Rehabilitation Lottery

Natural regeneration in arid landscapes is driven by rare wet years often separated by decades. Without rain it could be a long wait to get back to this sort of coverage When the Sprigg family purchased the Arkaroola property in 1968, there had been no regeneration of native pine and mulga for eight decades. A bracket of wet years in the 1970’s triggered a massive regeneration event. With stock removed and grazing pressure reduced, seedlings had a much greater chance of survival. Further regeneration events occurred in 1984 and 1989. However... MORE

Water for Wildlife

There is precious little surface water on Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. The few springs, waterholes and seeps sustain local wildlife, while deep-rooted plant species like river red gums rely on subsurface flows for their survival. Marathon Resources estimates that it will require between 2 and 2.5 gigalitres of water annually for on-site processing activities in its proposed uranium mine. Converted, the daily requirement will be about 6 million litres for the life of the mine. Process water would most likely be sourced from local aquifers,... MORE

Arkaroola’s Alladin’s Cave

Arkaroola’ s Mt Gee, the quartz crystal mountain, is unique in Australia. It provides a window to past climates, has produced world-class museum specimens and continues to enthral visitors with its beautiful and rare minerals. Unlike nearby Mt Painter, Mt Gee does not cut a striking silhouette. Its uniqueness lies in its crystal-studded surfaces and caverns. Mt Gee is famous for its great variety of quartz types. Most major museums have striking specimens of ‘nail hole’ quartz from Mt Gee in their collections. The graded purple hues... MORE

Respecting & Protecting Vision

This photo shows mulga plants of various ages, indicating a healthy plant community. Reg Sprigg never forgot what his mentor and friend, Sir Douglas Mawson confided in 1939. Mawson’s great hope was that the Arkaroola region would, at some future time “be recognised as one great natural museum, one protected into posterity from over-development, vermin and vandalism.” Unable to interest the state government in acquiring the property, Reg heeded the advice of the great Indian philosopher. “Be the change you want to see in the... MORE

Geology, uranium and Mawson

A MESSAGE FROM DOUG & MARG SPRIGG Geology and uranium were what first attracted Sir Douglas Mawson to Arkaroola. But it was the protection of its unique geological places that stimulated Mawson to encourage his young student Reg Sprigg, to find a way some day to protect Arkaroola for posterity. Reg was working at Mt Painter for the state government during WW11 when some American visitors shot several Yellow-footed rock wallabies for ‘sport’. This was a defining moment in Dad’s life. He decided then that he would find a way to... MORE