Wittenoom Hills is a rural locality of the Shire of Esperance in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. A substantial part of the locality is covered by nature reserves, established in 1966 and 1974. The Wittenoom Hills are a range of hills with Mount Burdett, 271 metres (889 ft) high, as its most prominent point.[2][3]
The traditional lands of the Wudjari and Njunga people, both of the Noongar nation, occupy most of the Shire of Esperance, including the area around Esperance. The eastern tribes of the Wudjari, the Njunga, are seen as a separate people for cultural reasons, having adopted different cultural practices. The Young River, in the west of the shire, forms the boundary between the two groups and Wittenoom Hills is on the traditional land of the latter.[4][5][6]
Nature reserves
The following nature reserves are located within Wittenoom Hills. All are located in the Mallee bioregion, with the Burdett and Burdett South Nature Reserves also stretching into the Esperance Plains bioregion:[7]
Burdett Nature Reserve was gazetted on 18 March 1966 and has a size of 0.71 square kilometres (0.27 sq mi).
Burdett North Nature Reserve was gazetted on 25 February 1966 and has a size of 8.12 square kilometres (3.14 sq mi).
Burdett South Nature Reserve was gazetted on 18 February 1966 and has a size of 44.67 square kilometres (17.25 sq mi).
Kau Rock Nature Reserve, which also stretches into neighbouring Neridup and Mount Ney, was gazetted on 2 August 1974 and has a size of 158.14 square kilometres (61.06 sq mi).
Mount Burdett Nature Reserve was gazetted on 18 February 1966 and has a size of 6.05 square kilometres (2.34 sq mi).
Mount Ridley Nature Reserve was gazetted on 25 February 1966 and has a size of 14.17 square kilometres (5.47 sq mi).
