Community day celebrating geology of Shingle Ridges

The community is invited to celebrate State Heritage recognition of the Fitzgerald Bay Shingle Beach Ridges at a special event on Saturday, 8 September. The celebration includes the unveiling of two new heritage signs and a geology talk hosted by Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula, in collaboration with Cultana Jenkins Shack Owners Association and the Friends of the Whyalla Conservation Park.

Natural Resources Officer Barbara Murphy invites locals and visitors alike to book for a free day of activity and outdoor learning.

“You are all welcome to join us, particularly family groups,” she said.

“We will have a short enviro blitz session involving hand-pulling some weeds and picking up litter. By caring for the environment in this way our collective impact will be seen instantly. Then you can sit back, relax and enjoy a free sausage sizzle lunch, and reflect on the way we look after our natural assets - in this case a special natural feature found nowhere else in Australia.

“It’s a place of vital importance for Whyalla’s nature-based tourism economy.”

Guests will be the first to see the new interpretive signs and can also listen to a talk on the geology of the Upper Spencer Gulf region by geologist Ian Lewis from the Department for Environment and Water.

The Cultana Jenkins shack owners were the driving force behind the heritage listing and have worked for years to keep the beach clean and protect the Shingle Beach Ridges. Shack owner Barry Brougham said the event would be good for people who live in the Whyalla area but had not yet visited the shingle ridges.

“We need more people to be ambassadors and coast care volunteers for Whyalla’s northern coastline. I’d encourage people to come out, get involved and learn more about them,” Mr Brougham said.

The Fitzgerald Bay stranded Shingle Beach Ridges are the only ones of their kind in Australia and State Heritage recognition reinforces the value of this rare geological treasure as a nature-based tourism asset for Whyalla. Visually spectacular and set against the backdrop of the Southern Flinders Ranges and Upper Spencer Gulf waters, the red quartzite pebble deposits are a reminder of the Holocene period, 5000 years ago, when the ice caps melted, causing the sea level to be on average three meters higher than it is today.

To register visit www.landscape.sa.gov.au/ep or call Barb on 0427 188 546.