Wildlife thrives along Flinders Ranges

Updated

Wildlife thrives along Flinders Ranges

An area of South Australia — famous for its arid landscape — is sitting pretty after a period of extended wet weather brought the desert to life. And the best may be yet to come.

The desert is in flower, wildlife is thriving, and local businesses are reaping the rewards after unusually high rainfall north west of the Flinders Ranges on the most popular route to Lake Eyre.

"It's certainly a lot greener than usual at this time of year," Rebecca Turner, manager of the Marree Hotel, said.

The outback settlement of Marree sits at the southern junction of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta tracks.

It touts itself as the gateway to Lake Eyre, so the 70 residents here pay keen attention to water arriving in the area — when the lake fills up, tourists arrive in droves.

But this year is different.

It is not just the lake that has received water, but also the surrounding land, turning the countryside into a spectacle in its own right.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Marree has received 75 millimetres to 150 millimetres more rain than usual over the past nine months.

That localised rain has brought this part of the outback to life, triggering a desert bloom.

Ms Turner said the rain started last November and since then the area has had "top up, after top up, after top up".

The hotel she runs enjoyed boom times in 2010 and 2011 when Lake Eyre filled after historic rains in Queensland.

Now it is picking up again as people come to see both the lake and the land.

This time, many more families are coming to the area, as parents seize the rare opportunity to show their children a more hospitable version of the desert landscape.

Make no mistake; the place is not a lush paradise.

It is coming off a low base, so the highlights are subtle: bright, little wildflowers pushing through the sandy soil, with the overall result a landscape where green growth dominates the red earth.

As the outback thrives, so do the animals that feed off the land — emus are everywhere, swans are in residence at a nearby waterhole, and formations of brolgas greet early risers.

Emus are so abundant Ms Turner said she recently saw a flock walking down Marree's main street.

She also said she has seen many healthy looking dingos, with shiny coats.

"It's nice to see animals about enjoying the feast," she said.

Ronnie Dodd has lived in the area all his life and said he is enjoying driving around "looking at the country".

Farmers love it, he said, noting more heavy clouds building on the horizon.

"There's beautiful feed for the farmers."

Not all of them lucked it with the rain, however. Clayton Station, which takes Lake Eyre as its western boundary, has only had 75 millimetres of rain this year, while its neighbours got the full 150 millimetres.

Shane Oldfield, who has owned the property since 1960, said he has noticed that when wet weather comes, if you are under the first storm, you also get the ones that follow.

"It's just the way it goes — sometime you miss out, sometimes you get more," he said.

Despite missing out, he calls this a good year — one of his better ones. He's had "terrific" stock prices, and said his cattle are looking "fat and shiny".

But after many years on the land, he knows how the cycle goes.

"I keep thinking the drought is not far away," he said.

Further south, alongside the Flinders Ranges, is Beltana Station — one of the lucky ones. By the end of July, it had already received more than its average annual rainfall of 170 millimetres.

Laura Ragless said her property looked beautifully green, but all the rain had held up their muster as the ground is too wet for their bikes.

She is excited about the wildflowers too, but thinks the best is yet to come.

They host holiday makers on their property and are taking constant calls asking when the flowers will be in full bloom.

She says late August and September are the times to visit.

"It's going to be sensational!" she said.

Topics: environment, marree-5733

First posted