Fitzroy Crossing and Environs
Fitzroy Crossing is situated on the Great Northern Highway, on the banks of the Fitzroy River. It is approximately 2524 km from Perth and 500 km from Broome. The town is 114 metres above sea level and is surrounded by the vast floodplains of the Fitzroy River. The current population of the Fitzroy Crossing area is approximately 1200 people, most of whom are Aboriginal. Within the Fitzroy Valley there are four main Aboriginal language groups,Gooniyandi, Bunuba, Walmajarri and Wangkajungka. Fitzroy Crossing also services over thirty small, remote Aboriginal communities and outstations that are situated in the Valley. This region of the Kimberley is currently the subject of intense development pressures, including proposals to dam the Fitzroy River and tributaries, for the cultivation of cotton and other cash crops.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid monsoonal climate, with marked Wet and Dry Seasons. Local Aboriginal people recognize more than these two seasons. The vegetation of the region features riverine eucalyptus woodlands, savannah grasslands (which are frequently burned during the Dry Season) and pockets of fire-sensitive flora in spectacular limestone ranges formed from an ancient coral reef system, 350 million years ago during the Devonian Period. To the south of Fitzroy Crossing lies a vast region of jila (springs) and jilji (sand dunes), known to Europeans as the Great Sandy Desert. Many Mangkaja members have traditional connections to this region. The local Aboriginal people regularly use the natural resources of these areas, gathering jarramba (a freshwater crustacean), fish, native turkey, goanna and many varieties of plant food e.g., the artist Butcher Cherel has painted (1996) girndi, a sweet black fruit found in the region.

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