The Murchison is an interim Australian bioregion located within the Mid West of Western Australia. The bioregion is loosely related to the catchment area of the Murchison River and has an area of . Traditionally the region is known as The Murchison. Geography The landscape is characterised by low hills and mesas, separated by colluvium flats and alluvial plains. The western portion of the bioregion is drained by the upper Murchison and Wooramel rivers, which drain westwards towards the coast. Together with Gascoyne bioregion, it constitutes the Western Australian mulga shrublands ecoregion. Population is scattered; the largest population centres are Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, and Leonora, with smaller mining and pastoral towns at Yalgoo, Sandstone, Cue, Wiluna, and Leinster. Subregions The Murchison bioregion has two subregions: Eastern Murchison (MUR01) – Western Murchison (MUR02) – Political boundaries Local government areas within the bioregion include the Shire of Yalgoo, the Shire of Mount Magnet, the Shire of Murchison, the Shire of Cue, the Shire of Sandstone, the Shire of Meekatharra, the Shire of Wiluna and the Shire of Leonora. Climate The climate is arid, with rainfall predominantly in the winter months. Flora and fauna The predominant plant community is low mulga woodlands and shrublands, characterized by mulga (Acacia aneura), with an understory of herbaceous ephemeral plants and bunchgrasses. Other plant communities include saltbush (Atriplex spp.) shrubland on calcareous soils, low samphire (Tecticornia spp.) shrubland on saline alluvium, and hummock grassland on red sandplains. Land use The Murchison is one of the main pastoral areas in Western Australia, dominated by large pastoral leases on Crown land operated as sheep and cattle stations. Mining (gold, iron and nickel) is the major contributor to the region’s economy. There are extensive mining areas, with a large number of abandoned historical mining towns and settlements. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope is located nearby, and was officially opened in October 2012. Protected areas Purchase of pastoral leases by the Western Australian Government increased the area set aside for conservation purposes from about 0.5% of the bioregion in 1998 to 6.7% in 2004. Protected areas include: Bullock Holes Timber Reserve De La Poer Range Nature Reserve Goongarrie National Park Matuwa and Kurrara-Kurrara Indigenous Protected Area Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve Toolonga Nature Reserve Wanjarri Nature Reserve See also Mid West region of Western Australia References Further reading Green, Neville, 1997 Aboriginal names of the Murchison District c.