New management plan for Lake Gairdner National Park
A new management plan has been developed for Eyre Peninsula’s Lake Gairdner National Park to protect one of South Australia’s largest salt lake systems.
The management plan was developed with the Lake Gairdner National Park Co-management Board, a partnership between the SA Government and the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation.
Lake Gairdner National Park Co-management Board Chair Jonathan Clarke said, Lake Gairdner National Park protects the important Aboriginal cultural sites and stories, stunning scenery, and unique natural values of one of South Australia’s largest salt lake systems, including Lake Gairdner, Lake Everard and Lake Harris.
“The lake system and its 226 islands support a diverse range of vegetation associations, rare or threatened plant species, birds and reptiles, as well as a number of invertebrates which live on the salt crust of the lake and are thought to occur nowhere else,” Mr Clarke said.
“The remote, vast expanse of dry salt lake nestled in the red earth of the Gawler Ranges creates a truly spectacular visitor experience and is also home to Speed Week - an internationally-renowned land speed trial event that attracts visitors from all over the world.”
The new plan aims to guide management and support the aspirations of the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal people for their Country.
Mr Clarke added that the plan explains how the park’s natural and cultural values will be conserved, while also enabling people to experience the remarkable landscape.
Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation Chair John Binda Reid said, that the park and its surrounding Country are fundamental to the ongoing cultural beliefs and value systems of the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal families.
“The Nyunga (Aboriginal) Foundation Families of the Gawler Ranges are the custodians Of Lake Gairdner National Park, who proudly share this natural, cultural resource with everyone who appreciates beauty in all of its splendour,” Mr Reid said.
The park is located on the far northern Eyre Peninsula in the foothills of the Gawler Ranges. It forms part of the Country of the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal People, a group of foundational families made up of some, but not all, of the Barngala, Kokatha and Wirangu people.
You can find a copy of the new plan on the DEW website.
