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3 LOCAL SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
3.1 Introduction
The following sections review the existing scientific information about the Oriners area,
focusing on physical conditions and to a much smaller extent the biological conditions, which
will be expanded on in the future as working knowledge improves. In certain cases, data from
the station area is not available, but proxy data from other adjacent areas on Cape York have
been located and presented where applicable. Besides more regionalised surveys such as
Cape York Peninsula Land Use Survey (CYPLUS), this is the first time that a scientific data
synthesis has been generated for the Oriners area specifically. This collation of data and
additions over time will be useful for planning NRM and further scientific research for Oriners
itself, as well as being of some use on adjacent stations. The relationships between the
scientific data and the local observations presented in Section 2 will be considered further in
Section 4. In general terms, the archival record confirms the general conditions noted in the
previous section and familiar to other parts of the Cape. It also provides evidence of the
distinctiveness and unique value of this area compared with the broader Mitchell catchment.
3.2 Physical conditions
3.2.1 Climate
The climate of the „forest country‟ surrounding Oriners Station 34 is tropical monsoonal and
strongly seasonal, similar to other wet-dry tropic areas of Cape York and northern Australia
(Hayden 1988; Stewart 1993; Petheram, McMahon et al. 2008; Ward, Pusey et al. 2011).
Rainfall records from Oriners Station are brief (1963-1970), but additional rainfall data from
nearby Dixie Station 55km away (1970-1974; 1988-2004) are useful in piecing to together
climatic trends. In addition, longer rainfall records exist for nearby Koolatah Station 71 km
away (1921-2011) and both rainfall and temperature records exist for the Musgrave township
95 km away (1887-1929; 1948-1978; 1984-2011). From these records, the strongly seasonal
trends in monthly rainfall and temperature are apparent (Figure 44). Using the combined
records from Oriners and Dixie Stations, >80% of the mean annual rainfall typically falls
within the wet season months of December to March inclusive. Monthly mean minimum
temperatures are usually the highest during the summer wet season and lowest in the winter
dry, while mean maximum temperatures are usually highest between Oct-Dec during the
build-up to the wet season (Figure 44).
34 Much of the data presented in this section refers to a broader area than the boundaries of Oriners
Station, but Oriners (and to a lesser extent Sefton Station) remain the primary focus.
Working Knowledge at Oriners Station, Cape York
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