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The Friends of Mound Springs (FOMS) undertook a second field trip in August 2023 to complete works that were outstanding following the rain-shortened trip in June 2023.
FOMS participants were Colin Harris, Bruce and Sherrie Gotch, Rick Moore, Bernice Cohen, Stuart Pillman, Trent Porter, Erik Dahl, Masto Myles and Simon Lewis. The group was accompanied by Ben McCallum and Alice Smith of the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board. It was planned that the Arabana Ranger team would also accompany the FOMS group for most of the working bee but a vehicle break-down prevented the Arabana Rangers from joining the group until the latter stages of the trip.
The timing for this exercise was influenced by a field day on 10th August at Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park for students of the Oodnadatta and Marree Area Schools – coordinated by BHP and the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board and also involving the Arabana Ranger team. See separate item in this newsletter.
The main objectives for the FOMS group were to check fenced springs on the Peake and Nilpinna pastoral leases (fence maintenance and vegetation photo-point monitoring); to do maintenance work on the walking trails established by FOMS at the Peake Overland Telegraph site and install another trail marker at that site; to service cameras installed at several springs; and to participate as appropriate in the school session referred to above.
The group checked five springs fenced by the State Environment agency in the 1980s (Big Perry, the Fountain, Twelve Mile, Outside and Tarlton on the Peake and Old Nilpinna Spring on Nilpinna pastoral lease). Also inspected were Levi Springs, fenced by FOMS volunteers in 2019. This work involved checking the fencing and undertaking any minor maintenance required, servicing the bayonet / spear gates at each site, and repeating vegetation photo-points. The State Environment agency did this work until 2005 but ceased its commitment at that time and FOMS volunteers have filled the breach since that time.
The fences at Big Perry, the Fountain, Twelve Mile, Outside and Old Nilpinna Springs continue to be functional and only minor maintenance was required. A section of the Twelve Mile Spring fence will require more attention within a year or two. The wetland vegetation at each spring remains dominated by reeds, Phragmites. The abundance of Phragmites is diminished in the centre of the vent at the Fountain. It is hypothesised that the proliferation of Phragmites in fenced springs is linked with the century or more of nutrient enrichment through cattle grazing and that, over time, Phragmites abundance will diminish as nutrient levels decrease. The situation at the Fountain appears to be trending in that direction although it is too early to be definitive. At Old Nilpinna Spring, the area within the fenced exclosure is relatively dry, in some contrast to the good flow from the vent just outside the fence.
Tarlton Springs have been the subject of discussion for some time. The springs – thought to be from local aquifers rather than the Great Artesian Basin – have all but dried up and the fence has collapsed at one point and is overgrown by vegetation at several other locations. The two options under consideration have been (a) dismantling the fence and (b) repairing it. The inspecting group noted that one spring is damp and retains a cover of sedges and also concluded that repair of the fence was readily achievable with much less effort than would be needed for disassembly. Repair and retention of the fence was the group’s favoured option.
At Levi Springs the relatively new fence was in good condition, although some minor re-straining of a section near the coolabah spring should be undertaken on the next visit. The spring vegetation continues to recover strongly, as illustrated in the accompanying photographs.
The walking trails at the Peake Overland Telegraph site were in reasonable condition, requiring minor maintenance only. A new trail marker was installed to guide access to the cemetery site but one more marker is thought to be needed.
At Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park, Bruce and helpers serviced two motion- activated cameras at Horse and Buttercup springs in the southern section of the Park. There has been an ongoing problem of cattle from the adjoining Stuart Creek pastoral lease getting through the boundary fence and impacting on these springs. Bruce and others noted about ten cattle in the Park and it seems clear that the boundary fence across the Margaret River has weaknesses that allow access. Cattle impacts within the Park have increased since 2022. Horse Springs were showing good regeneration of vegetation in 2022 but were now heavily impacted by recent cattle activity.
As a final task on this field trip, the FOMS group inspected Bopeechee Spring and Beatrice Spring, on Finniss Springs, in company with the Arabana Ranger team. Bruce serviced the camera installed at Bopeechee. The vegetation at this spring is showing some evidence of recovery following horse impacts which, in turn, followed a trial burning exercise conducted in 2016.
This brought to a conclusion a highly successful working bee with good weather conditions throughout, atoning for the disappointments of the wet June attempt.
Item prepared by Brian Donaghy
The main Friends of Mound Springs (FOMS) working bee for 2023 was shaping up to be one of the biggest and busiest that FOMS has ever organised. Eighteen FOMS volunteers, nine vehicles, and tasks ranging from track maintenance and marker installation to multiple fence inspections and repairs and vegetation surveys. Participants were Colin Harris, Rick Moore, Hadyn Hanna, John Tagell, Chris Lemm, Brian Wheeler, Brian Donaghy, Merilyn Browne, Bernice Cohen, Bren and Bis Lay, Erik Dahl, Masto Myles, Heatheranne and Peter Bullen, Caryl and Duncan Ross-Watt and Simon Lewis.
Most of the FOMS group travelled to Leigh Creek on Monday 19th June, overnighting at the Outback Resort, along with SA Arid Lands Board Community Landscape Officer, Hamish Longbottom. There the group had an opportunity to inspect Merilyn Browne’s new camper trailer, a compact, light- weight marine ply camper which Merilyn had built and decorated herself from an imported kit. On the second day the group travelled to Strangways Springs to link up with Sam Stuart and the Arabana Rangers, accompanied by a newly formed Aboriginal Rangers group based at Berri, who had come up to see how the Arabana team operated.
While the Arabana Rangers checked and repaired the ~4km perimeter fence at Strangways, the Bill Giles memorial seat was oiled, brochures topped up and the Springs Walk and Woolwash Walk raked where necessary. The interpretive signs at the entrance have weathered and will need replacing − Sam offered to get them installed if FOMS can get new signs up to him.
The FOMS group reached the Curdimurka siding for lunch, where Bren Lay braved the wintry drizzle to launch the second edition of a Field Guide to the Plants of Outback South Australia.
Written by Bren and Frank Kutsche, the second edition has been updated by Tim Croft and Jürgen Kellermann, updating botanical names and adding some 10 new species. Bren presented copies of the revised book to Colin Harris and Simon Lewis.
Most of the group then continued on to Leigh Creek for Wednesday night, although we did farewell Heatheranne and Pete Bullen at Marree. Thursday saw most FOMS participants journeying home, with a highlight being many of the creeks emanating from the Flinders Ranges flowing over the Leigh Creek – Hawker road.
As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, funding is available through the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board and BHP for spring protection and other landscape protection works. Protective works have been designed for Reedy Springs and nearby St Mary’s Pool, both on Murnpeowie pastoral lease. In October 2023 FOMS members Colin Harris, Bruce Gotch and Erik Dahl visited these sites with representatives of the SAAL Board and the Dieri First Nations group, the primary aim being to obtain site clearance from the Dieri for the proposed works. Erik Dahl has prepared the following report on that trip.
Colin Harris and Erik Dahl met at Bruce and Sherrie Gotch’s Humbug Scrub property early on Thursday the 19th of October 2023. They helped load the Gotch’s Landcruiser with just a little more than they would need, or use. Leaving Sherrie to mind the fort, the three blokes hit the road travelling North on Horrocks and Barrier Highways before turning on Gum Creek Road to find a much-needed morning coffee at the Jamestown Bakery. Then on, up the
R.M. Williams Way to Hawker, with a brief stop for more coffee and lunch. With a little taste of the Flinders through the Yappala Hills the trio pushed on up the Outback Way recounting daring stories and past exploits of Wilpena Pound, Edeowie Gorge, and much more while the grand mountains passed them to the east. Finding they had a little time up their sleeves, Bruce suggested a quick trip to Beltana, to consider the beautifully built Afghan camel tank and troughs, railway dam and some of the historic town. Then, north again through Puttapa Gap and on to Leigh Creek. Late afternoon saw the weary bunch at the Leigh Creek Hotel catching up with the crew from the Landscapes Board and some of the Dieri representatives.
The morning saw us congregated bright eyed and bushy tailed in the car park. Quite a mob they were. The Dieri Aboriginal Corporation representatives were Frank Warren, Gregory Warren, Raelene Hannes Warren, Jeffery Kennedy, and Phillip Naylon. SA Arid Lands people were Aaron Smith, Julia Short, Alice Smith and Glenn del Fierro, and from FOMS, Colin Harris, Bruce Gotch and Erik Dahl. After a quick briefing by Aaron Smith the search was on again for coffee as clearly some of the party were not going to function well without one. First the Copley Bakery where a bleary David informed us that we were too early. Then to the Lyndhurst Hotel where luck prevailed, and coffee was procured for the few that demanded it.
The southern end of the Strzelecki is now sealed, and following the feigned starts, the group made good time, mostly avoiding the newly laid potholes. Beyond the bitumen the road was good, but with better camouflaged potholes. At Murnpeowie Station (Mumpie to its friends), the Managers Frank (Bully, to his mates) and Joyleen Booth met the team to discuss the strategy for the day. Mumpie is leased by the Brooks family who have been very supportive of Mound Spring protection and other landscape conservation works.
A short drive north on wheel tracks took the group to Reedy Springs, which was circumnavigated, traversed and studied. Options were discussed and the original survey marks moved to encompass more cultural material and attempts made to avoid washaways and sodic soils. Members of the team that had been to the springs before were surprised at the lack of flow.
They then drove to the beautiful St. Mary’s Pool to discuss options for reducing tourist damage to the site. Bully suggested that some limited fencing and a gate would be adequate, this was generally agreed to. Lunch was had under the coolabahs and red gums. From there the procession moved to the proposed lookout. Although a beautiful spot of coloured breakaway the lack of flow from the springs at the time made the springs much less obvious and there was no spring tail running into the creek. Again, there was much discussion of the options and signage required. Then they climbed back into the vehicles for the long drive back to Leigh Creek.
The homeward trip differed only slightly from the expedition North and was only slightly marred by the dearth of open coffee shops after Hawker. Hawker did provide an ample morning tea, however, and an opportunity to buy more books from Teagues Service Station, and marvel at their displays. Once back at Humbug Scrub Sherrie put on a much-needed afternoon tea as a delightful end to a lightning and enlightening trip.
The Little Bubbler Spring – near Blanche Cup and The Bubbler in Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park – has shown some interesting vegetation trends over the past two decades or so.
The vegetation of the Little Bubbler has been monitored since the mid-1980s and had an almost pure stand of bore-drain sedge, Cyperus laevigatus, until the early 2000s. At that time, reeds (Phragmites) established at the spring vent, very likely as a result of seed transported to the spring on the boots of monitoring personnel. Subsequent colonisation of the spring vent by Phragmites was slow. The next significant perturbation of the spring occurred from 2016, when cattle from neighbouring Stuart Creek pastoral lease breached boundary fencing and had a major impact on the Little Bubbler and other springs nearby.
Since 2018, cattle pressure on the Little Bubbler has eased and there has been an interesting sequence in the recovery of spring vegetation. Although the spring vent was dominated by Phragmites at the time of cattle impact, the bore-drain sedge, C. laevigatus, was the first to recolonise the vent. Only after the sedge had stabilised the vent area did the Phragmites once again exert itself and, as at August 2023, it now dominates the spring vent. This is shown in the accompanying sequence of photographs.
A similar trend has been seen at Bopeechee Spring, on Finniss Springs, where horses rather than cattle have had major impact. The underlying factors are not clear but it is apparent that at least in these two cases – where a spring with both Cyperus laevigatus and Phragmites is impacted by grazing herbivores – it is the Cyperus that recovers first with regrowth of Phragmites occurring as a secondary process. Care should be taken not to over-generalise this phenomenon but it has occurred at Little Bubbler and Bopeechee.
This newsletter edition features:
Members of the FOMS Executive have been meeting regularly with the water resource personnel of the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board and with Sam Stuart, Head Ranger with the Arabana Ranger team. Senior Water Resource Officer with the Board, Aaron Smith, has recently advised that the Board has secured substantial funding through the Commonwealth’s Lake Eyre Basin Program for conservation works within the SA portion of the Basin. The Board intends to allocate $140,000 of this to mound springs conservation.
This is a major opportunity to protect priority springs or groups of springs in Far North SA, the majority of which are on pastoral leasehold land and are subject to impacts from cattle and other introduced animals such as horses and donkeys. In early October, FOMS representatives met with Arid Lands Board personnel and Arabana Head Ranger Sam Stuart to discuss priorities and logistics for a protection program.
At this stage the intention is to implement protection works during 2023. It seems most likely that this will mainlyinvolve fencing of priority springs to exclude cattle and / or other introduced animals. A critical aspect of this will be collaboration with pastoral lessees and some discussions are already under way in relation to protection of Reedy Springs and possibly Public House Springs on Murnpeowie Station. Fencing of springs on Finniss Springs – managed by the Arabana – is also under discussion.
FOMS will continue to be involved in this important planning and consultation phase.
In September 2022, a meeting of the Dieri community was held at Marree – coordinated by Stephen Kenny from the legal firm Camatta Lempens Pty Ltd. FOMS representatives Colin Harris, Bruce Gotch and Simon Lewis attended with Colin giving a presentation to the group on behalf of FOMS. Representatives of BHP also attended so this was a good opportunity to establish liaison with the Dieri and to build on previous communication with BHP personnel.
At the meeting the Dieri made it clear that they are keen to see better protection for mound springs on their Native Title area so FOMS will be looking to build on this initial contact to develop collaborative programs with the Dieri, relevant pastoral lessees and others.
The main Friends of Mound Springs field trip took place in the week 14th to 20th June 2022. FOMS participants were Rick Moore, Heatheranne & Pete Bullen, Bernice Cohen, Bruce & Sherrie Gotch, Bren Lay, Hadyn Hanna, John Tagell, John Brimacombe, Erik & Stefan Dahl, Garry & Michelle Trethewey, Craig and Helen Whisson and Simon Lewis. FOMS President Colin Harris was a late withdrawal due to a Covid close-contact situation. It was good to welcome Heatheranne and Pete Bullen, John Brimacombe, Erik and Stefan Dahl and Garry and Michelle Trethewey on their inaugural FOMS outings.
The FOMS contingent was accompanied on most of the trip by Sam Stuart and Keegan Solomon of the Arabana Ranger team.
Participants convened at Roxby Downs, then drove to Arid Recovery, the 123 square kilometre conservation reserve on the Borefield Road approximately 20km north of Olympic Dam. The Chief Executive of Arid Recovery, Katherine Tuft, welcomed the group and led a walk out to the viewing platform as sunset approached. This was followed by an evening meal provided by the Arid Recovery team and then a walk, with one of the two walk groups fortunate to spot some bilbies. The group camped overnight at Arid Recovery.
On the following day, the group headed up the Borefield Road and Oodnadatta Track to William Creek and then on to Levi Springs, where FOMS volunteers fenced 12 springs in 2019. Overnight camp was at Levi Creek, near the fenced springs. Some of the group spent the next morning at Levi Springs to check the fence and carry out any necessary repairs and repeat vegetation monitoring established at the time of the 2019 fencing.
A second group left Levi Springs to check springs on the Peake which were fenced by the State Environment agency in the 1980s (Outside, Twelve Mile and the Fountain). These springs were in good condition with Phragmites still the dominant vegetation in the spring vents and tails. The boundary fencing required some attention, as could be expected with fencing in these conditions after 35 years or so. This group also looked at the Vaughan Spring, an unfenced bulrush (Typha) spring showing significant cattle impacts.
Both groups then travelled to the Peake Overland Telegraph site / Freeling Springs. The whole group spent the next day at this site. Two bollards were installed at the carpark to complete the protective work here. New brochures were installed and vegetation trimming was undertaken around the carpark area. Two groups carried out maintenance work on the Mine Walk and the Creek Walk. The Mine Walk maintenance crew also did some additional work on the two mine shafts, where erosion has created hazardous gaps around the protective fencing. Those working on the Creek Walk established a short side-track through the creek-line vegetation to guide those walking out to the cemetery.
Saturday 18th saw the group heading south, journeying via William Creek to Strangways Springs. After setting up camp, most of the group carried out maintenance work on the two walking trails at Strangways while Bruce and Sherrie applied some linseed oil to the Bill Giles memorial seat at the Gibber View location. There was also some discussion at the Woolwash site about how to improve the visitor experience at this location. The group then spent the night at the usual camping spot in the Strangways dunes.
With work completed at Strangways, the group continued to Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park. There, Rick led most of the party in an inspection of Jersey and Elizabeth Springs. Bruce led a second group to Horse Springs and Buttercup Spring in the southern section of the Park to install two motion-activated cameras.
The work at Wabma Kadarbu completed the allocated tasks for the trip. On the homeward journey, the group stopped briefly at Herrgott Spring near Marree and Rick outlined some suggestions for improving the spring’s environs and using the site as part of a program to improve community awareness about mound springs.
A successful trip: many thanks to all involved!
Francis Swamp comprises a large area of mound springs on the Anna Creek pastoral lease, with an estimated 120 springs scattered over an area of around thirty square kilometres. Comprehensive studies of South Australian mound springs during the early 1980s concluded that the Francis Swamp springs rate highly in terms of their cultural and ecological significance. The springs are on Arabana traditional land and have strong associations with Indigenous people (see Further Reading at end of this item).
Access to these springs is difficult – most occur on flat, soft, saline ground that can be a bogging hazard for 4WD vehicles. Partly for that reason, the Friends of Mound Springs (FOMS) have had very limited success in surveying Francis Swamp springs in the past. The same situation applied for researchers in the 1980s who conducted some ground-based surveys but supplemented this with access via helicopter.
In August 2022, FOMS dedicated the bulk of a mound springs trip to a more focussed inspection of Francis Swamp springs. A group of six FOMS members (Colin Harris, Bruce and Sherrie Gotch, Bernice Cohen, Stafford Dow, Simon Lewis) spent two full days at Francis Swamp, accompanied by SA Arid Lands Landscape Board staff Hamish Longbottom and Glenn Del Fierro, with Board Senior Water Resource Officer Aaron Smith also joining the group for one day.
The location of Francis Swamp is shown in the map below. The accompanying Google Earth image shows the springs and also provides a good impression of the highly saline nature of the springs’ environs, with dune systems to the east and west. Access was generally difficult. Inspection of the northern area of springs was largely by off-track access, while the southern springs were reached via an old track from the west that had not been used for many years and was barely distinguishable. (It should be noted that there are no Public Access Routes in this vicinity: the FOMS group visited the area with the permission of the Anna Creek lessees, the Williams Cattle Company.)
The photos below show fairly typical examples of springs in the northern section of Francis Swamp – relatively small springs with sedge vegetation and some open pools. Some of these springs were relatively free of cattle impacts while others – particularly near the eastern edge of the spring group – had more substantial cattle damage. Sedges included Cyperus laevigatus, C. gymnocaulos, Schoenoplectus litoralis and Juncus kraussii. The introduced weeds, Spergularia and Cotula sp, were noted at the more disturbed springs.
Just south of these northern springs is a more diverse range of springs. These include a Typha spring with a lengthy tail that is relatively deep (1- 2 metres) in parts. The main fringing vegetation is samphire. This spring was showing moderate damage from cattle. There are two springs dominated by Phragmites that has hayed off during the colder winter months. A particularly noteworthy feature here and at the other areas inspected is the large number of small springs with cutting grass, Gahnia trifida – known as a disjunct species because it occurs in many mound springs but is separated by hundreds of kilometres from the nearest other populations of the species.
Numerous springs were inspected in the southern portion of Francis Swamp. The largest was a Phragmites spring which, as the photo below illustrates, was severely impacted by cattle. This spring also had the sedges, Cyperus laevigatus and C. gymnocaulos and fringing Acacias and samphire. Smaller springs nearby included another Phragmites spring also impacted by stock, a spring seep in a drainage line fringed by samphire, a number of sedge springs with Schoenoplectus litoralis and Juncus kraussii and several small cutting grass (Gahnia) springs. These are illustrated to the right.
Taking into account the access difficulties at Francis Swamp, the inspections of August 2022 covered a good range of springs, possibly around 20 – 25% of the springs in the group. Several of the springs showed moderate to severe cattle impacts – these springs were generally close to the higher, non-swampy ground to the east. Springs further to the west – thus further into the swampy ground – were less impacted.
As also noted above, the springs are on Arabana land and are of substantial cultural significance to Indigenous people. During the August inspection an extensive knapping (stone-working) site was noted nearby, providing tangible evidence of the importance of the area.
Studies in the 1980s and subsequently concluded that Francis Swamp is of high conservation significance by virtue of its cultural importance, its extensive and concentrated spring grouping and the occurrence of significant species such as Gahnia. However, the spring group remains unprotected and, as noted, is subject to cattle impacts. Exclusion of stock has been considered in the past, most notably in the 1990s when then lessees S Kidman & Co put up a proposal to excise Francis Swamp from grazing if the SA Government was prepared to construct and maintain an appropriate line of fencing.
Further Reading
While not intended as a comprehensive bibliography, information on the cultural and ecological features of Francis Swamp can be found in the following: