Lake Gairdner National Park Draft Management Plan

Consultation Process

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 17 January 2019 to 17 April 2019. Below is a record of the consultation process.

You are invited to submit your views on the Lake Gairdner National Park Draft Management Plan

What is being decided?

A park management plan is being developed for Lake Gairdner National Park, which will set the vision and directions for the area. Read the draft management plan.

This plan has been developed to ensure the community can have a say into the way Lake Gairdner National Park is managed.

The plan addresses the most important issues facing the national park, focusing on two key themes:
• Theme 1: Looking after Country
• Theme 2: Enhancing the visitor experience and enabling appropriate access.

Get involved

Please read the Lake Gairdner National Park Draft Management Plan and provide your feedback by:

• joining the online discussion
• emailing DEWProtectedAreaManagement@sa.gov.au
• mailing your submission to:

Amy Allen
Policy Officer
Protected Areas Unit
GPO Box 1047
ADELAIDE, SA 5001

Submissions may be made up to Wednesday 17 April 2019. Written submissions will be acknowledged via return email or post.

Note: All submissions will be publicly available to anyone who requests a copy. Please let us know if you don't want your input on the public record.

How can your input influence the decision?

Submissions received will assist in the development of a final management plan for the park. Once prepared, the final plan will be forwarded to the Minister for Environment and Water for adoption, together with a detailed analysis of submissions. 

Notice of the final plan’s adoption will be published in the Government Gazette and the final Lake Gairdner National Park Management Plan will be made available on this website and the Department for Environment and Water website.

Contact details

For more information:

email: DEWProtectedAreaManagement@sa.gov.au
phone: (08) 8207 7747

Closing date: Wednesday 17 April 2019.

Background

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 17 January 2019 to 17 April 2019. Below is a record of this engagement.

Lake Gairdner National Park is located on the far northern Eyre Peninsula in the foothills of the Gawler Ranges, approximately 550 km north-west of Adelaide.

It was proclaimed to protect one of South Australia’s largest salt lake systems, comprising Lake Gairdner, Lake Everard and Lake Harris.

This is the Country of the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal people, and is of profound cultural significance to the Traditional Owners. It is a popular location for photographers and cinematographers, appearing in numerous advertisements, television commercials and films. The dry salt crust of Lake Gairdner’s bed is also used for motor sport speed trials, and is now established as one of the world’s premier sites for dry lake racing.

Developing the draft management plan

In 2011, the Federal Court of Australia formally recognised a group of foundational families made up of some, but not all, of the Barngala, Kokatha and Wirangu people as the Native Title holders over land encompassing Lake Gairdner National Park. This prompted the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation and the South Australian Government to enter into a co-management agreement for the park, forming the Lake Gairdner National Park Co-management Board.

One of the board’s initial priorities was to review the park management plan, which had been in place since 2004. The board concluded that it was necessary to develop a new management plan so that up-to-date strategies and new co-management arrangements could be properly communicated. This draft plan has been developed by the Lake Gairdner National Park Co-management Board, drawing on comments, suggestions and feedback received during discussions with Gawler Ranges Aboriginal people, volunteers, park neighbours, stakeholders, scientific specialists and interested members of the public.

Read the draft management plan.