About the Gawler Ranges District
The Gawler Ranges district covers an area of approximately 51, 000 square kilometres north of Eyre Peninsula and Port Augusta.
Communities
The population of the district is approximately 200. There are no major towns, but a settlement exists at Iron Knob.
Climate
The climate of the district is characterised by hot, very dry summers and cool to mild winters. Rainfall variability is moderate to high, with average annual rainfall ranging from less than 200mm in the north-east to 300mm in the
south-west of the district. Evaporation ranges from 2300 mm to 2700 mm per annum.
Land Forms
The district is characterised by sand dunes and flats with mulga woodlands, calcareous plains with mulga, western myall, blackoak and chenopods, gibber tablelands with chenopod/samphire shrubland and granitic
hills with mallee woodland.
Vegetation
Major vegetation types include:
Sand Dunes & Flats: red mallee, gilja, mallee cypress pine,mulga, black oak, northern cypress pine, tussock grasses.
Plains: western myall, mulga, red mallee, sugarwood, bluebush, tussock grasses, annual grasses, medic, black oak, hop bush, copperburr, speargrass Hills & Rises: tarcoola wattle, pointed mallee, white mallee, mulga, emu bush, senna, saltbush, bluebush, cassia.
Water
The water resources of the district are limited, with only a small number of reliable wells and springs available. The pastoral industry use a combination of surface water catchments and bore water, with some stations accessing water from the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline.
Land Use & Industry
The major land use within the district is sheep production, with some properties running small numbers of cattle. Other land uses include parks and reserves, mining/exploration, defence industry operations and some tourism.
Land management Issues
Land management issues include: total grazing pressure; feral animals; water & wind erosion; wildfire; water management; tourism impacts; defence; operation Impacts; salinity.