Protection in place for mound springs
New fencing will restrict access to Great Artesian Basin mound springs on the Strzelecki Track in a collaborative project designed to protect the culturally important and ecologically significant sites.
Connection to water is very strong for Aboriginal people across the region. Surface water and surrounding environments, including the vegetation, retain high cultural values because of the connection to important ancestral story lines. The GAB springs and topographical features are linked to many important cultural stories, events and practices that came from trade and communication corridors.
Located at Reedy Springs and St Mary’s Pool on Murnpeowie Station, the fencing will restrict access for vehicles, stock and feral animals, although it still allows access for native animals. It is part of a larger project to support waterhole and springs management through on-ground work that has included fencing, pest animal and plant control and watercourse erosion management that has been occurring over the past 18 months and has included projects with Arabana.
The fencing work was undertaken in a partnership between Brooks Pastoral, The Dieri Aboriginal Corporation, Friends of Mound Springs and the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board as part of the Lake Eyre Basin Priority Riparian Vegetation and Great Artesian Basin Springs Project.
In addition to the partnerships, Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation were selected as fencing contractors, and the fencing installation occurred following on-site discussions about the alignment, earthworks and vegetation clearance and heritage considerations. The board’s ecology staff and members of the Friends of Mound Springs (FOMS) also surveyed the springs to allow for a future comparison of changes in the spring’s environment, following the fencing.
The recent fencing is the final work of the project funded by the Australian, South Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory Governments and BHP.
The board’s future work on springs monitoring and protection will be in partnership with FOMS and Traditional Owners and will be supported by BHP until 2030.
