The Desert Uplands is an interim Australian bioregion located in

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and central western

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

which straddles the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

between Blackall and Pentland.

Geography

The bioregion contains Lake Galilee, Lake Dunn and Lake Buchanan. The climate is semi-arid with highly variable rainfall. Much of the area is used for cattle grazing and is part of the Great Artesian Basin, lying within both the

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

and Eromanga Basins. The Brigalow Belt North and Brigalow Belt South are to the east of the bioregion, and the Einasleigh Uplands are located to the north.

Waterways

The main rivers in the bioregion are Belyando,

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

Campaspe Campaspe (; Greek: Καμπάσπη, ''Kampaspē''), or Pancaste (; Greek: Πανκάστη, ''Pankastē''; also ''Pakate''), was a supposed mistress of Alexander the Great and a prominent citizen of Larissa in Thessaly. No Campaspe appears in ...

, Barcoo and Alice River and Aramac and Torrens Creeks. Wetlands at shallow

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...

s Lake Galilee and Lake Buchanan are listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia.

Subregions

The Desert Uplands bioregion has four subregions: * Prairie-Torrens Creeks Alluvials (DEU01) – * Alice Tableland (DEU02) – * Cape-Campaspe Plains (DEU03) – * Jericho (DEU04) –

Flora

Spinifex grass is common. More than 80 weeds have been identified in the bioregion. In 2003, it was estimated that 13 million trees per year were being destroyed in the Desert Uplands. This placed the percentage of land cleared at 6.8%, the third highest for any Queensland bioregion.

Settlements

The two main settlements in the area are at Barcaldine and Aramac.

Protected areas

Protected areas in the Desert Uplands bioregion include:Department of Environment and Science, Queensland (2013) Desert Uplands (DEU) bioregion — facts and maps, WetlandInfo website, accessed 28 May 2022. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/bioregion-desert-uplands-deu/ * Cudmore National Park * Forest Den National Park * Great Basalt Wall National Park * Moorrinya National Park * White Mountains National Park * Cudmore Resources Reserve * White Mountains Resources Reserve * Bellview Nature Refuge * Bimblebox Nature Refuge * Bygana West Nature Refuge * Doongmabulla Mound Springs Nature Refuge * Edgbaston Nature Refuge * Strathtay Nature Refuge * Toomba Nature Refuge * Ulcanbah Nature Refuge

References

{{coord missing, Queensland Biogeography of Queensland IBRA regions Lake Eyre basin North Queensland Central West Queensland