{{Short description|Pastoral lease converted to nature reserve in South Australia}} {{Use Australian English|date=January 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Location map|South Australia|label=Hiltaba Nature Reserve |position=left |lat_deg=32.16|lat_dir=S |lon_deg=135.07|lon_dir=E |caption=Location in South Australia}} {{coord|32.16|S|135.07|E|type:landmark_region:AU|name=Hiltaba|display=title}}
'''Hiltaba Nature Reserve''' is located in the north of the [[Eyre Peninsula]] on the western edge of the [[Gawler Ranges]], [[South Australia]]. It is situated on a former [[pastoral lease]] known as '''Hiltaba''', or '''Hiltaba Station''', that had operated as a [[sheep station]]. It is owned by the [[Nature Foundation]], which purchased the property in 2012.
== History == [[File:Hiltaba old farmhouse B-71220.jpg|thumb|Old Hiltaba homestead, 1925]] The [[traditional owners]] of the Gawler Ranges are the [[Barngarla]], [[Kokatha]], and [[Wirangu people]]s, who have inhabited the area for at least 30,000 years and are known collectively as the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal People.<ref name=manplan2017>{{cite book| url=https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/93010_gawler_ranges_np_management_plan_2017_fin_web_v2.pdf| title= Gawler Ranges National Park: Management Plan 2017| date=October 2017 |publisher= [[Government of South Australia]]| author= [[Department for Environment & Water|Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources]]| author2= [[National Parks South Australia]] |access-date= 9 January 2022 |pages=6, 13}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)] licence.</ref> The tribal land of a man called "Whipstick Billy", who was "one of the last Gawler Ranges natives" still alive by around 1910, was said to have been centred on Hiltaba.<ref name=kneebone>{{citation| url=https://unisa.edu.au/contentassets/d20e4cd5cf384ea686b504cd7a6c1d66/naturally-disturbed-catalogue.pdf| publisher= [[University of South Australia]]| title= Naturally Disturbed: 6 April – 7 May 2010| format=Exhibition catalogue, from an exhibition at the SASA Gallery.| date=2010| author1=Kneebone, Sue| author1-link= Sue Kneebone| author2= Jones, Philip G.|author2-link=South Australian Museum#People associated with the Museum|author3= Knights, Mary}}</ref>
Around 1844, [[John Charles Darke]] explored the region, using an [[ox]]-drawn cart (known as a bullock dray in Australia). Around 1857, Aboriginal guides led a government-equipped party with [[pack horse]]s, headed by Stephen Hack from [[Streaky Bay]], through the Gawler Ranges, on a search for sheep-farming land.<ref name=northwall>{{cite book| title=Hiltaba Nature Reserve: North Wall Nature Drive track notes| date=August 2021|author= [[Nature Foundation]]| chapter= A brief history of Hiltaba|others=Version 1.3.}}</ref> Hiltaba was one of the first three pastoral leases taken up in the area in the 1860s, along with [[Yardea]] and Paney Station, all with names of Aboriginal origin.<ref name=kneebone /> Hiltaba was also referred to as "Hiltruby" and "Hiltaby", and it is not known which comes closest to the Aboriginal name for the area. James Hiern took up the Hiltaba lease in 1868, and later sold it to his business partner Anton Schlinke, who had migrated from [[Prussia]] in the 1840s. Schlinke, after adding many improvements to the property, was not able to farm it successfully owing to [[rabbits in Australia|rabbits]] and [[dingo]]es (rabbits provided food for the dingoes, leading to large numbers, so both became pests), so he gave the lease back to the Crown, after which it remained unoccupied for years. Much later, his son William took over the lease.<ref name=northwall /> [[File:Hiltaba homestead 2021.jpg|thumb|Homestead built by Jack "Slinger" Nitschke]] Yardea was the only permanent station west of the ranges, although over time the boundaries, owners, and managers changed, and occasionally the station was only utilised for winter pasture. The original (now roofless) residence and the dam were constructed by the Fitzgerald brothers, who resided there from approximately 1892 until 1912. The lease was purchased by Carl Hermann Nitschke in 1918 and has been in his family ever since. His son, test cricketer [[Homesdale Nitschke]] (aka "Jack" or "Slinger"), owned the property for some time. He built the present [[homestead (buildings)|homestead]] in 1936, before his marriage.<ref name=northwall />
Cattle were introduced from time to time, but the numbers of both cattle and sheep fluctuated. In 1918, there were about 2,000 sheep and a few hundred cattle; by 1939, there were 11,500 sheep. Cattle were removed from the property in the 1960s. Rabbits, dingoes, kangaroos, [[feral goats in Australia|feral goats]], irregular rainfall, and saline water all contributed to making it hard to make a good living out of farming on the property.<ref name=northwall />
The MacLachlan family purchased Hiltaba in 1986, in 1995 transferring it to Janet Angas (née MacLachlan) and her husband Alastair.<ref name=northwall />
After the [[Millennium drought]] caused the end of using the property as a sheep station, it was restocked. The SA [[Department for Environment & Water|Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources]] (DEWNR) noticed that the property was for sale around 2011, and encouraged the Nature Foundation to acquire it.<ref name=outback>{{cite web | title=Held in reserve|first= Koren |last=Helbig | website=Outback Magazine: [[RM Williams (company)|RM Williams]] | url=https://www.outbackmag.com.au/held-in-reserve/ | access-date=10 January 2022| quote= This story excerpt is from Issue #118, Outback Magazine: April/May 2018.|date=16 March 2018}}</ref> Hiltaba Station was bought by the Nature Foundation in 2012, with the assistance of the Federal Government's [[Caring for Our Country]] fund and the [[Government of South Australia]],<ref name=abcopen>{{cite web | last=Neindorf | first=Brooke | title=From station to conservation | website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] | date=14 May 2013 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2013-05-14/from-station-to-conservation/4687924 | access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> with the intention of returning the property to its natural state.<ref name=outback />
One of the main purposes of creating the nature reserve is to help to create an almost completely unbroken east–west corridor<ref name=delaney /> of nearly {{cvt|750|km}}<ref name=outback /> across which the native animals, including the [[yellow-footed rock wallaby]], could move freely. All sheep were removed from the area, and by the time of its opening as a reserve (although not yet to the public) on 3 May 2013, around 6500 [[feral goats in Australia|feral goats]] had been removed. Workers were continuing to shoot [[cats in Australia|feral cats]] and lay down bait for [[red foxes in Australia|foxes]].<ref name=delaney>{{cite web | last=Delaney | first=Jarrad | title=Hiltaba Nature Reserve opens | website=[[Port Lincoln Times]] | date=9 May 2013 | url=https://www.portlincolntimes.com.au/story/1489679/hiltaba-nature-reserve-opens/ | access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> There was a special dedication at the opening ceremony to Damien Pearce, a DEWNR employee who had worked hard to achieve the corridor in the arid lands but died in 2010, before the purchase of the property.<ref name=abcopen />
In 2018 two budget bush campgrounds were opened on the property: one at Pretty Point, with only a toilet, no showers, while the one at the Old Shearers Quarters has showers and toilets.<ref>{{cite web | title=Nature Foundation SA introduces 4 new budget campgrounds | website=Camps Australia Wide | date=25 July 2018| first= Michelle |last=Gilmore | url=https://www.campsaustraliawide.com/nature-foundation-sa-introduces-4-new-campgrounds/ | access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref>
== Description == [[File:Hiltaba view.jpg|thumb|View on Hiltaba Nature Reserve]] Hiltaba Nature Reserve adjoins the [[Gawler Ranges National Park]], which is managed by the South Australian [[Department for Environment & Water]], in consultation with the traditional owners.<ref name=manplan2017 /> It lies north of the park, around {{cvt|70|km}} north of [[Poochera]]<ref name=delaney /> (population 59 in 2016<ref>{{Census 2016 AUS | id=SSC41167 | name=Poochera (State Suburb) | quick=on |access-date= 9 January 2022}}</ref>), with the town of [[Wudinna]] (population 549 in 2016<ref>{{Census 2016 AUS | id= UCL421042 | name=Wudinna (L) | quick=on |access-date= 9 January 2022}}</ref>), around {{cvt|110|km}} away.<ref>{{cite web | title=Hiltaba| website=bonzle.com | url=http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=2274&cmd=sp | access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> The area is part of the northern [[Eyre Peninsula]]<ref name=hiltabahome>{{cite web | title=Hiltaba Nature Reserve | website=Nature Foundation | url=https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/ | access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=infopack>{{citation| title= Hiltaba Nature Reserve Information Pack| publisher= Nature Foundation| date=22 October 2020}}</ref> Not far from its western border lies the [[Yellabinna Regional Reserve]].<ref name=outback />
The {{cvt|78,000| ha|adj=on}} property includes unique and significant geological formations composed of [[granite]] and diverse grass and woodland habitat for a diverse range of native [[flora and fauna]].<ref name=hiltabahome /> Scientific surveys have discovered 21 new species of spiders, 13 species of snails,<ref name=abcopen /> a number of pythons, [[monitor lizard]]s, and various plants found nowhere else on the planet.<ref name=delaney /> [[File:Hiltaba rock hole.jpg|thumb|Rock hole (gnamma) on Hiltaba Nature Reserve]] [[Rock hole]]s in the granite, which gather rain water and are of [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] cultural significance, are maintained on the property.<ref name=northwall /><ref name=kids /> These rock holes are notable for supporting a diverse community of freshwater invertebrates, as well as providing a source of freshwater for wildlife on the reserve.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hedges |first=Brock A. |last2=Beasley-Hall |first2=Perry G. |last3=Dorey |first3=James B. |last4=Weinstein |first4=Philip |last5=Austin |first5=Andrew D. |last6=Guzik |first6=Michelle T. |date=2025-12-23 |editor-last=Özkundakci |editor-first=Deniz |title=Environmental DNA reveals temporal and spatial variability of invertebrate communities in arid-lands ephemeral water bodies |url=https://connectsci.au/mf/article/76/18/MF24243/266028/Environmental-DNA-reveals-temporal-and-spatial |journal=Marine and Freshwater Research |language=en |volume=76 |issue=18 |doi=10.1071/MF24243 |issn=1323-1650|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
The foundation has created driving and walking tracks, as well as fireplaces and accessible fuel for campers.<ref name=delaney /> The property remains a pastoral lease, and adjoining landholders help to manage issues like stray stock, [[dingo]]es, and feral goats.<ref name=abcopen />
Apart from the substantial bungalow built by Slinger Nitschke, there are also several other structures on the property:<ref name=northwall /> * The woolshed, which has been substantially restored by volunteers * Shearers' Quarters, now used as accommodation for guests * Several dams * The original home built by the Fitzgerald brothers * The "Governes's cottage * The grave of an 11-month-old infant who lived in Kondoolka Station to the north-west, who died on the way to Streaky Bay hospital by horse and cart
== Flora and fauna == Several species of both plants and animals identified on a "Bush Blitz" survey in 2012 are [[rare species]], [[endangered species]], or [[vulnerable species]], according to the ''[[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972]]'' (SA).<ref>{{cite book| url=https://data.environment.sa.gov.au/Content/Publications/bb-hiltaba-SA-2012-v3.pdf| title= Hiltaba Nature Reserve Gawler Ranges National Park SA; 12–23 November 2012| series= Bush Blitz Species Recovery Program| author1= [[Government of Australia]]| author2=[[BHP|BHP Billiton]]| author3= [[Earthwatch Institute]]| author4=Australian Biological Resources Study| date=2015|access-date= 9 January 2022}}</ref> The [[acacia]] shrublands, [[casuarina]] woodlands, [[Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands|mallee forest]], and [[tussock grass]]lands provide habitat for over 40 state-listed species and nine species listed by the Government of Australia (under the ''[[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999]]'').<ref name=infopack />
Notable species include:<ref name=home>{{cite web | title=Hiltaba Nature Reserve | website=Nature Foundation | url=https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/what-we-do/nature-reserves/hiltaba-nature-reserve | access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref> ;Fauna * [[Slender-billed thornbill]] * [[Short-tailed grasswren]] * [[Yellow-footed rock-wallaby]]
;Flora * [[Delicate podolepis]] (copper-wire daisy) * [[Desert greenhood orchid]] * [[Gawler Ranges hop bush]] * [[Gawler Ranges slipper-plant]]
Other plant species that can be seen on the property include [[bullock bush]], ''[[eucalyptus socialis]]'' (a type of [[mallee (habit)|mallee]]), [[Dodonaea#Species|lobe-leaf hop bush]] (''Dodonaea lobulata''), [[paperbark]], [[Casuarina pauper|black oak]], [[native apricot]], and [[western myall]].<ref name=northwall />
There are many species of [[kangaroo]]s and [[wallabies]], as well as [[southern hairy-nosed wombat]]s, [[echidna]]s, [[dunnart]]s, and various types of [[lizard]]s, including [[sand goanna|Gould's goannas]], [[black-headed monitor]]s, and snakes. Bird species include the [[emu]], [[mulga parrot]], and [[Port Lincoln parrot]].<ref name=northwall />
== Geological significance == [[File:Hiltaba pink granite.jpg|thumb|Pink granite at Hiltaba]] The geology of the area is highly complex and of great significance.<ref name=manplan2017 /> It was once part of the large earlier continent that was joined to [[Adélie Land]], now in [[Antarctica]]. The Gawler Ranges are part of the geologically significant [[Gawler craton]], which began to be formed nearly 3 billion years ago, completing its current complex formation around 2 billion years ago. The Craton was subsequently subjected to two huge events: the first being a succession of huge [[volcanic eruption]]s, around 1592 million years ago (the [[Gawler Range Volcanics]], or GRV), and the second about a billion years later, when an immense [[meteorite]] or [[asteroid]] crashed into the site of the current [[Lake Acraman]], just north of the reserve.<ref name=northwall />
The Gawler Range Volcanics and the [[Hiltaba Suite]] granite form a [[Mesoproterozoic]] SLIP, or [[Silicic-dominated Large Igneous Province]], covering a large area in the central Gawler craton. There are only a few recognised SLIPs in the world,<ref>{{ cite thesis| author=Agangi, Andrea| date= 2011 | title=Magmatic and volcanic evolution of a silicic large igneous province (SLIP): the Gawler Range Volcanics and Hiltaba Suite, South Australia |type=PhD |publisher= [[University of Tasmania]]|url=https://eprints.utas.edu.au/11722/ |access-date= 9 January 2022}} [https://eprints.utas.edu.au/11722/1/agangi.pdf PDF]</ref> with this one known as the Gawler SLIP.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Curtis | first1=S. | last2=Wade | first2=C. | last3=Reid | first3=A. | title=Sedimentary basin formation associated with a silicic large igneous province: stratigraphy and provenance of the Mesoproterozoic Roopena Basin, Gawler Range Volcanics | journal=[[Australian Journal of Earth Sciences]]| publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=65 | issue=4 | date=3 May 2018 | issn=0812-0099 | doi=10.1080/08120099.2018.1460398 | pages=447–463| bibcode=2018AuJES..65..447C | s2cid=134717666 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
Mount Hiltaba ({{cvt|450|m}} is one of the highest peaks in the Gawler Ranges and has a large [[cairn]] at the top. There are also cairns on Mount St Mungo and Mount Friday, being erected as [[trig point]]s.<ref name=northwall />
In 2015 to 2016 detailed geological mapping was undertaken as part of mineral exploration, as the property lies in the [[Iron Oxide Copper Gold]] province of the GRV.<ref name=northwall />
== Kids on Country == The Nature Foundation runs the "Kids on Country" program at both Hiltaba and the [[Witchelina Nature Reserve]]. In the third camp of the programme at Hiltaba in 2018, 16 students aged from 12 to 14 years old from [[Ceduna, South Australia|Ceduna]] spent a week on the property, where they helped to improve the property as a nature reserve, while at the same time learning about Aboriginal peoples' unique [[connection to country]], along with [[STEM]] learning. The aim was to help the children to connect the Aboriginal, [[palaeontological]], and [[geological]] stories of the area. The students helped to prepare [[bush tucker]] such as [[kangaroo]] tail and [[wombat]] meat, and to clean the [[rock hole]]s.<ref name=kids>{{cite web | last=Jonscher | first=Samantha | title=SA students take to the bush to connect with land and Indigenous culture | website=ABC News| date=3 June 2018 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-04/outback-classroom-program-teaches-kids-about-culture/9821236 | access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref>
Educators, [[Aboriginal elder]]s, and [[Indigenous rangers]] are involved in the programme.<ref name=kids />
== For visitors == The park is open today and staying visitors between 1 April and 31 October. There are two bush campgrounds, 9 rooms for up to 17 people at the Shearers' Quarters, and two cottages accommodating five people each. There are numerous walking and driving tracks,<ref>{{cite web | title=Visit Hiltaba | website=Nature Foundation | url=https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/what-we-do/nature-based-tourism/visit-hiltaba | access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref> with the five walks named after the founders and other early supporters of the foundation.<ref name=barbwalk>{{cite web | title=Barbara Hardy Walking Trail, Hiltaba Nature Reserve | website=Walking SA | url=https://www.walkingsa.org.au/walk/find-a-place-to-walk/barbara-hardy-walking-trail-hiltaba-nature-reserve/ | access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref>
== See also == * [[List of ranches and stations]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{official website|https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/what-we-do/nature-reserves/hiltaba-nature-reserve}} * Wade, Claire. {{YouTube|VBuS2wcOlLg|From mantle to crust: Formation of the Hiltaba Suite-Gawler Range Volcanics Large Igneous Province}} (30 Jun 2021), 30 m 20s.
{{Stations of South Australia}}
[[Category:Stations in South Australia]] [[Category:Nature reserves in South Australia]] [[Category:2012 establishments in Australia]]