Pimbee

Pimbee National Park is a 10,093-hectare protected area in the Avon Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, east of Merredin. The park protects gimlet and salmon gum woodland with mallee-heath on the transition between the wheatbelt and the Goldfields. The Avon Wheatbelt bioregion has been extensively cleared for cereal farming, and the remaining conservation reserves — including Pimbee — are critical refugia for native flora and fauna. The park is managed by DBCA.

Pimbee supports the woodland and mallee-heath fauna of the eastern Wheatbelt-Goldfields transition. Malleefowl build incubation mounds in undisturbed mallee areas. Western grey kangaroos, red kangaroos, emus, echidnas, and malgaras occupy the park. Reptile diversity is high, reflecting the semi-arid transition zone. Regent parrot and mulga parrot are notable woodland birds. Carnaby's black-cockatoo may use the western sections of the park.

Gimlet (E. salubris) and salmon gum (E. salmonophloia) woodland on red loam soils characterise the eastern sections. Wandoo (E. wandoo) and jam (Acacia acuminata) dominate western areas on yellow clay soils. Mallee heath covers sandy patches. The spring wildflower flora includes everlastings, velleia, and native daisies typical of the eastern Wheatbelt.

The Yilgarn Craton — Archaean granite-gneiss basement with deep laterite weathering. Red loam soils (from ferruginous laterite breakdown) support gimlet woodland; yellow clay soils support wandoo and jam. Salt lakes and playas occupy topographic depressions.

Semi-arid Mediterranean climate. Annual rainfall 280–350 mm. Hot, dry summers and cool winters. Extended drought periods are characteristic.

Pimbee lies within Ballardong and Whadjuk Noongar country at the eastern boundary. Aboriginal people occupied the eastern Wheatbelt semi-arid lands using traditional knowledge of water sources and seasonal food patterns. European farming cleared the wheatbelt from the 1890s.

Pimbee National Park was proclaimed to protect representative woodland and mallee-heath in the eastern Wheatbelt. The park is a significant remnant in a landscape where most native vegetation has been cleared.

Nature walks through gimlet and salmon gum woodland. Spring wildflower observation. Malleefowl mound observation. Remote wheatbelt bush experience.

Located east of Merredin on the Great Eastern Highway. Access via unsealed roads. No formal facilities. Merredin provides services.

Foxes and cats are the primary threat to malleefowl. Wandoo decline syndrome threatens woodland trees. Invasive weeds, including annual pasture grasses, compete with native understorey species.