Latest news with #FlindersRanges
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Incredible rural scene brings 'glimmer of hope' to struggling Aussies
Driving down a dusty, dry Aussie road on Thursday morning, Dorothy Crosby was mesmerised by the incredible scene unfolding in front of her. There, in the middle of drought-stricken South Australia, a rainbow suddenly appeared like a 'glimmer of hope' in the sky after a sprinkle of much-needed rainfall. 'When I saw that rainbow, I just thought this hay is like a gift of hope as well,' the counsellor for Rural Aid told Yahoo News Australia. For the past few weeks she has been helping deliver bales of feed to struggling farmers in the lower Flinders Ranges as the entire state continues to suffer through a historic two-year-long drought, which has forced many to sell off large portions of their livestock. 'On the ground, I see the encouragement that that hay is bringing,' Crosby said. 'The farmers themselves are so resilient, and they're managing their resources as wisely as they can. A lot of them have had to de-stock, and they're just trying to sustain their breeding stock so that when the drought ends, they can kind of rebuild again. But I think that they need to be seen.' Farmers around the country are under significant strain, with those in south-eastern Australia praying for rain and others in NSW begging for the 'one-in-500 year' floods to stop. Answering their calls for help has also placed pressure on charities dedicated to helping Australia's agriculture community, with several rallying in recent weeks and travelling thousands of kilometres to drop off hay donations to hundreds of rural properties in SA. Over the King's Birthday weekend, a whopping 2,000 tonnes of hay loaded onto 40 trucks were handed out to 86 families in the Fleurieu Peninsula by Need for Feed volunteers. Rapid Relief Team volunteers also travelled more than 1,700km to drop off supplies to over 200 farmers in the mid-north, with Rural Aid, Aussie Hay Runners and Farmer's Relief Agency all joining the collaborative effort. Leon Hams, a sheep farmer for over 30 years, told Yahoo he was 'excited' to recently receive 11 bales from Rapid Relief, and that the effort was 'very much appreciated' by everyone in the Jamestown area. The lingering drought forced Hams to sell half of his livestock earlier this year so he could properly care for those animals that remained. 'It's been very hard trying to survive and put feed on the table and pay your bills — your power bills and your fuel bills, they don't disappear, you still got to pay them,' Hams, who is now using the donated hay 'sparingly' and intermittently with barley, said. He added it has been a 'very hard and difficult year' for everyone in his community, with some farmers forced to refinance their properties just to keep up. 'It's just been a real disaster. It's not just the farmers. Everyone talks about the farmers, but it's not just the farmers. It's the whole community. The town's suffering because the farmers haven't got the money to spend at the businesses in town,' he said, noting his dad, who has lived off the land his entire life, said he's never seen a drought this bad before. Parts of the state received some patchy rainfall last weekend, bringing some slight relief, but much more consistent precipitation is needed. 'It's given everyone a little bit of hope for the future. Unfortunately, it doesn't rain feed, but it'll start the feed off. Let's hope we have a good, reasonable year this year, and break even and go on the following years, and we don't have to ever experience this again.' Sadly, the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast predicts rainfall will likely remain below average across southwestern WA, far south-eastern SA, much of Victoria and the alpine region of NSW throughout July. However, more help is on the way, with SA farmers expected to receive another 6,000 bales of feed from WA by the end of next month. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
12-06-2025
- ABC News
Man missing for nearly two weeks in Flinders Ranges found safe
South Australian police say missing man Kyle has been found safe and well after he went missing for nearly two weeks in the northern Flinders Ranges. Police issued a call for assistance on Wednesday for Kyle, 39, who was last seen at Arkaroola Village around midday on June 1. Kyle, who was driving a white rental van, said he was going to return on June 7. Police launched a ground and aerial search of the Arkaroola area after receiving a missing person report. Just before 6pm on Thursday, SA Police issued a statement advising that Kyle "has been located safe and well". "Thank you to the public for their assistance," the statement read.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Desperate search for experienced camper who mysteriously vanished while travelling in outback Australia
Concerns are growing for a solo camper who has been missing for 10 days in the vast and remote wilderness of central Australia. Tyle Mali, 39, was last seen on Sunday, June 1 before he embarked on a trip into the far northern regions of South Australia. CCTV footage captured him entering a white 2023 Toyota HiAce, which he had rented from Mile End in Adelaide 's inner west. He was reportedly driving to Arkaroola, in the northern Flinders Ranges, around 630km, or an eight-hour drive, from Adelaide. The rental van, with South Australian registration S129-CWL, was last spotted in the Arkaroola area just after 6am on Monday, June 2. South Australia Police believe the vehicle was driven from Yunta to Arkaroola between May 30 and June 1. They are appealing to anyone who may have seen the van between these two locations, particularly along the Barrier Highway, about 280km south of Arkaroola. Authorities fear Mr Mali could be injured or stranded, with no confirmed sightings and no contact since early June. Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said police held 'serious concerns' for Mr Mali's safety. He confirmed that some of the camper's belongings had been found left behind at his accommodation in Arkaroola Village. Despite three days of intensive searching in the region, there has been no sign of him. The area is extremely remote, conditions are hot and dry, with limited mobile phone coverage, and the GPS tracking system on the hire van is out of range. 'He may have been injured, or his vehicle may have been disabled,' Parrott said. 'Given the lack of connectivity in the area, he may not be able to contact authorities.' Mr Mali is known to be an experienced camper. In a separate incident in 2021, Queensland Police said that Kyle had been reported missing after failing to contact his family for over a month before he was found. South Australian emergency services, along with PolAir crews, have been combing the vast and rugged terrain between Yunta and Arkaroola. But so far, the search efforts have come up empty. Anyone who has seen Kyle or the white Toyota HiAce van is urged to contact police immediately.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- ABC News
Police launch search for missing man Kyle in South Australia's Flinders Ranges
Police have launched a widespread search of South Australia's northern Flinders Ranges for a man in a rental van who arrived at Arkaroola Village but has not been seen for 11 days. Kyle, 39, was last seen at the village, also known as the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, about midday on June 1, and said he would be back six days later. But SA Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said he had not been seen since, and his rental van was also missing. "We hold concerns for Kyle's welfare this time because he had expressed an intention to return to Arkaroola Village on the 7th of June, but has not yet returned," he said. "He has also left some of his personal effects at his accommodation." He said police had conducted extensive ground and aerial searches of the Arkaroola area since receiving the missing person report. "One of the complicating factors in this search is there is limited phone connection within the region," he said. He said the strongest lead police have is the hire vehicle he was driving — 2023 white Toyota Hiace rental van with South Australian registration S129CWL. "But given these circumstances ... means we also hold some concerns for him in that he may have been injured or his vehicle may have [broken down or got stuck]." Assistant Commissioner Parrott said Kyle would be unable to call for help. "We're also really worried that this week there is some impending weather coming through ... so if, in fact, Kyle is in some sort of trouble, he's injured or stranded, then clearly that weather starts to play a factor," he said. "It has the potential to impact searching." Assistant Commissioner Parrott said it was "quite possible" that Kyle was avoiding being found but police could not rule out an accident. "That's why we're pulling out all stops to find him," he said. Police are urging anyone, especially those in the Mid North regions of Peterborough, Yunta, Orroroo and the Flinders Ranges, to keep a look out for Kyle or his van.
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Western quolls and brushtail possums thrive in national park a decade after reintroduction
Western quolls (Idnya) and brushtail possums (Virlda), once locally extinct, are flourishing in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges national park 10 years after their reintroduction. 'They're pretty funny. We go spotlighting at night … you can spotlight at the campsite there and see them running around, looking for bits of food,' National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reintroduction ecologist Talitha Moyle said. 'They can be quite inquisitive, but they can also be shy … some can be bold, it depends on their personality.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email In March, NPWS rangers and volunteers caught, scanned and released 135 western quolls and 30 brushtail possums over five nights. The Idnya and Virlda are culturally significant to the Adnyamathanha people of the greater Flinders Ranges area. The quolls lived in the area for centuries, and over about 80% of the continent before European settlement. They were last seen in the Flinders Ranges in the 1880s and are extinct everywhere except part of Western Australia. 'They're a carnivorous marsupial. They scavenge carrion, they eat insects, birds, eggs, reptiles, baby rabbits … any opportunistic things if they can get it and it's the right size to grab,' Moyle said. 'The females are about 800g to 1.2kg and the boys are up to 2.5kg – like a small native cat.' The possums used to be common but are thought to have become extinct in the 1940s, according to the Landscape SA arid lands board. While some consider them a pest in urban areas, their populations are only considered stable in two regions outside Adelaide. The Bounceback program and the Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered Species (Fame) reintroduced the quolls in 2014 and the possums in 2015. They are now breeding in 'safer havens' in the national park, areas where feral animals have been reduced. Through Bounceback, Fame and the environment and water department have established three havens, each about 500 sq km, for endangered species in the state's far north. The Fame chief executive, Tracy McNamara, said it took 'bold action' to return the animals to the Flinders. And she pointed out that it has been done without the need for a fence. Moyle said while fencing could be useful, it was good to have them back in the wild by managing cats, foxes, and grazing pressure. Upcoming SA projects included protecting threatened plants, bilbies, Bassian thrushes and red-tailed phascogales – tiny, carnivorous marsupials. The state environment minister, Susan Close, said the Bounceback program was SA's longest-running, landscape-scale biodiversity program, helping people learn more about the species being reintroduced. 'The western quoll has shown it can be adaptable to harsh conditions if other factors such as boosting biodiversity and feral control are in place,' she said. There are various projects across the country to reintroduce quolls. Last year, the Wild Deserts project saw 20 burrowing bettongs and 20 western quolls released into Sturt national park, in New South Wales, as part of a project to reintroduce seven locally extinct mammals. The Wild Deserts principal ecologist, Dr Rebecca West, said it was 'like time-travelling … going back to what it would have been like 200 years ago if you set up camp in the Strzelecki desert'. In 2016, Australian National University researchers reintroduced the eastern quoll to the mainland after 50 years' absence. In 2022, 50 eastern quolls were released in the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Dividing Range. Eastern quolls were also released to boost the Tasmanian population in March. Moyle said visitors to the Ikara-Flinders national park might be able to see a western quoll in the wild near Wilpena. 'If you are incredibly lucky, your camping trip might go to the next level in terms of spotting endangered wildlife,' she said. 'The key is to be quiet and to use a torch.'
