The Murchison GeoRegion is Australia’s first major geotourism development. It highlights the abiotic, biotic and cultural features of significant sites in the region to encourage a deeper understanding of, and connection with, the land. Abiotic (non-living) elements include the climate and landforms, as well as the geological formations and processes that created what you’ve come to see. Biotic (living) elements include the site’s biodiversity (its animals and plants) and how the site’s unique abiotic features have created a place for them to thrive. Cultural (human) elements emerge out of a site’s abiotic and biotic features (what drew people here) and describe how people have engaged with the natural environment over time. While visiting the 21 sites along the GeoRegion trail, we encourage you to take a moment to consider how each element works together.

Within the Meekatharra Shire we have 4 of the 21 sites:

	Peace Gorge Peace Gorge’s scattered piles of golden granite boulders have made it a special place for locals and visitors alike. Once called the Devil’s Playground, these stunning rock formations and large boulders were chosen as the site of a picnic that celebrated the end of World War One in 1919. Since then it has been known as Peace Gorge.
	Mount Yagahong Mount Yagahong stands 150m above the surrounding landscape, a beacon in an otherwise flat land. Mount Yagahong’s soil and elevation provides fertile ground for over 70 species of native plants including bush tucker such as the Wild Pear or Cogla (which can be eaten like an apple or cooked like a potato), the Mulga with its edible gum or seeds for grinding into an edible paste, or the Curara tree whose seeds can be turned into flour.
	Barlangi Rock Barlangi Rock is the site of one of Australia’s 27 meteorite impact craters, which slammed into the Earth about 2.23 billion years ago. The meteorite’s impact violently altered the landscape and smashed a massive hole in the ground, creating the Yarrabubba Impact Structure. Counter-intuitively the granite outcrop that is Barlangi Rock rises 30m out of the ground.
	Jack Hills Jack Hills is home to the world’s oldest terrestrial material ever found. Zircon crystals found at Jack Hills, 130km west-north-west of Meekatharra, are about 4.4 billion years old making them the oldest material substance ever found on Earth (Earth is about 4.54 billion years old). Their discovery has helped shape our understanding of the Earth’s early development. Jack Hills is currently off limits to the public.

For more information, find the map here and the brochure here. Or check out their website or Facebook page.