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Leigh
Creek Coalfields
South Australia Generates about 40% of it's electricity
from Leigh Creek Coal and on an almost daily basis the
mine fills a 2.8 km long train with nearly 10,000 tonnes
of brown coal for the Port Augusta Power Station. A
tour of the mine is available if minimum numbers of
6 passengers are booked in. Inquiries can be made at
the Leigh Creek Regional Visitor Information Centre
08 8675 2723. If a tour Is not for you there is a viewing
area for visitors to be able to overlook a section of
the mine and read the information boards.
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Aroona Dam
Built in 1955 to supply water to the township of Leigh
Creek and the area surrounding the dam was declared
a sanctuary in 1996. The sanctuary is located south
and to the west of Leigh Creek. A colony of Yellow Footed
Rock Wallabies have been reintroduced in to the area.
A spectacular walking trail has been established over
the last few years. Take your camera.. No fishing, shooting,
swimming or boating is allowed in the area as it is
a sanctuary and the water from the dams supply Leigh
Creek residents.
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Copley
Founded in 1891 as the railway station for old Leigh
Creek, Copley has grown into a town in it's own right
because of the importance of rail transport for the
isolated mines and stations scattered through the Northern
Flinders. Accommodation is available. General store,
caravan park, service station and hotel plus the famous
Copley Bush Bakery.
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Gammon Ranges
Is an area of rugged ranges, deep gorges and rivers
of rock. 300 species of plants have been identified
in the range. Wildflowers abound as does the animal
life. Early pastoralists and miners have left a legacy
of sites dotted through the bluffs and valleys of the
park. Grindells hut, located at the western end of Weetootla
Gorge was built by John Grindell the first land owner
to take up this arduous country in the early 1900s.
Magnesite, gold, silver, copper are some of the treasures
to be unearthed. Camping fees $6.00 pp per night for
those using a vehicle. National Park Camping Fees apply.
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Mountain of Light Copper Mines
Less than 3 kms south east of Copley, the Mountain of
Light mine consists of a group of deep shafts running
southwest north east and are located north and south
of the main ruins near the track. A quarry and a number
of open cut sampling trenches also dot the scene, as
do a number of ruins and large ore dumps. Only tumbled
down walls remain of what was once a large processing
operation. Native copper and malachite can be found
if you are keen.
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Arkaroola
Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is home to a very rugged
mountain range in the Far Northern Flinders Ranges.
Arkaroola is a mountainous island in an ancient seabed
that once adjoined Antarctica. Situated approximately
130kms NE of Leigh Creek on a well maintained gravel
road. Reg Sprigg purchased Arkaroola back in 1967 and
transformed it from a sheep station into a wilderness
sanctuary. A range of accommodation is available in
the village. Don't miss out on the spectacular Ridgetop
Tour, enjoying an unforgettable four hour encounter
with the timeless terrain and unique natural beauty
of the Arkaroola Sanctuary. This tour allows you to
truly appreciate the vastness of a great brown land.
Many other tours, walking trails are available from
Arkaroola, catering for all ages and levels of fitness.
The Astronomical Observatory at Arkaroola allows you
to witness some of the oldest known formations in the
galaxy from a place that was one of the earth's first
creations.
Arkaroola also offer flights around the region. Bookings
and enquiries 08 86484848.
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Beltana
In 1987 the town of Beltana was declared a State Heritage
Area in recognition of its significance as a link with
so many important episodes in South Australia's history.
Aboriginal, Afghan and European cultures alike regard
Beltana as an important place in their history. The
land around Beltana was occupied by European pastoralists
in the mid 1850s. The beginnings of the town date from
1870 when the route of the Overland Telegraph was surveyed
and at the same time copper ore was discovered at Sliding
Rock, 20 km to the east of the town. Beltana Hotel is
the oldest surviving building in the town established
in 1873. By 1878 Beltana had 2 hotels, a school and
a stone telegraph repeater station. In the 1880s Beltana
became a very busy construction camp for the Transcontinental
Railway. Railway buildings, new shops a police station
and a brewery arose in Beltana. Reverend John Flynn
later renowned for establishing the Royal Flying Doctor
was also based in Beltana.
An area loaded with history. Many of the properties
are privately owned and so their privacy should be respected.
Please don't feel that you can wander through the houses,
they could very well be somebodies home.
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Warraweena
Ceased to be a working station in 1997, when it was
purchased by Wetlands and Wildlife, a company on the
environmental register with the Commonwealth Government.
Access to the property is past the Beltana Roadhouse,
through Old Beltana, Puttapa Station and on to Sliding
Rock, near the front of the property. The Homestead
and the shearers quarters are 5 km further on up the
track. From Beltana Roadhouse the distance is 36kms.
13 colonies of yellow-footed rock wallabies have been
sighted and one very rare plant, Menzell's Wattle. There
is an enticing panorama of open hillsides, pine forests,
craggy ranges, creeks thick with red gums, waterfalls,
water holes and towering in the eatern section of the
property, is Mount Hack, 1086 metres, and the second
highest peak in the Flinders.
Bird surveys have counted seventy seven species here
and the property is a great place to observe bird life.
168 species of plants were found. Anyone can camp here,
bushwalk or bird watch for a nominal fee. Shearers quarters
are comfortable with amenities.
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Sliding Rock
Discovered in 1870 by John Holding and Joseph Hele because
of its pure copper. In 1872 the township of Cadnia was
surveyed a few hundred metres east of the mine. The
town catered for up to 400 miners and their families
and had a sense of permanence. Horse races and cricket
matches were held. A court house dispensed justice,
the Rock Hotel catered for workers while four general
stores supplied goods and food. In 1877 the mine was
inundated by massive flows of water. Although a steam
powered pump was used to stop the water entering the
shafts this failed and later that year the mine was
abandoned. The town quickly followed. More than a century
later the water became valuable as a temporary supply
to the new Leigh Creek.
For fossickers and history buffs there is much to see.
Enjoy a walk around the ruins of the early township
and mining site. There are also two cemeteries marking
the passage of time.
Permission to camp should be sought from the Warraweena
homestead, a short drive from Sliding Rock. Stony Steiner
is the manager/caretaker 86752770.
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Talc Alf
Cornelius "Talc Alf" uses cast off slabs of
talc from the Mt Fitton talc mine to sculpt statements
about politics, religion and most particularly, his
unusual theories about the evolution of language. He
does have sculptures for sale in his gallery as well.
During the tourist season you will usually find Alf
either talking to tourists or working on another masterpiece
in his workshop at Lyndhurst. On the left about 1 km
east of Lyndhurst on the Strzlecki track. Follow the
signs
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Ochre Pits
5 km North of Lyndhurst the quarry was an important
source of different coloured ochre for the Aboriginal
people. They pounded up the substance and used as colouring
for ceremonial occasions. The quarry shimmers in a variety
of reds, yellows and greys.
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Farina
Was one of the towns settled in the opening of the outback.
It was surveyed in 1878, although people were living
there before that. It was named Farina which means flour
as it was hoped that it would become the Granary of
the north. The rain did not fall and the town developed
as the head of the Railway and the beginning of all
the tracks beyond. Cameleers and drovers worked from
Farina, walking miles in dusty isolation.
Explore the ruins that remain and visit the cemetery
and appreciate the cultures that came together to build
and open the outback. A great place for fossicking and
rock hunting.
An excellent camping ground, with BBQs, tables, shower
and toilet. Shearers quarters accommodation is available
also. Walking trails and guided tours available.
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