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Goldfields–Esperance | |
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 Interactive map of Goldfields–Esperance | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| LGA | |
| Government | |
| • State electorates | |
| • Federal division | |
TheGoldfields–Esperance region is one of the nineregions of Western Australia. It is located in the south-eastern corner ofWestern Australia, and comprises thelocal government areas ofCoolgardie,Dundas,Esperance,Kalgoorlie–Boulder,Laverton,Leonora,Menzies,Ngaanyatjarraku,Ravensthorpe andWiluna.[1]
It also incorporates the area along theGreat Australian Bight to theSouth Australian border known as theNullarbor Plain.
The Goldfields–Esperance region is the largest of Western Australia's regions, with an area of 955,276 km2 (368,834 sq mi).[2] It is mostly a low and flat plateau of extremely ancientPrecambrian rocks that have been stable since long before thePaleozoic Era. Because of the extreme geological stability and the absence of glaciation since theCarboniferous, the soils are extremely infertile and generally quite saline. Consequently, the region supports the lowest stocking rates in the world: it is considered that onesheep per square mile is the maximum sustainable rate except in the small wetter area near Esperance. There are no rivers; any rainfall that is not absorbed by the dense rooting systems of the native flora percolates to form extremelysalinegroundwater, which is very frequently too salty even for adult sheep.
In the 1890s thegoldfields term was used for country betweenSouthern Cross andCoolgardie; however, as the gold fields extended to Kalgoorlie and beyond, the termEastern Goldfields was used for the locations in vicinity of Kalgoorlie at that stage.[3][4]
TheLittle Sandy Desert and theGibson Desert are found in the northern part of the region, with theGreat Victoria Desert in the south east.[5]
The climate is mostly hot and dry. Annual rainfall is typically around 250 millimetres (10 in) per year and can be very variable, except in the small area nearEsperance andCape Arid National Park where reliable winter rainfall can give annual totals as high as 635 mm (25 inches) falling mainly in the winter months. Most rainfall is produced bythunderstorms in spring or summer or by cloudbands from the northwest in autumn and winter, but sometimes cyclones from thePilbara decay into rain depressions and produce heavy rainfall.Climate change has already had a major impact[citation needed]: in the Kalgoorlie –Eucla –Wiluna – Giles area annual rainfall has increased by over 40 percent since 1967 – probably due to lower frequencies ofanticyclones located over the interior of Australia instead of the adjacent oceans.
The region has a population of just under 60,000 people,[2] about half of whom live in theCity of Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Another quarter live in theShire of Esperance, and the remaining shires are very sparsely populated. Nearly 10% of the region's population are ofAboriginal descent, which is substantially higher than the state as a whole.
The economy of the Goldfields sub-region is based on the extraction and processing of various mineral resources, primarilygold andnickel. In 2012 the mining of gold, nickel andplatinum yielded just under $9 billion,[6] equivalent to $11.34 billion in 2022.
Pastoralism in the northern goldfields commenced in the early 1900s withYundamindera Station being established by Dr. Laver. In 1923 Yundmindera was purchased along withMount Celia Station with a combined area of over 1,000,000 acres (4,047 km2) by T. H. Pearse, who stocked the property with sheep. Between 1925 and 1928 more eastern states pastoralists established scores of leases, and over £1.5 million (roughly $136.46 million in 2022), was invested in properties in the northern and eastern goldfields. In three months of 1925 over 40,000 sheep were railed to the area and in one month of 1927 seven trains carrying sheep arrived. By 1934 the goldfields were stocked with over 500,000 sheep and 25,000 cattle. Shearing the same year produced approximately 11,667bales of wool valued at £243,600,[7] roughly $27.02 million in 2022.
Further south nearEsperance, the economy is based onagriculture, withwheat,canola andbarley widely grown and making up about 80% of the area's agricultural economy.[6] These crops require huge inputs offertilisers because of the sandy nature of the soils and are a major threat to the region's great plant diversity. In 2021–22, the Esperance zone harvested 3.55 million tonnes (7.8 billion pounds) of grain.[8] Pastoralism is also common, with bothsheep andcattle stations being common in the area. Along the coast fishing and aquaculture are common, with fisheries forabalone,pilchards andsharks.[6]
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