Karratha and Australia’s West Pilbara Coast are inhabited by an incredibly diverse array of native animals, plants, marine life and wildflowers. From the lush oasis of Millstream Chichester National Park and rugged rocky plains to the underwater world of the Dampier Archipelago, you can encounter many unique and fascinating species.
Native Australian animals
The animals most commonly encountered on WA’s rocky West Pilbara Coast include the euro (a stocky kangaroo) and the iconic red kangaroo, which can often be seen skipping across the region’s vast rugged plains.
Black flying foxes are easily seen at Millstream Chichester National Park and a variety of birds can be spotted during the cooler hours of the day, especially near the water’s edge. A total of fourteen species of dragonfly and damselfly have also been recorded in the park’s wetlands.
Look out for large bungarras, often seen by the side of the road or sometimes crossing it. Bungarra is the Aboriginal name for Vatranus gouldii or sand monitor, the most common species of the goanna (lizard) family. It’s considered to be the tastiest local bush tucker and requires speed and great skill for the barefoot Aboriginal hunter to track and catch the bungarra in the spinifex.
Marine life
Various forms of marine life frequent the islands of the Dampier Archipelago. Green, loggerhead, flatback and hawksbill turtles have nesting sites on many of the islands’ beaches, while bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales and dugongs can often be sighted in the waters surrounding the Archipelago, Point Samson Peninsular and Settlers Beach in Cossack.
Western Australian wildflowers
Blankets of mulla-mulla and Sturt’s desert pea cover the landscape following the Pilbara tropical season rains. The soft yellow flowers of the wattles and the orange cockroach bush provide a dramatic contrast to the rust red earth. Generally, the best time to see wildflowers on WA’s West Pilbara coast is during the winter months, from June to August.
Sturt's desert pea
Sturt’s desert pea (Willdampia formosa or Swainsona formosa) is the most commonly identified of all the wildflowers on WA’s West Pilbara Coast. Named after the explorer Charles Sturt, who encountered vast drifts of them while exploring the central regions of South Australia, the first specimen was actually collected from East Lewis Island, in the Dampier Archipelago, by William Dampier in 1699. Formerly named Clianthus formosus, its current Latin names are derived from Dampier and Isaac Swainson, who maintained a private botanic garden near London in the late 18th century.
This amazing Western Australian (WA) wildflower spreads out as a prostrate annual or short-lived perennial with a permanent rootstock. The flower stalks rise from leaf axils, and being legumes, their seedpods are pea-like capsules. The plant blooms in spring, especially after heavy rains. There are three varieties in the Pilbara: crimson with red bosses (the raised centres of the flower); crimson with black bosses; and a white hybrid variety which is less common. A maroon and white variety has been identified and photographed but not found recently. Sturt’s desert pea is easily grown from seed but can be grafted. The small seed has a long viability so you can keep seeds in storage for many years.
Native plants
Species of plants which are typically found in the tropical north grow on the fringes of permanent freshwater water pools throughout WA’s West Pilbara Coast. Of special interest is the Millstream palm, with its fanned, greyish-green leaves and smooth bark. Exotic date palms and cotton palms, which were introduced by early pioneers, have now spread throughout the Millstream Delta.
Reference books
The Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation has published several books recording the animals and plants of WA’s West Pilbara Coast. The book ‘Wanggalili’ provides descriptions and photographs of the unique Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma plants of the Pilbara. Pictures of each species are accompanied by their names given in Yindjibarndi, Ngarluma and English, as well as the scientific Latin names.
‘Garruragan’ is a publication focusing on Yindjibarndi fauna, describing and telling stories about animals in the Pilbara region in both Yindjibarndi and English, including their zoological names. It provides a fascinating insight into how local Aboriginal groups hunt and prepare animals to eat, as well as the cultural significance of local fauna. For more information, or to order these books online, visit the Juluwarlu website.
Visit or contact the Karratha Visitor Centre for more information about the animals, plants, marine life and wildflowers of WA’s West Pilbara Coast.
Some information presented in this website has been sourced, with permission, from the Shire of Roebourne website.
