143-861: The deserts of Australia or the Australian deserts cover about 1,371,000 km (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland , but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain, it is practically desert . Collectively known as the Great Australian desert , they are primarily distributed throughout the Western Plateau and interior lowlands of the country, covering areas from South West Queensland , Far West region of New South Wales , Sunraysia in Victoria and Spencer Gulf in South Australia to
286-539: A Wiradjuri man from Cowra, New South Wales , commenced an action in the High Court of Australia arguing that Aboriginal people retained rights to land as an Aboriginal nation or nations existed pre-settlement and continues to exist, and that their land had been taken by conquest rather than by settlement. The court held in Coe v Commonwealth (1979) that no Aboriginal nation holds any kind of sovereignty , distinguishing
429-566: A bundle of rights , which may be extinguished one by one, for example, by a mining lease. In this case, the lease did not confer 'exclusive possession', because the claimants could pass over the land and do various things. But some parts of native title rights were extinguished, including the rights to control access and make use of the land. The claim was remitted to the Full Court of the Federal Court to determine in accordance with
572-553: A supercontinent known as Gondwana . Antarctica's separation from Australia began roughly 85 million years ago, at a rate of a few millimetres per year. It took over 30 million years (53 million years ago), toward the end of the Palaeocene epoch , for Australia to fully separate from Antarctica and set course for where we see the two continents today. During the last ice-age around 35,000 years ago, sea levels (around Australia) dropped by 120 metres (390 ft), developing
715-497: A veto over development, and nor does it grant land, as the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (ALRA) does. National Native Title Tribunal definition: [Native title is] the communal, group or individual rights and interests of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people in relation to land and waters, possessed under traditional law and custom, by which those people have a connection with an area which
858-588: A Liberal government), a feat that had last been achieved in 2007. This would last until 24 August 2024 Northern Territory general election when Labor lost Northern Territory to the Country Liberal Party (CLP) opposition. Losing its first mainland state/Territory level. The Liberal National opposition have never had this feat (control of the entirety of Mainland Australia at the federal and mainland state levels simultaneously) as of 2024. From 1788 to 1859, Britain established five colonies on
1001-630: A ceremony in the desert attended by Maralinga Tjarutja leader Archie Barton , John Bannon and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Greg Crafter . This granted rights over 75,000 square kilometres (29,000 sq mi) of land in the Great Victoria Desert , including the land contaminated by the British nuclear weapons testing at Maralinga . Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) was the foundational case for native title in Australia. In 1992
1144-507: A continuous stretch of land between what is now Papua New Guinea , Australia and Tasmania . Over the next 6,000 years the ice gradually melted, increasing sea-levels, cutting off Papua New Guinea and Tasmania from mainland Australia. It has been estimated that Australian Aborigines occupied mainland Australia up to 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, well before the last ice-age. Although an exact figure has not been decided on, numerous DNA studies all confirm that Aboriginal Australians are one of
1287-535: A determination, Prescribed Bodies Corporate are entered onto the NNTR. At this point, the corporation becomes a Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC). On 1 July 2011, the 160 registered determinations of native title covered some 1,228,373 km (474,277 sq mi) (approximately 16 per cent) of the land mass of Australia; and registered Indigenous land use agreements (ILUAs) covered about 1,234,129 km (476,500 sq mi) (about 16 per cent) of
1430-472: A high degree of laterite formation. The sandy soil of the lateritic buckshot plains is rich in iron in the Gibson Desert. Several isolated salt-water lakes occur in the centre of the region and to the southwest a system of small lakes follow paleo-drainage features. The desert proper is uninhabitable and the environment remains unmarred, while the greener fringe is used for sheep grazing . Lakes in
1573-528: A light frost or two every year, with frost being more prevalent in the Tanami region. Away from the coast winter nights can still be chilly in comparison to the warm days. Minimum winter temperatures dip to 6 °C (43 °F) in most parts of the desert. Tourism is a major industry across the Great Australian desert, and commonwealth and state tourism agencies explicitly target Outback Australia as
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#17327728137071716-483: A massive evaporation rate makes up for the higher than normal desert rainfall. Central Australia is arid, with the driest areas averaging 150 mm (5.91 in) of rainfall each year. Thunderstorms are relatively common in the region, with an annual average of 15 to 20 thunderstorms. Summer daytime temperatures range from 32 to 50 °C (90 to 122 °F); winter maximum temperatures average between 18 and 23 °C (64 and 73 °F), though will be more warmer in
1859-656: A number of clan groups of Aboriginal people to an area of seas and sea-beds surrounding Croker Island in the Northern Territory. It was the first judgment by the High Court of native title over waters. The judge, Olney J, determined that members of the Croker Island community have a native title right to have free access to the sea and sea-bed of the claimed area for a number of purposes. The case established that traditional owners do have native title of
2002-572: A package of coordinated measures and technical amendments to improve the performance of the native title system. These are aimed at making the native title process more efficient and to speed up the determination of whether native title exists on the 580 claims that had been registered but not yet determined. The Native Title Act 1993 was further amended by the Rudd government by the Native Title Amendment Act 2009 . It allows
2145-521: A population of fewer than 100 people. The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) started service in 1928 and helps people who live in the outback of Australia. In former times, serious injuries or illnesses often meant death due to the lack of proper medical facilities and trained personnel. Young Indigenous adults from the Gibson Desert region work in the Wilurarra Creative programs to maintain and develop their culture. Indigenous Australians in
2288-469: A result, native title rights could co-exist, depending on the terms and nature of the particular pastoral lease. Where there was a conflict of rights, the rights under the pastoral lease would prevail over native title rights. The Wik decision led to amendments to the Native Title Act 1993 by the Native Title Amendment Act 1998 . This Act, also known as the "10 Point Plan", was introduced by
2431-425: A sought after destination for domestic and international travelers. Tourism Australia explicitly markets nature-based and Indigenous-led experiences to tourists. In the 2015–2016 financial year, 815,000 visitors spent $ 988 million while on holidays in the Northern Territory alone. At Katjarra , there are two camping spots, with shed tanks and long-drop toilets , and Indigenous rangers are available to show tourists
2574-725: A trend of SSE-NNW and continue parallel for great distances. Areas of the formerly desert outback, deserts such as the Simpson Desert from west to east or mountainous regions such as the Arckaringa Hills are characterized by ocean landscapes of charred rocks, called gibberss . As noted by early Australian explorers such as Ernest Giles large portions of the desert are characterized by gravel-covered terrains covered in thin desert grasses and it also contains extensive areas of undulating red sand plains and dunefields, low rocky/gravelly ridges and substantial upland portions with
2717-660: Is among the least modified in the world. The Australian desert has the largest population of feral camels in the world. The area's geology spans a geological time period of over 3.8 billion years, therefore featuring some of the oldest rocks on earth. There are three main cratonic shields of recognised Archaean age within the Australian landmass: The Yilgarn , the Pilbara and the Gawler cratons. Several other Archaean-Proterozoic orogenic belts exist, usually sandwiched around
2860-497: Is concentric and sparse, whereas there is higher intensity rainfall toward the mainland's tropics and coastal areas. Australia lies on the middle of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate and as a result is not influenced by any severe tectonic activity . Over millions of years, the shifting of these tectonic plates has seen the Australian mainland undergo many physical changes. Mountain ranges and seas have come and gone, and
3003-580: Is considerable. Major mines and mining areas in the Outback include opals at Coober Pedy , Lightning Ridge and White Cliffs , metals at Broken Hill , Tennant Creek , Olympic Dam and the remote Challenger Mine . Oil and gas are extracted in the Cooper Basin around Moomba . The Tanami Desert features The Granites gold mine and Coyote Gold Mine . In Western Australia the Argyle diamond mine in
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#17327728137073146-898: Is exposed in the rocks of the Bangemall Basin, Gascoyne Complex granite - gneisses and the Glengarry, Yerrida and Padbury basins. Unknown Proterozoic orogenic belts, possibly similar to the Albany Complex in southern Western Australia and the Musgrave Block , represent the Proterozoic link between the Yilgarn and Gawler cratons, covered by the Proterozoic-Palaeozoic Officer and Amadeus basins . Indigenous Australians have lived in
3289-533: Is formed by the Tanami, Greater Sands, Lesser Sands, Gibson and Greater Victoria Sands in western Australia and a smaller one by the Simpson, Sturt, Strzelecki and Tirari Deserts in the east. Spatially isolated between Great Victoria Sand and Simpson lies the small Pedirka Desert, which spreads out over the geological Pedirka Sedimentary Basin. The Small Sandy Desert connects to the Great Sandy Desert and
3432-511: Is granted, specific rights are decided on a case-by-case basis, and may only sometimes includes freehold title. Australia did not experience litigation involving Aboriginal native title until the 1970s, though several earlier cases tangentially involved issues of native title. In 1835, John Batman purported to sign Batman's Treaty with Aboriginal elders in the Port Phillip District . Governor Bourke declared Batman's Treaty
3575-487: Is host to some of the world's largest open-cut and underground mines. Across the mainland states (besides the ACT), there are over 350 operating mines, producing 19 useful rocks and minerals . These mines allow Australia to be one of the world's largest producers of iron ore , coal , bauxite (aluminium ore), manganese , nickel , copper , gold , silver , cobalt , lead , copper , uranium , opal and diamond . Some of
3718-409: Is mostly determined by the hot, sinking air of the subtropical high-pressure belt (i.e. Australian High ). Dry conditions are associated with an El Niño–Southern Oscillation in Australia. Vegetation in arid areas is primarily dependent upon soil type. The average annual rainfall in the Australian desert ranges from 81 to 250 mm (3.2 to 9.8 in), which would make it a semi-arid climate . But
3861-654: Is not a grant or right created by governments. The Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 (see below) covers the granting of land to Aboriginal Land Trusts; setting up Aboriginal land councils ; mineral rights; decision-making processes for dealing with land; dealing with income from land use agreements; and negotiations about leases for development on Aboriginal land. The Native Title Act 1993 (NTA) gives recognition that "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have rights to land, water and sea, including exclusive possession in some cases, but does not provide ownership". It allows for negotiations over land, but does not provide for
4004-532: Is observed through the states and territories of mainland Australia representing 146 of the 151 members in Parliament . The 25 March 2023 New South Wales state election marked the second time in history that the Australian Labor Party gained control of the entirety of Mainland Australia at the federal and mainland state levels simultaneously (leaving Tasmania as the only state with
4147-422: Is one which has become a matter of heated controversy. If there are serious legal questions to be decided as to the existence or nature of such rights, no doubt the sooner they are decided the better, but the resolution of such questions by the courts will not be assisted by imprecise, emotional or intemperate claims. In this, as in any other litigation, the claimants will be best served if their claims are put before
4290-495: Is recognised under Australian law (s 223 NTA). Commonwealth Government's indigenous.gov.au website: Native title is the recognition in Australian law, under common law and the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), of Indigenous Australians' rights and interests in land and waters according to their own traditional laws and customs. Native title has also been described as a "bundle of rights" in land, which may include such rights as camping, performing ceremony , etc. If native title
4433-467: Is relied on for mail delivery in some areas, owing to sparse settlement and wet-season road closures. Most outback mines have an airstrip and many have a fly-in fly-out workforce. Roads in the desert include: Although the desert covers about three-quarters of the continent, it only supports around 800,000 residents – less than 5% of the Australian population. In addition, there are approximately 1,200 small Indigenous communities, of which almost half have
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4576-486: Is similar in terms of landscape and vegetation. The Western Desert , which describes a cultural region of Australia's indigenous people, includes the Gibson, Great Victoria, Great Sand and Small Sand deserts in the states of Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. Most of the inhabitants of the area are Indigenous Australians . There are other areas in Australia designated as desert that are not related to
4719-527: Is the right to hunt, gather, teach and perform cultural activities and ceremonies, and allow the young people to connect with their land. In March 2023, 8578.35 kilometres along the coast of the Grey River in Victoria. The case was the first Native Title case heard in the state of Victoria for 10 years. At the Federal Court at Warnambool designated the land as native title rights. Native title concerns
4862-431: Is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law , held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rights were first recognised as a part of Australian common law with the decision of Mabo v Queensland (No 2) in 1992. The doctrine was subsequently implemented and modified via statute with
5005-535: The Native Title Act 1993 . The concept recognises that in certain cases there was and is a continued beneficial legal interest in land held by Indigenous peoples which survived the acquisition of radical title and sovereignty to the land by the Crown . Native title can co-exist with non-Aboriginal proprietary rights and in some cases different Aboriginal groups can exercise their native title rights over
5148-617: The Aru Islands , New Guinea , Tasmania , and other Australian offshore islands . The landmass also constitutes the mainland of the territory governed by the Commonwealth of Australia , and the term, along with continental Australia , can be used in a geographic sense to exclude surrounding continental islands and external territories . Generally, the term is applied to the states of New South Wales , Queensland , South Australia , Victoria , and Western Australia , as well as
5291-642: The Astrebla genus ranges from 150 to 500 mm (6 to 19.5 in). Trees cannot take root on the heavy clay soils, and they are riddled with bushfires. Spinifex or hummock semi-desert grows spiny- headed grasses ( Spinifex ) in clumps, next to free areas as green Triodia pungens and blue-grey Triodia basedowii . Zygochloa dominates on the sand dunes of the Simpson, Strzelecki and Tirari deserts. In large areas of desert, semi-desert grasslands with mulga bushes ( Acacia aneura ) predominate. Semi-desert savannas with low-growing acacia species cover large areas in
5434-601: The Australian Capital Territory , Jervis Bay Territory , and Northern Territory . The term is typically used when referring to the relationship between Tasmania and the other Australian states, in that people not from Tasmania are referred to as mainlanders. Tasmania has been omitted on a number of occasions from maps of Australia, reinforcing the divide between Tasmania and the mainland. The 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane left Tasmania off
5577-722: The Barkly Tableland in Northern Territory and the Kimberley region in Western Australia . By international standards, the Great Australian desert receives relatively high rates of rainfall, around 250 mm (9.84 in) on average, but due to the high evapotranspiration it would be correspondingly arid. No Australian weather stations situated in an arid region record less than 100 mm (3.94 in) of average annual rainfall. The deserts in
5720-709: The Eastern Highlands (including the Great Dividing Range ) cover almost 10% of the mainland. Incorporating several mountain ranges which extend 3,700 km (2,300 mi) the Highlands run parallel to the east coast of the mainland; covering Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. The highlands were formed around 80 million years ago, and are some of the oldest and most prominent in
5863-611: The Federal Court of Australia recognised the native title rights of the Gurindji people to 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) of the Wave Hill Station, allowing them to receive royalties as compensation from resource companies who explore the area. Justice Richard White said that the determination recognised Indigenous involvement (Jamangku, Japuwuny, Parlakuna-Parkinykarni and Yilyilyimawu peoples) with
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6006-460: The Fraser government as the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 , which established a procedure to transfer almost 50 per cent of land in the Northern Territory (around 600,000 km2) to collective Aboriginal ownership. The Fraser government continued to implement many of the previous government's initiatives, under the description "self-management" rather than self-determination. In 1979, Paul Coe ,
6149-636: The Gibson Desert . Much of the Western Plateau receives minimal rainfall and thus appears red in colour. Conversely, the Northern Plateau experiences heavy rainfall throughout the wet season (November to April), due to its more tropical location compared to the Western Plateau. Australia's separation from the other continents resulted in a long period of uplift , erosion and thick terrigenous deposition in rift valleys . It
6292-590: The Great Sandy Desert was Peter Egerton Warburton . He arrived on the Western Australian coast badly exhausted and blind in one eye. He owed his survival to Charley, an Aboriginal tracker. The British explorer Ernest Giles , who crossed the desert in 1875, gave it the name Great Victoria Desert . It is dedicated to Queen Victoria . From 1858 onwards, the so-called "Afghan" cameleers and their beasts played an instrumental role in opening up
6435-534: The Howard government . The amendments substantially restricted Native Title by narrowing the right to negotiate and extinguishing Native Title on most pastoral and mining leases granted before 1994. Yorta Yorta v Victoria , addressed a native title claim by the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal people of north central Victoria , which was dismissed by Justice Olney of the Federal Court in 1998. Appeals to
6578-560: The Kimberley is the world's biggest producer of natural diamonds and contributes approximately one-third of the world's natural supply. The Pilbara region's economy is dominated by mining and petroleum industries. Most of Australia's iron ore is also mined in the Pilbara and it also has one of the world's major manganese mines. The outback is reticulated by historic tracks with excellent bitumen surface and well-maintained dirt roads. The Stuart Highway runs from north to south through
6721-541: The Kimberley region, south of Broome . Land rights were recognised over 31,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi) of land (half the size of Tasmania) via an ILUA on 5 July 2011. In May 2004, following the passage of special legislation, South Australian Premier Mike Rann handed back title to 21,000 square kilometres of land to the Maralinga Tjarutja and Pila Nguru people. The land, 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) north-west of Adelaide and abutting
6864-552: The National Native Title Tribunal . After the Mabo decision it was uncertain as to whether the granting of pastoral leases would extinguish native title. The Wik Decision in 1996 clarified the uncertainty. The court found that the statutory pastoral leases (which cover some 40% of the Australian land mass) under consideration by the court did not bestow rights of exclusive possession on the leaseholder. As
7007-539: The Native Title Act by the Australian Law Reform Commission reported that "Courts have indicated that native title is not to be understood in terms equivalent to common law property interests, but they often still tend to draw on these concepts... The prevailing view of the nature and content of native title is hybrid, drawing on traditional laws and customs for content, but also at times idiosyncratically adopting common law terms to describe
7150-539: The Native Title Act 1993 , is a body that applies the "registration test" to all new native title claimant applications, and undertakes future act mediation and arbitral functions. The Attorney-General's Department advises the Australian Government on legal and legal-policy regarding on native title, and assists the Attorney-General to administer the Native Title Act 1993 . According to
7293-654: The Northern Territory and parts of South Australia . Over one-third of the mainland, the Plateaus are made of one stable block of igneous and metamorphic rock which is up to 3.6 billion years old. Despite this, the Plateau is a huge area of tablelands, averaging 500m above sea level in some parts. It is home to Uluru , Kata Tjuta , the Finke River , the Victorian Desert , the Great Sandy Desert and
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#17327728137077436-594: The Northern Territory . The isolated desert areas remained undeveloped for a long time. For example, the Spinifex people first had contact with whites in the 1950s, when they were expelled from their tribal lands because of nuclear weapons testing (1950–1963) by the British and Australian governments. The Pintupi Nine , a group of nine Aboriginal people of the Pintupi tribe, lived a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in
7579-633: The Northern Territory . Prime Minister Gough Whitlam introduced a new policy of Aboriginal self-determination , and initiatives such as the Aboriginal Land Fund and the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee was set up. The latter consisted of elected Aboriginal representatives, who would advise the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. The Whitlam government introduced legislation later passed by
7722-607: The Nullarbor Plain . The Dieri tribe lives in a large area of the Simpson, Strzelecki and Tirari deserts. The rock art and archaeological site at Karnatukul was, until recently, estimated to have been inhabited for up to 25,000 years, and known as the site of the oldest continuous recorded occupation in the Western Desert cultural region . Karnakatul shows one of the earliest uses of firewood, and habitation continued through times of extreme climate change , when
7865-600: The Pama–Nyungan language family. Ethnic groups include the Kartudjara , Warumungu people , Pitjantjatjara , Panyjima people , Kuyani , Yankunytjatjara , Kunapa , Manjiljarra , Ayerrereng , Yuruwinga , Yulparija and the Maduwongga . Popular movies set or filmed in the Australian desert include: Mainland Australia Mainland Australia is the main landmass of the Australian continent , excluding
8008-654: The Simpson Desert . Before that, the great Australian explorers Charles Sturt and David Lindsay had failed. While the early explorers used horses to cross the Outback, the first woman to make the journey riding a horse was Anna Hingley , who rode from Broome to Cairns in 2006. The nuclear weapons trials carried out by the United Kingdom at Maralinga and Emu Field in the 1950s and early 1960s have left areas contaminated with plutonium-239 and other radioactive material. A large contiguous desert area
8151-457: The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory , Justice Richard Blackburn explicitly rejected the concept of native title, ruling against the claimants on a number of issues of law and fact. In the wake of Milirrpum and the election of the Whitlam government in 1972, the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission (also known as the Woodward Royal Commission) was established in 1973 to inquire into appropriate ways to recognise Aboriginal land rights in
8294-410: The Western Australia border, was then called the Unnamed Conservation Park. It is now known as Mamungari Conservation Park . It includes the Serpentine Lakes , and was the largest land return since 1984. At the 2004 ceremony Rann said the return of the land fulfilled a promise he made to Archie Barton in 1991 when he was Aboriginal Affairs Minister, after he passed legislation to return lands including
8437-523: The Western Desert cultural bloc , such as the Wati languages , the Panyjima language , Wangkatha , Noongar language , the Yankunytjatjara dialect and the Pitjantjatjara dialect . There is also the Adnyamathanha language in South Australia. Other (extant) language clusters include the Kalkatungic languages , Ngarna languages Arandic languages , Ngumpin–Yapa languages , Warumungu languages , Ngayarda languages , Kanyara-Mantharta languages and Thura-Yura languages . Most of these languages belong in
8580-409: The black-flanked rock-wallaby , marsupial moles , rufous hare-wallabies , yellow-footed rock wallaby , western grey kangaroos , and red kangaroos . Some of the bird-life found within the desert include the rare Alexandra's parrot , wedge-tailed eagles , Australian bustard , the mulga parrot , the scarlet-chested parrot and the chestnut-breasted whiteface ( Aphelocephala pectoralis ) found on
8723-456: The crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda) . One way to survive here is to burrow into the sands, as a number of the desert's animals, including the southern marsupial mole (Notoryctes typhlops) , and the water-holding frog do. Reptiles live in large numbers in the deserts, for example the woma python , thorny devil , bearded dragon , monitor lizard , frilled dragon and geckos . Frog species that have adapted to drought, such as
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#17327728137078866-454: The desertification occurred as the polar ice sheets expanded. The oldest examples of rock art, in Western Australia's Pilbara region and the Olary district of South Australia , are estimated to be up to around 40,000 years old. The oldest firmly dated evidence of rock art painting in Australia is a charcoal drawing on a small rock fragment found during the excavation of the Narwala Gabarnmang rock shelter in south-western Arnhem Land in
9009-459: The sand goanna (Varanus gouldii) . Many introduced species have affected the fauna and flora of Australia's desert regions. The Australian feral camel affects native vegetation, partly because Australian desert vegetation evolved without any major herbivores present. Uncontrolled access to more sensitive areas by four-wheel-drive vehicles is also an issue. Feral cats have reduced the populations of bilbies and mulgara . Australia's climate
9152-514: The 17th and 18th century, progressively mapping what we now know to be as (mainland) Australia. The most famous and well documented expedition of Australia occurred 164 years after Janszoon's journey, through British navigator and explorer James Cook . He documented the first interaction of the Eastern Australian coastline, and on 23 April 1770, Cook made the first recorded observation of Indigenous Australians at nowadays Brush Island . This journey, coupled with numerous other reports, ultimately led
9295-508: The Attorney-General's Department: There are fundamental differences between land rights and native title . Land rights are rights created by the Australian , state or territory governments. Land rights usually consist of a grant of freehold or perpetual lease title to Indigenous Australians . By contrast, native title arises as a result of the recognition, under Australian common law, of pre-existing Indigenous rights and interests according to traditional laws and customs . Native title
9438-423: The Australian coastal regions. The most common creatures in Australia's arid regions are insects, such as termites and ants, which are of great importance to the ecology. Animals in the desert include feral camels , dingoes , goannas (including the large perentie ) and numerous species of lizards and birds. Mammals include bilbies , mulgara , common brushtail possum , rufous hare-wallaby , burrowing bettong ,
9581-549: The Australian deserts mentioned above. On Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia is an area of two square kilometres (0.77 sq mi) called the Little Sahara , a formation of several sand dunes on its south coast. In Victoria, about 375 km (235 mi) west of Melbourne, there is still the Little Desert National Park . The Painted Desert is 121 kilometres (75 mi) northwest of Coober Pedy in South Australia. The almost treeless Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia, made of limestone , are also known as
9724-498: The Australian mainland was by Willem Janszoon in 1606, as he sailed around Australia's north coast arriving in present-day Cape York, Queensland . These explorations led way to the term ' Terra Australis ', Latin for South Land, which was hypothesised on the notion there must be land in the Southern Hemisphere to balance the land mass in the Northern Hemisphere . This encounter led several other Dutch , Spanish , Portuguese and British journeyings to Terra Australis throughout
9867-445: The Australian mainland, and one in Tasmania . All six colonies were constitutionally connected to Britain , each with their own parliament and courts , with their respective laws subject to the laws of British Parliament . These colonies formed the six states of Australia; New South Wales , Victoria , Western Australia , South Australia (included the Northern Territory at this time), Queensland and Tasmania . In 1901,
10010-421: The Australian mainland, the Central Lowlands (and Deserts) are low-lying with an average height of under 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level. It is home to the Sturt and Simpson deserts and closer to Central Australia lie some desert mountain ranges ( MacDonnell and Musgrave ). The Central Lowlands incorporates three primary drainage basins : in the North, the Carpentaria Lowlands , Lake Eyre toward
10153-411: The British to establish a penal colony in Australia, firstly at Botany Bay . The Australian mainland's geology and climate is one of its defining features. Despite being surrounded by ocean, approximately 20% of the Australian mainland is classified as desert . This is due to the extremely variable rain patterns across the mainland. Toward the barren centre of the mainland, the rainfall pattern
10296-489: The Crown; and rights over the land may range from access and usage rights to rights of exclusive possession. Native title rights and interests are based on laws and customs that pre-date the British acquisition of sovereignty; they are distinct from the rights granted by government such as statutory land rights of the kind found in the Land Rights Act . Native title rights and interests may exist over land and waters to
10439-598: The Desert Trilling Frog ( Neobatrachus centralis ) and the Desert Tree Frog ( Litoria rubella ), can also occur. The most numerous species of lizards in the world can be found in the Australian desert, there are over 40 species of them there. In addition to fish, the few permanent freshwater holes are also home to mussels, crustaceans and insects. 34 species of fish occur in Lake Eyre and others at
10582-578: The Federal Court to determine who may mediate a claim, whether that be the court itself, the Native Title Tribunal, or otherwise. Northern Territory v Mr Griffiths and Lorraine Jones was a 2018 High Court of Australia case, ruled in 2019, regarding land around Timber Creek, Northern Territory , involving a compensation claim by Ngaliwurru and Nungali lands surrounding Timber Creek. It related to various earlier cases since 1997. Described as "the most significant [case]… since Mabo ",
10725-507: The Federal Court, which may also order mediation by other agencies or persons. The purpose of mediation is to assist parties to clarify the issues in dispute, to explore options for settlement and to reach agreement. Mediation is a structured process, with the intention of a mutually agreed outcome rather than having a decision imposed by a judge. Alternative settlements (also termed "broader settlements" ) may be negotiated out of court, often being resolved more quickly and efficiently than via
10868-580: The Full Bench of the Federal Court in 2001, and the High Court in 2002 were also dismissed. The determination by Justice Olney in 1998 ruled that the 'tide of history' had 'washed away' any real acknowledgement of traditional laws and any real observance of traditional customs by the applicants. The 2002 High Court decision adopted strict requirements of continuity of traditional laws and customs for native title claims to succeed. Ward v Western Australia (1998) addressed an application made on behalf of
11011-488: The Gibson Desert until October 1984, when they first encountered whites as they left the desert. Both discoveries were sensations at the time. Large parts of the Australian desert areas are part of the Desert Cultural Area. Important cultural sites include Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa . Aboriginal Australians of the desert produced many important artists, one of the first and most famous being Albert Namatjira , who
11154-503: The Great Australian Desert is diverse, where it consists of semi-desert grassy or mountainous landscapes, xeric shrubs , salt pans , gibber (stony) deserts, red sand dunes , sandstone mesas , rocky plains, open tree savannahs and bushland with a few rivers and salt lakes , which are mostly seasonally dry and often have no outflow in the east. The 3 million km (1.2 million sq mi) desert
11297-661: The High Court decided the Blue Mud Bay sea rights case , establishing a precedent for sea rights over an intertidal zone for the first time. The Yolngu people of Baniyala were involved in this case, which involved Blue Mud Bay in East Arnhem Land . In 2007 the Howard government passed the Native Title Amendment Act 2007 , and the Native Title Amendment (Technical Amendments) Act 2007,
11440-411: The High Court ruled for the first time on compensation for the extinguishment of native title in Australia. It is considered a "landmark" native title case, because the clauses contained within the Native Title Act 1993 pertaining to the determination of compensation payable due to the extinguishment of native title had never been heard before in the High Court. Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation
11583-619: The Indigenous land use agreement or, in Victoria, a settlement under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (TOSA). Alternative settlements agreements can be made alongside the Native Title Act , but usually the traditional owners are required to withdraw any existing native title claims. Such settlements can include any matters agreed to by all parties, which may included recognition of traditional owner rights, grants of freehold for specified purposes, or
11726-523: The Miriuwung and Gajerrong people of the east Kimberly, over land in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Justice Malcolm Lee of the Federal Court ruled in their favour in recognition of the native title. Western Australia appealed the decision to the Full Court of the Federal Court, then to the High Court. The High Court held in Western Australia v Ward that native title is
11869-590: The Nullarbor Desert. There are four known types of terrestrial deserts: Australian deserts generally meet the first three criteria, although some coastal desert areas exist in Western Australia. The great ocean circulation in the south of the continent and the cold sea currents in the southern zone play the fourth crucial role, indirectly at the origin of the long periods of continental drought by imposing high atmospheric pressures. As for
12012-452: The Outback and helping to build infrastructure. The Sturt Stony Desert was named by Charles Sturt in 1844, while he was trying to find the inland sea which he believed lay at the centre of Australia. In 1866 Peter Egerton Warburton 's expedition reached the Tirari desert from the west. The Overland Telegraph line was constructed in the 1870s along the route identified by Stuart. In 1865
12155-447: The US case of Cherokee Nation v Georgia (1831) . However, the substantive issue of continuing land rights was not heard due to the lack of precision, vagueness and other serious deficiencies with the statement of claim presented to the court. Justice Gibbs said, at paragraph 21, 'The question what rights the aboriginal people of this country have, or ought to have, in the lands of Australia
12298-510: The area is covered by hummock grasslands ( Triodia spp.), with a few eucalypts , acacias , grevilleas , and bloodwoods ( Corymbia chippendalei and Corymbia opaca ) are found on sand hills. The vegetation of the dunefields of the Tirari Desert is dominated by either Sandhill Wattle ( Acacia ligulata ) or Sandhill Cane-grass ( Zygochloa paradoxa ) which occur on the crests and slopes of dunes. Tall, open shrubland also occurs on
12441-563: The artesian springs (e.g. at Dalhousie Springs in South Australia). Over 40 species of frogs have been observed after heavy rains. The Dingo Fence was built to restrict movements of dingoes and wild dogs into agricultural areas towards the south east of the continent. Predators of the desert include the dingo (as the desert is north of the Dingo Fence ) and two large monitor lizards, the perentie (Varanus giganteus) and
12584-532: The centre and the Murray-Darling Basin down South. The lowest point on the mainland is found in this division at Lake Eyre, at 50m below sea level. Approximately 144 to 65 million years ago ( Cretaceous period), there lay a great inland sea, stretching over one quarter of the mainland. The evaporation of this ocean left behind what we now know as the Western Plateau. The Western and Northern Plateaus incorporate nearly all Western Australia and
12727-594: The centre of the continent, roughly paralleled by the Tarcoola-Darwin railway line . There is a proposal to develop some of the roads running from the south-west to the north-east to create an all-weather road named the Outback Highway , crossing the continent diagonally from Laverton, Western Australia (north of Kalgoorlie ), through the Northern Territory to Winton , in Queensland. Air transport
12870-485: The continuing connection of Indigenous People to land, independent from a grant from the Crown. Native title would continue to exist as long as traditional laws and customs continue to be observed, unless the rights were otherwise extinguished by an incompatible grant by the Crown. Justice Gerard Brennan in this landmark decision stated: However, when the tide of history has washed away any real acknowledgment of traditional law and any real observance of traditional customs,
13013-739: The court dispassionately, lucidly and in proper form'. The South Australian Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land Rights Act 1981 was introduced by Premier Don Dunstan in November 1978, several months prior to his resignation from Parliament. An amended bill, following extensive consultation, was passed by the Tonkin Liberal government in March 1981. This legislation gave significant rights well in advance of any other to date in Australia. In 1981, SA Premier Tonkin returned 102,650 square kilometres (39,630 sq mi) of land (10.2% of
13156-445: The court process under the Native Title Act . They can give traditional owner group recognition in areas where native title rights have been extinguished, or where it is difficult for a group to prove that it persists. Such agreements are resolved through negotiation, and recognition of traditional ownership and various other land rights in land may be achieved without an actual native title determination. Examples of such arrangements are
13299-610: The decision of the High Court. The claimants reached an agreement about the claim area and a determination was made in 2003. "Exclusive possession native title was recognised over Lacrosse Island , Kanggurru Island, Aboriginal reserves within the Kununurra townsite, Glen Hill pastoral lease and Hagan Island. Non-exclusive rights were recognised over a number of areas including islands in Lake Argyle." Yarmirr v Northern Territory (2001), addressed an application made on behalf of
13442-464: The desert areas for thousands of years. They subsisted on the local flora and fauna, now known as bush food , and made sure that their sources of drinking water remained intact. The nomads moved in clearly demarcated tribal areas. For example, important tribes living in the desert areas include the Arrernte , Luritja and Pitjantjatjara . The latter tribe's sphere of influence extended from Uluṟu to
13585-445: The desert for at least 50,000 years and occupied all Outback regions, including the driest deserts, when Europeans first entered central Australia in the 1800s. Many Indigenous Australians retain strong physical and cultural links to their traditional country and are legally recognised as the traditional owners of large parts of the Outback under Commonwealth Native Title legislation. Aboriginal tribes and clans have been nomadic in
13728-581: The desert regions include the Kogara, the Mirning and the Pitjantjatjara . Aboriginal populations have been increasing in this region. Inhabited areas within the Great Australian desert include many towns and as well as some cities, such as: The Aboriginal languages with the most speakers today in the desert include Upper Arrernte , Walmajarri , Warlpiri , and the Western Desert languages within
13871-559: The eastern edge of the Great Victoria Desert and the malleefowl of Mamungari Conservation Park . About 103 species of mammals lived there at the time of European colonization, of which 19 are extinct, such as the desert bandicoot ( Perameles eremiana ), the numbat ( Myrmecobius fasciatus ) and the long-tailed bouncy mouse ( Notomys longicaudatus ). The main survivors are small rodents, insectivorous bats, marsupials , kangaroos and wallabies. A major threat to vegetation are
14014-556: The eastern end of the arid zone is the so-called Witchetty Bush. This area is home to the endemic species of acacia, Acacia kempeana , which feeds the wood borer larva, the witchetty maggot, up to three inches in size. It is high in protein and was an important part of the Aboriginal diet. Eucalyptus woodland thrives along the dry riverbeds. Grasses grow on the soil under the eucalypts. Chenopodiaceae shrubs, which usually do not exceed 1.5 m (5 ft) in height, are found in
14157-630: The edges of these major cratonic shields. The history of the Archaean cratons is extremely complex and protracted. The cratons appear to have been accumulated to form the greater Australian landmass in the late Archaean to meso- Proterozoic , (~2400 Ma to 1,600 Ma). Chiefly the Capricorn Orogeny is partly responsible for the assembly of the West Australian landmass by connecting the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons. The Capricorn Orogeny
14300-493: The extent that they are consistent with other rights established over the land by law or executive action. According to the National Native Title Tribunal (2013): "The native title rights and interests held by particular Aboriginal people will depend on both their traditional laws and customs and what interests are held by others in the area concerned. Generally speaking, native title must give way to
14443-470: The fifth hypothesis of cold or frozen deserts, as absurd as this assertion may appear in present-day Australia, they existed several million years ago. Geomorphologists thus explain a number of spectacular rock formations, from the Mount Olga or Uluru to the over-deepened wave of the wind rocks, by involving a thaw of (peri)glacial formations followed by wind action over a long period. The sand ridges have
14586-693: The forces of weathering and erosion have formed much of the mainlands current topography . These physical changes developed four primary landform divisions spread throughout the mainland states and territories; the Coastal Plains, the Eastern and Southern highlands , the Central Lowlands (and Deserts) and the Western and Northern Plateaus (and Basins). Along the Eastern seaboard of
14729-474: The foundation of native title has disappeared. Thus although over some parts of Australia native title has been lost, in large areas of the nation's interior, native title could be recognised. As Justice Brennan stated in Mabo (No. 2) , "native title has its origin and is given its content by the traditional laws acknowledged by and the customs observed by the Aboriginal inhabitants of a territory". One year after
14872-491: The free-roaming camels in the desert. Over 300 species of birds live in the desert areas, including emus , ratites , parrots, cockatoos, owls and raptors. The desert includes many types of lizards, including the vulnerable great desert skink ( Egernia kintorei ), the Central Ranges taipan (discovered in 2007), and a number of small marsupials, including the endangered sandhill dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) and
15015-423: The interaction of two systems of law: Native title is the term adopted in Australian law to describe the rights to land and waters possessed by Indigenous Australians under their customary laws that are recognised by the Australian legal system. Native title is able to be possessed by a community or individual depending on the content of the traditional laws and customs; it is inalienable other than by surrender to
15158-521: The interior and south lack any significant summer rains. The desert in western Australia is well explained by the little evaporation of the cold sea current of the West Australian Current , of polar origin, which prevents significant rainfall in the interior of the continent . About 40% of Australia is covered by dunes. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils . In addition to being mostly uninhabited,
15301-474: The land "at least since European settlement and probably for millennia". The court sitting took place nearly 800 kilometres (500 mi) south of Darwin, and descendants of Vincent Lingiari and others involved in the Wave Hill walk-off celebrated the determination. The owners will participate in the mining negotiations and exploration work, from which royalties may flow in the future, but just as important
15444-615: The land mass, as well as about 5,435 km (2,098 sq mi) of sea. Native title in Australia frequently involves mediation between native title parties and other groups with an interest in native title, such as the Australian Government, state and territory governments, miners and pastoralists. Amendments to the NTA made in 2012 meant that the NNTT would henceforth only conduct native title claim mediation by referral from
15587-600: The largest mines on the Australian mainland are listed below: Gold Lead Uranium Gold Silver Copper Underground The Australian mainland's various geology and climate, has led to the increased utilisation of renewable energy ( solar , wind and hydro ) over recent decades. In 2021, approximately 28.9% of the mainland's total electricity generation was from renewable energy sources with South Australia at 66.5% renewable energy generation, Victoria at 33.4%, Western Australia at 31.5%, New South Wales at 26.0% and Queensland at 19.6%. The majority of this renewable energy
15730-545: The mainland are the Coastal Plains; a narrow strip of land along the East coast of Australia from Queensland to Victoria . This division is host to some of the mainland's major cities, namely, Brisbane , Sydney and Melbourne , due to its hospitable conditions. Some sources refer to the Coastal Plains as the entire coastline of the mainland, outspreading beyond the East Coast. Approximately 100 km (62 mi) inland,
15873-553: The map of Australia during the opening ceremony, as did the designs of the Australian Swim Team uniform for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow . The land mass covers 7,591,608 km (2,931,136 sq mi), about 98.7% of the area of the country of Australia and 1.5% of Earth 's surface. It is sometimes described as an island, in which case it would be the largest island by area –more than three times
16016-400: The name on his second expedition to this desert region, which ended in 1900. "Tanami" was the original Aboriginal name for two rock caves with clear drinking water. The Simpson Desert got its name from Allen Simpson , a geographer who ventured into this desert in 1845. The name was suggested by explorer and geologist Cecil Madigan . In 1936, Edmund Colson became the first white man to cross
16159-513: The nature or character of the rights". It is a complex area of law. The Act continues to be reviewed and amended. The National Native Title Register (NNTR), maintained by the NNTT, is a register of approved native title determinations. A determination can be that native title does or does not exist. As part of the determination of native title, native title groups are required to nominate a Native Title Prescribed Body Corporate to hold (as trustee) or manage (as agent) their native title. Following
16302-468: The north. Extensive areas are covered by longitudinal dunes . The northwestern region of the desert is one which gives rise to the heat lows which help drive the NW monsoon . There, almost all rain comes from monsoon thunderstorms or the occasional tropical cyclone rain depression. Frost does not occur in most of the area in the far north. The regions bordering the Gibson Desert in the far southeast may record
16445-584: The official capital of Australia, and Parliament would sit in Melbourne until the city (now Canberra ) was built. In 1909, this compromise was agreed upon and was finally legislated in 1911. On 12 March 1913, Canberra was officially named as the capital of Australia. In 1915, Jervis Bay territory was added to the Australian Capital Territory to ensure the Commonwealth had a seaport . 27°S 133°E / 27°S 133°E / -27; 133 Traditional owners Native title
16588-466: The oldest living populations in the world outside of Africa . Prior to the arrival of Europeans on the Australian mainland in the late 18th century, over 500 different clan groups (nations) each with unique cultures, beliefs and languages inhabited territories on the mainland. Currently, Indigenous people living on the mainland make up 2.4% of the total Australian population, encompassing over 250 language groups. The first documented encounter of
16731-436: The part of the range that is open to the public. Riversleigh , in Queensland, is one of Australia's most renowned fossil sites and was recorded as a World Heritage site in 1994. The 100 km (39 sq mi) area contains fossil remains of ancient mammals, birds and reptiles of Oligocene and Miocene age. There are several popular tourist attractions in the desert, which include: Other than agriculture and tourism,
16874-535: The primary economic activity in the vast and sparsely settled desert is mining. Owing to the almost complete absence of mountain building and glaciation since the Permian (in many areas since the Cambrian ) ages, the outback is extremely rich in iron, aluminum, manganese and uranium ores, and also contains major deposits of gold, nickel, copper, lead and zinc ores. Because of its size, the value of grazing and mining
17017-539: The recognition of the legal concept of native title in Mabo , the Keating government formalised the recognition by legislation with the enactment by the Australian Parliament of the Native Title Act 1993 . The Act attempted to clarify the legal position of landholders and the processes to be followed for native title to be claimed, protected and recognised through the courts. The Act also established
17160-495: The regions (most of which are dried up saline lakes ), include: Rivers and creeks, which are sparse and generally ephemeral , in the Australian desert include: Two types of semi-desert, referred to as " grassland " in Australia, occur in the Australian deserts: Tussock – or Mitchell grasslands are found in the desert areas of the Northern Territory, South Australia and western Queensland. The annual precipitation that falls on these marl and alluvial soils covered with grasses of
17303-666: The rejection of native title in Milirrpum v Nabalco was overruled by the High Court in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) , which recognised the Meriam people of Murray Island (Mer) in the Torres Strait as native title holders over part of their traditional lands. The Court rejected the notion that all Indigenous rights to land were abolished upon acquisition of sovereignty over Australia. The Court held that native title rights continued to exist, and that these rights existed by virtue of
17446-662: The rights held by others. The capacity of Australian law to recognise the rights and interests held under traditional law and custom will also be a factor... The source of native title is the system of traditional laws and customs of the native title holders themselves." Native title rights and interests may include the right to live in an area or to access it for traditional purposes; to visit and protect sacred sites; to hunt, fish or gather resources; or to teach law and custom. Exclusive possession can only be recognised over certain parts of Australia, such as vacant Crown land , or areas already held by Indigenous Australians. A 2015 review of
17589-613: The sacred Ooldea area (which also included the site of Daisy Bates ' mission camp) to the Maralinga Tjarutja people. The Maralinga Tjarutja lands now total 102,863 square kilometres. The Aboriginal peoples of the Wimmera region of Western Victoria won recognition of their native title on 13 December 2005 after a ten-year legal process commenced in 1995 when they filed an application for a determination of native title in respect of certain land and waters in Western Victoria. It
17732-409: The same land. The Federal Court of Australia arranges mediation in relation to claims made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and hears applications for, and makes, native title determinations. Appeals against these determinations can be made to a full sitting of the Federal Court and then to the High Court of Australia . The National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT), established under
17875-475: The sea and sea-bed; however common law rights of fishing and navigation mean that only non-exclusive native title can exist over the sea. The decision paved the way for other native title applications involving waters to proceed. Nangkiriny v State of Western Australia (2002 & 2004), in which John Dudu Nangkiriny and others were plaintiffs, were cases addressing the claims of the Karajarri people in
18018-566: The six states were united as the Commonwealth of Australia , under a new federal constitution . In 1911, the Northern Territory was transferred from South Australia to the Commonwealth and formed a territory . After Federation in 1901, it was always assumed the Australian capital would be on the mainland . However, the location of the capital sparked years of negotiating between politicians in New South Wales and Victoria,
18161-520: The size of Greenland . Its population is about 25.9 million, 98% of Australia's total population. Mainland Australia has a variety of climatic regions, ranging from tropical rainforests and deserts to cool temperature rainforests to snow-covered mountains. It is in these mainland regions that much of Australia's native flora and fauna can be found. Early in the Cretaceous period, 130 million years ago, Australia (and Antarctica ) separated from
18304-638: The slopes. In drier areas, species including Old Man Saltbush ( Atriplex nummularia ), Cottonbush ( Maireana aphylla ) and Queensland Bluebush ( Chenopodium auricomum ) form a sparse, open shrubland, whereas swamps and depressions are frequently associated with Swamp Cane-grass ( Eragrostis australasica ) and Lignum ( Muehlenbeckia florulenta ). The intermittent watercourses and permanent waterholes associated with tributaries of Cooper Creek support woodland dominated by River Red Gum ( Eucalyptus camaldulensis ) and Coolibah ( Eucalyptus coolabah ). Numerous salt lakes form after heavy rainfall and at times fill
18447-565: The south of the arid zone, where 200 to 500 mm of precipitation falls in winter and summer. The acacia species, called mulga, grow on the plains, mountain slopes and hills of the deserts. In connection with the bushfires , which are mainly ignited by the spinifex grasses, the non-resistant mulga bushes burn, which then no longer grow back. There is evidence that Aboriginal people did not start bushfires in mulga landscapes. The desert areas covered by mulga are also threatened by deforestation , extensive livestock farming and fuel wood production. At
18590-516: The southern desert areas. They are salt plants that grow on both dry and saline soils. In the deserts there are permanent or percolating patches of freshwater formed in rocky areas or in sandstone canyons. Bluebush and saltbush species grow in heavier soils. Between the sand ridges, the areas of wooded steppe consist of Eucalyptus gongylocarpa , Eucalyptus youngiana , and Acacia aneura (mulga) shrubs scattered over areas of resilient spinifex grasses, particularly Triodia basedowii . Most of
18733-592: The state's land area) to the Pitjantjara and Yankunytjatjara people. However, it did not give the people the power of veto over mining activities; any disputes would need to be resolved by an independent arbitrator. In 1984 Premier John Bannon 's Labor government passed legislation to return lands to the Maralinga Tjarutja people. The legislation was proclaimed in January 1985 and was followed by
18876-480: The surveyor George Goyder , using changes in vegetation patterns, mapped a line in South Australia , north of which he considered rainfall to be too unreliable to support agriculture. British explorer Ernest Giles named the Gibson Desert in memory of Alfred Gibson , who went missing during an 1873–74 expedition. The Tanami Desert was named by explorer and prospector Allan Davidson . He only assigned
19019-559: The two most prominent states, who each wanted their capital, Sydney and Melbourne respectively, to become the new country's capital. After years of debate to no avail, the two states decided on a compromise that met the requirements of the Australian Constitution . A separate territory (the Australian Capital Territory ) was to be established on land given by New South Wales, however it must be at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney. This territory would contain
19162-401: The underlying salt flats. The salt lakes occupy relatively small areas in the desert areas. For example, a major salt lake is Lake Eyre , which spans areas of the Gibson and Tirari deserts and fills up completely and then dries up about once every 25 years. Seventeen headwaters have formed in the deserts as a result of the subsurface Great Artesian Basin , one of the largest freshwater basins in
19305-425: The world. The water coming out of the springs is rich in minerals. The springs partially form the habitat of endemic fish and the spring area is overgrown with rare plants. Numerous springs have dried up due to extensive agricultural use in the last 100 years. Threats to biodiversity include wildfires , feral animals , weeds, and uncontrolled grazing. Significantly fewer animals live in the Australian deserts than in
19448-529: The world. This area is very rugged and primarily consists of a series of tablelands and plateaus. The highlands are much more prominent toward the south east of the mainland and form the Southern Highlands, which are located across (south) New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. These Southern highlands experience snowfall for more than half the year during the winter due to their higher altitude. Occupying approximately 25% of
19591-678: Was "void and of no effect as against the rights of the Crown" and declared any person on "vacant land of the Crown" without authorization from the Crown to be trespassing. The proclamation was approved by the Colonial Office. The official objection to the Treaty was that Batman had attempted to negotiate directly with the Aboriginal people, whom the British did not recognise as having any claim to any lands in Australia. In 1971, in Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd (the "Gove land rights case") in
19734-540: Was born in Hermannsburg in the Great Sandy Desert . About a third of Australia's deserts are now Aboriginal lands. A very large part of it is managed by them as a nature reserve. A number of tribes have land use rights for almost all other desert regions. Today, numerous Aboriginal peoples live in settlements in the deserts. The Strzelecki Desert was named in 1845 by explorer Charles Sturt after Polish explorer Paul Edmund Strzelecki . The first European to cross
19877-405: Was generated through wind and solar , proportionally contributing 35.9% and 38.3% respectively. Australian political decisions are typically deliberated and enacted within the limits of homeland (mainland Australia) soil. Despite Tasmania being one of Australia's six British establishment colonies , Tasmania has often been looked over due to the state's small size and general isolation. This
20020-682: Was involved in a large native title claim from 1996, based on the Native Title Act 1993 , resulting in an historic determination in February 2020, involving both native title and an ILUA, covering an area of 48,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi) in Western Australia. A claim was lodged in 2016 by the Central Land Council on behalf of the Gurindji peoples in the area, as there were mining interests in area covered by Wave Hill Station 's pastoral lease. On 8 September 2020,
20163-460: Was the first judgment recognising native title over a capital city and its surroundings. The claim area itself is part of a much larger area included in the "Single Noongar Claim", covering the south-western corner of Western Australia. An appeal was subsequently lodged and in 2008 the Full Court of the Federal Court upheld parts of the appeal by the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments against Justice Wilcox's judgment. The 2008 decision by
20306-631: Was the first successful native title claim in south-eastern Australia and in Victoria, determined by Justice Ron Merkel involving Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali , Wergaia and Jupagalk people. In his reasons for judgment Justice Merkel explained the significance of his orders: In 2005 the Federal Court brought down a judgment recognising the native title of the Noongar people over the Perth metropolitan area. Justice Wilcox found that native title continues to exist within an area in and around Perth. It
20449-433: Was these processes which over millions of years has led to the accumulation of Australia's main known mineral , oil and gas resources. Most of Australia's oil and gas exploration occurs off the mainland. However, on the mainland, the abundance of minerals (and thus metals ) has formed the basis of Australia's dependence on mining ; exporting much of these natural occurring resources overseas. The Australian mainland
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