Wywhyana Creek crossing at Arkaroola Village 25/11/2008

Radar watch. Satellite screens. Road closure reports. Stranded visitors. Calls from television networks chasing images for the evening news. Rations and improvisation when the truck can’t get in with the weekly delivery. Yes, it’s been years! Froth and bubble Arkaroola Creek 7 December 2008 Late spring and early summer rains have changed the face of Arkaroola. 140 mm have been recorded since mid November with rain falling on nineteen days. After so many years without significant rains, a succession of floods have brought new hope that... MORE

Professor Ellery Hamilton-Smith

Marg Sprigg and Professor Ellery Hamilton-Smith meet for the first time at the Global Geotourism Conference in Perth. The veteran environmentalist’s first campaign was fought in 1948 when Ellery successfully lobbied the South Australian government to protect and preserve what was to become the Mount Remarkable National Park in the Southern Flinders Ranges. Extract from Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary’s “From the ARK” e-newsletter – reprinted with permission SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Professor Ellery Hamilton-Smith",... MORE

Geotourism, celebrating the geological landscape

Fresh from the World Youth Congress, flags from thirty countries flanked the stage in the Sirius room of the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle. Here delegates from countries as diverse as China, Ireland, America, South Africa, Oman, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia gathered for 3 days in August to talk about geotourism. So what is geotourism? You won’t find a definition in the dictionary yet, but geotourism is essentially ’geological tourism’ – the landscape, its rocks, its formations, and the processes that have shaped it over time.... MORE

How great thou ART

Audiences were left Standing in Amazement after seeing Tim Baier’s short stereoscopic production filmed in the Flinders Ranges. A feature film visual effects artist, Tim hosted fourteen screenings of his digital 3D production Standing in Amazement at Adelaide’s Iris Theatre in July. This is what people said: Absolutely stunning, thank you! Excellent, not to be missed. Mind blowing, I am lost for words. Magnificent insights and experiences! How great though Art! Tim has been invited by the Art Gallery of South Australia to present... MORE

It’s Our Birthday

Arkaroola opened for business in October 1968, with the completion of Greenwood Lodge, the first of its motel-style accommodations. To acknowledge Arkaroola’s 40th birthday, the South Australian Musuem is featuring a photographic display celebrating the career of Arkaroola’s founder, Reg Sprigg. The idea that controlled tourism could be used to support practical on-ground conservation, was pioneered in South Australia in 1968 with the creation of the Arkaroola Mt Painter Sanctuary. The only National Park in the Flinders Ranges at this... MORE

When all else is finished…

They say when the Dead Finish is ‘finished’ we’re all finished! Dead Finish or Acacia tetragonophylla was one of several species that regenerated spectacularly across Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary following the record wet years of the mid 1970s. It is a slow growing, drought-tolerant plant that can thrive on the skeletal soils of the arid zone. During prolonged dry periods, Dead Finish will drop most of its spiny phyllodes and plants may appear to be dead. Dead Finish is a favourite ’bird bush’. Its dense branches and prickly... MORE

Stealer of Secrets

You’d better be careful of what you are thinking when Willie Wagtails are about. This sweet, pretty little creature will steal your secrets as well as your heart. One of Australia’s most cherished birds, Willie Wagtails charm campers from Cape York to Cape Leeuwin. The largest of the Australian fantails, Rhipidura leucophrys is also a bird of settlement, a resident of urban parks and gardens. It is found all over Australia except in densely forested areas and on treeless plains. Small though they may be, the feisty fantails of the... MORE

Rock Star, the story of Reg Sprigg

Family, friends, and old colleagues met in the foyer of the South Australian Museum recently for the launch of Rock Star – the story of Reg Sprigg. Professor Ian Plimer (Mining Geology, Adelaide University) and Reg Nelson (Managing Director of Beach Petroleum) joined with writer Kristin Weidenbach, to launch her second book Rock Star.Kristin’s first book, Mailman of the Birdsville Track – the story of Tom Kruse was published in 2003. Kristen spent two years trawling through archives, conducting interviews, collecting photographs,... MORE

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