| Rock Tourism On Eyre Peninsula | |
| Ancient, craggy inselbergs (insel island-mountain berg) dot Eyre Peninsula’s sweeping plains. | |
 Dr Jenny Bourne, Dr Rowl Twidale, Sandra Kanck and Heather Schulz at Poondana |
Poondana, located near
Wudinna, is one such inselberg. Known to the locals as Brazil Rock and Minymar to
Aboriginal people, Poondana became the centre of a bitter struggle last year. The District Council of Le Hunte proposed a joint venture with an Italian company to quarry Poondana. Cursed with high unemployment in its region the Council was seduced by the prospect of royalties from the quarry and the promise of local jobs at a granite processing factory. Heather Schulz led the locals in a rearguard action to protect their cherished picnic spot and landmark. They faced defeat until the belated recognition of Minymar’s Aboriginal heritage saved the rock. |
| It has since emerged that another eighteen
granite outcrops have been earmarked for quarrying. Razing granite outcrops at ground
level is a much cheaper option than quarrying underground. But, as was the case with
Poondana, nobody knows the true value of the outcrops to be quarried. Sandra Kanck is urging the State Government to develop a register of all granite outcrops on Eyre Peninsula to avoid a repeat of the Poondana debacle. The brain-child of Adelaide University geologists Dr Rowl Twidale and Dr Jenny Bourne the register would record the geological, biological, heritage, commercial and recreational value of each outcrop. |
|
 An abandoned quarry on Eyre Peninsula |
The register would provide certainty for
developers and protection for valuable scientific and cultural landmarks. It could also
form the basis of a tourist trail based around the monuments of Eyre Peninsula. Conducting multidisciplinary research to help resolve competing and conflicting claims at the intersection of scientific, cultural and commercial interests is the business of governments. Yet the State Government has so far resisted the idea. If the State Government doesn’t act the end result could be Eyre Peninsula denuded of all but a few larger monuments. |
