Latest news with #ScealeBay
ABC News
21-05-2025
- ABC News
Friends of Sceale Bay celebrate 20 years preserving SA wilderness
It is hard to fathom that 15 years ago, plans were afoot to develop a 156-room casino resort and fish farm near a rare Australian sea lion sanctuary at Point Labatt on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. Residents and a group called Friends of Sceale Bay fought against the proposals and won. The group, established years before the casino battle, has spent two decades relentlessly pursuing formal conservation areas that have created a wildlife legacy. The Friends of Sceale Bay group has five official members, supported by other residents and holiday home owners for conservation projects. They work out of the small seaside hamlet of Sceale Bay, 25 kilometres south of Streaky Bay. The group has successfully lobbied for permanent protection of four land parcels in the area, coining the phrase Chain of Bays to define the coastal environment. They recently celebrated another win, after SA Climate, Environment and Water Minister Susan Close added more land to the Sceale Bay Conservation Park, increasing it by about a third. Ms Close said the state and federal governments had a "30 by 30 commitment," aiming to protect 30 per cent of Australia's landmass and marine areas by 2030 and halt biodiversity loss. The Department of Environment and Water manages about 23 million hectares of national parks and wilderness protection areas, which comprise about 22 per cent of the state's land. The Friends of Sceale Bay have helped add the newest parcel of Crown land, creating a corridor of protection for the coastal ecosystems of the Chain of Bays area. "This is just extra dune country being put into the park, which is well-covered with native vegetation and there's a number of birds and other animal species in that area as well," Friends of Sceale Bay Adelaide convener David Kirner said. "It was privately owned and in 2015 the government purchased it, and over the last 10 years they've done all the various things that they need to do to include it in the park. "It is home to rare and endangered species like the Australian sea lion, eastern osprey and the white-bellied sea eagle. "We've been chipping away for 20 years to protect unique ecosystems along the Chain of Bays from Streaky Bay to Venus Bay." The majority of the protected parcels of land are accessed by dirt roads hugging a coastal wilderness of low-lying shrubs, salt lakes, dunes, ocean-facing cliffs, inlets and surf beaches, broken by sparse paddocks of cropping and sheep. The Friends of Sceale Bay have rolled up their sleeves and weeded, planted trees, filled out grant applications and lobbied successive governments to create more conservation park areas. "We have the view that the best way to preserve the environment, save the environment, is to actually take action and get involved, and get your hands dirty," Mr Kirner said. "We did Caring for Country grants — there was work done with the Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation, large-scale direct seeding within the areas that ended up becoming parks. The aim is to link the protected Chain of Bays areas — at the moment they are separated by land allotments held by private owners, farmers, the District Council of Streaky Bay and the government. The West Coast Marine Park hugs the coastline, and along the landscape the current conservation parks include Point Labatt (51 hectares), Calpattana Waterhole (3,644ha), Searcy Bay (868ha), Sceale Bay (527ha) and Cape Blanche (810ha). Sceale Bay was initially named Yanera in 1888 and was settled as a farming port with a jetty that was demolished in 1972. Today the town, with a population of 58 at the 2021 Census, has remained largely undeveloped, protected by its isolation at a time when coastal properties and development are booming. "When you look at the tourist numbers [visiting the region] it's in the thousands," Mr Kirner said. "You do get a lot of people coming in by caravan, people coming in during school holidays, and places like Point Labatt where the sealions are … they have quite large visitor numbers. It is a rare place where — with a little assistance — nature has won some battles, including the conversion of a former caravan park into a block for wildlife. Mr Kirner is now planning to lobby for the expansion of conservation parks at Cape Blanche, Searcy Bay and Point Labatt, as well as expanding the Sceale Bay park to include Yanerbie Dunes. The group would also like to see Smooth Pool, a popular snorkelling spot, developed as a conservation park and aquatic reserve. In a statement, the Department for Environment and Water said it worked collaboratively with the Friends of Sceale Bay. "We value their interest and dedication to the region," the statement read.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Campers, tourists and wildlife to benefit as Aussie national parks set to massively expand
As the weather cools down and Aussies become homebodies, there's a new reason to venture into the great outdoors. The Murray River National Park is set to be expanded. Source: DLDEW Bigger than Melbourne's massive CBD, almost three times the size of Sydney's, a major new expansion of national parks has been announced. The borders of three popular destinations in South Australia will be extended by a whopping 725 hectares, protecting the state's plants, wildlife and cultural sites. Campers will benefit from the expansion of Murray River National Park, while sightseers will be excited the Riverland's Maize Lagoon Conservation Park is growing because it includes ruins of historical dwellings. The parks are also home to rare creatures including the regent parrot, southern bell frog and blue-faced honeyeater. Important migratory bird species will also see their futures safeguarded by the growth of Sceale Bay Conservation Park on Eyre Peninsula. It's home to species protected by international agreements Australia has signed with Japan and China. At just 280 hectares, Sydney's CBD could fit into New York's Central Park Melbourne's sprawling CBD is around 620 hectares. When you include its sprawling parklands, Adelaide is a massive 1050 hectares. New additions will be made to the Murray River National Park. Source: DLDEW The Sceale Bay Conservation Park is one of the three parks set to expand. Source: DLDEW Important additions to the Riverland's Maize Lagoon Conservation Park have been made. Source: DLDEW Will national parks continue to grow? The state's environment minister Dr Susan Close said the plan would give Australians improved opportunities to 'connect with nature'. 'South Australia's national and conservation parks are home to an abundance of native animals and plants that we must protect now to ensure they remain sustainable in the future. They are also hugely popular with seven out of 10 South Australians visiting our parks annually,' she said. Related: Remarkable find in shadow of Australia's tallest mountain Campers, walkers, and wildlife are all set to benefit from the expansion of South Australia's national parks. Source: DLDEW National parks across the state look set to expand with the government saying a proposal to add 1,840 hectares to the Seal Bay Sanctuary zone off Kangaroo Island has also received 'overwhelming' public support. It said the changes align with a state and federal government commitment to protect at least 30 per cent of Australia's waters and land by 2030. Elsewhere around the country, Australians are continuing to push for the creation of new national parks. In Victoria, bushwalkers, nature lovers and campers are calling on the Allan government to recognise 350,000 acres of green space in the Central Highlands as the Great Forest National Park (GFNP). Further north in NSW, the Minns Government has been repeatedly urged to follow through with its 2023 election promise to create a Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
