| Gawler Ranges National Park Eyre Peninsula, South Australia |
| On this page you will find a collection of photographs of the Ranges, taken in November 2007 and July 2008. It is harsh country, but beautiful. |
| This colourful fellow is a Military Dragon. In November 2007 we photographed him and a number of his mates - they were out in force and in their full breeding colours! |
| The Gawler Ranges are located on the Upper Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, just above the Corrobinnie Fault Zone, and about 45km from Minnipa. The landscape of the Ranges are believed to be 120 - 130 Million Years old, making them quite possibly the oldest landscape we know of. |
| The Ranges were in existance when Dinosaurs roamed the land. The volcanic rocks originated around 1592 million years ago as extensive (at least 25 000 km square, and perhaps up to 50 000 km square) deposits sprewed out by explosive volcanoes. The layers were later consolidated and welded together to form hard solid rocks with a distinctive texture. Whether volcanics were poured out as ash or lava is debated and the question remains open. The volcanic event was massive, for it is estimated that at least 37, 500 cubic km of material was emitted by comparison, the 1980 Mt St Helens eruption near Seattle, USA, involved 1.1 cubic km. |
| The "Organ Pipe" formations of rock, for which the ranges are noted, were formed as the rock cooled, the length of the pipes being arranged at right angles to the cooling surface. Such "Organ Pipes" can be found in many areas of the ranges. Excellent examples can be seen at Kolay Mirica Falls, where they remain in their original position. |
| About 600 million years ago, the Acraman meteorite crashed into the outcrop of volcanic rocks to the north-west of the Gawler Ranges National Park. The rocks affected show evidence of the very high impact pressures and the force of the collision was such that fragments were hurled more than 300km to the east. Pictured above and right: Kolay Mirica Falls |
| About 280 million years ago the region was overridden by ice sheets which covered most of the southern part of what is now the Australian continent. When the ice sheets had melted, between 280 million and 130 million years ago, the area was weathered and worn down to a plain of low releif underlain by a mantle of altered rock. |
| Around 130 - 140 million years ago, the fault zone along the Corrobinnie Depression became active. The plain shaped in the volcanics and granite was uplifted along what is now the southern boundary of the ranges, and was tilted down to the north. The rivers flowed north down a distinct slope. They cut into the previously formed regolith and stripped practially all of it, for only small remnants of the weathered rock remain. This ancient landscape remains practically untouched. |
| Plains and valleys have been silicified and later dissected. In particular, a huge river system which drained much of the range was active - about 30 - 50, and again 2 - 5 million years ago, the main stream running along what is now the Corrobinnie Depression. This "Narlaby" River as it is called, ran out to sea at Smokey Bay. |
| Over the past 2 million years, the climate of the area has become arid and rivers have diappeared. Valleys have been blocked, resulting in the formation of salt pans, some of them, like Lake Gairdner, are very large. Fields of desert dunes formed to the south some 20 000 - 130 000 years ago and another set of sand ridges began to advance into the upland from the west about 4000 years ago. As they extended eastwards, they climbed up the slopes and over the crests of hills, spilling onto and moving down the slopes: hence the climbing and falling dunes. |
| Settlement by pastoralists has caused accelerated soil erosion, but the scenery of the Gawler Ranges, despite having been exposed to the elements since their formation, remains basically unchanged. It is one of the oldest, if not the most ancient landscape yet recognised on earth! Looking at a time line of the earth, 1585 million years ago we had bacteria on the planet... 600 million years ago we had the first multicellular animals. 420 or so million years ago the first ever plants appeared on the earth... and around 220 million years ago, the Dinosaurs appeared. 62 million years ago, the first ancestoral horses and cattle appeared, and 37 million years ago, ancestoral apes came into existance. When you look at the age of the planet, its amazing to think that the Ranges have been here that long! |
| The ranges are full of wildlife. At the moment (July 2008) there are a LOT of kangaroos out there. Its lovely to see them in their natural environment! |
| We hope you have enjoyed our page on the Gawler Ranges. We go out there every couple of months for a drive around the park and just spend the day looking at the scenery. It is a harsh landscape, but beautiful non the less. Anyone who is travelling over this way, it is well worth getting off the highway and going for a look yourselves. The photos just dont do it justice! |