A vast desert sanctuary of dunes, gibber plains, and Aboriginal heritage at the edge of the Simpson Desert.
Pilungah Reserve
Pilungah Reserve is a large private nature reserve in Central West Queensland, Australia, covering an expanse of remote outback country at the northern fringe of the Simpson Desert. The reserve spans rocky hills and stony plains, sweeping dunefields, and claypan-studded catchments of the Mulligan River, encompassing parts of both the Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields and the Channel Country bioregions. Its western boundary meets the Northern Territory, placing it firmly within one of the least-populated regions of the Australian arid zone.
The reserve is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia, a conservation organisation that acquired the former cattle station in 2005 to protect the Mulligan River catchment and a mosaic of desert habitats. In 2021, the property was renamed Pilungah after a freshwater spring of cultural significance to the Wangkamadla, the traditional owners of the land, after native title rights were formally recognised across this part of western Queensland.
Ecologically, Pilungah serves as a refuge for desert wildlife in a region shaped by long droughts and intermittent rainfall. Mitchell grass plains, coolabah and gidgee woodlands, mallee shrublands, and spinifex hummock grasslands create a varied habitat matrix that supports rare reptiles, vulnerable marsupials, and a rich bird community recognised under BirdLife International's Important Bird Area network.
