missouri, the station serves the Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, ...

Kinchega National Park The Kinchega National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Far West region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia.The national park is located approximately west of Sydney and south-east of Broken Hill. The park adjoins ...

Lake Frome Regional Reserve Lake Frome National Park, formerly Lake Frome Regional Reserve, is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia about north-east of the state capital of Adelaide, in the Northern Flinders Ranges. It covers the full ext ...

* Lake Gairdner National Park * Lake Gilles Conservation Park *

Lake Torrens National Park Lake Torrens National Park is a protected area located in South Australia about north of the Adelaide city centre. Material published by the national park's manager reports that: The stark wilderness and the salt lake that stretches 250km in ...

* Mount Brown Conservation Park * Mount Willoughby Indigenous Protected Area *

Munyaroo Conservation Park Munyaroo Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia in the gazetted locality of Midgee located on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula about south south-west of Whyalla and east north-east of Cowell. The ...

* Mutawintji Nature Reserve *

Mutawintji National Park The Mutawintji National Park, formerly the Mootwingee National Park, is a protected national park that is located in the Far West region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately west of Sydney and ...

Nantawarrina Indigenous Protected Area Nepabunna, also spelt Nipapanha, is a small community in the northern Flinders Ranges in north-eastern South Australia, about north of Adelaide. It is located just west of the Gammon Ranges, and the traditional owners are the Adnyamathanha peop ...

Pandappa Conservation Park __NOTOC__ Pandappa Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia in the locality of Franklyn, South Australia, Franklyn about north-east of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide and abo ...

* Pinkawillinie Conservation Park * Pualco Range Conservation Park * Red Banks Conservation Park *

Simpson Desert Regional Reserve Simpson may refer to: * Simpson (name), a British surname Organizations Schools *Simpson College, in Indianola, Iowa *Simpson University, in Redding, California Businesses * Simpson (appliance manufacturer), former manufacturer and brand of ...

Strzelecki Regional Reserve Strzelecki Regional Reserve is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia in the gazetted localities of Lindon and Strzelecki Desert about north-east of Port Augusta. It includes the Strzelecki Desert and the dry Str ...

* The Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park *

Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Park Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park The Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park is a protected area in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, immediately south-west of and adjacent to the Arkaroola Protection Area. They encompass some of the most rugged and spectacular country i ...

* Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park *

Whyalla Conservation Park Whyalla Conservation Park (formerly Whyalla National Park) is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia about north of the centre of city of Whyalla immediately adjoining the Lincoln Highway. The conservation park wa ...

* Winninowie Conservation Park * Witchelina Nature Reserve *

Witjira National Park Witjira National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia about north of the state capital of Adelaide. History The national park was proclaimed on 21 November 1985 to "protect Australia’s largest array of artesian ...

* Yalpara Conservation Park * Yappala Indigenous Protected Area *

Yellabinna Regional Reserve The Yellabinna Regional Reserve is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about north of Ceduna. To the west it borders Nullarbor Regional Reserve, to the south Yumbarra Conservation Park and Pureba Conservatio ...

* Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area * Yumbarra Conservation Park

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tirari-Sturt Stony Desert Biogeography of the Northern Territory Deserts of South Australia Deserts and xeric shrublands Ecoregions of South Australia Ecoregions of New South Wales Lake Eyre basin