Friends of Hallett Cove Conservation Park

Mr DIGHTON (Black) (15:11): Today, I want to acknowledge the work of the Friends of Hallett Cove Conservation Park. I recently visited the Hallett Cove Conservation Park and met with Penny Rendle, the President of the Friends of Hallett Cove Conservation Park, and other members of the friends group. Before I spend some time acknowledging the work that the friends group does, I want to share with the house a little bit about the significance of the Hallett Cove Conservation Park, and I thank the Friends of Hallett Cove Conservation Park for providing this information.

The area of the park was previously inhabited by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years. The camping area at Hallett Cove covers many hectares and is possibly the largest and oldest Aboriginal camping area in the vicinity of Adelaide. A large number and range of stone implements were found at the site and indicate a long period of Aboriginal occupation, including from the ancient Kartan culture. The most recent occupants were the Kaurna people. These implements are on display at the South Australian Museum.

In terms of European settlement, the park and the surrounding suburb were named after John Hallett, who arrived in South Australia in November 1836. Hallett first visited in 1837 looking for lost cattle and then decided to take up grazing in that particular area; consequently, the area became known as Hallett's Cove. From colonisation until the 1960s the area was farmed and grazed. Between the sixties and 1976 there was a series of negotiations before, finally, declaration was made in 1976 that 51 hectares would become a conservation park, hence this unique environmental space was protected.

I want to mention why it is unique: the significant geology of the park. There is evidence of episodes of the earth's history from the last 600 million years, including from an Australian ice age some 280 million years ago. The outstanding glacial pavements along the northern clifftops are recognised as the best record of Permian glaciation in Australia and have international significance. That draws a number of visitors to the park, including many geography and geology students.

In terms of vegetation, the alteration of Hallett Cove vegetation began in the early days of South Australian settlement. In the 1840s, logging occurred to feed the boilers of nearby copper mines. Other settlement impacts included clearing and the erection of holiday shacks along the coastline, which added further to the strain on vegetation and introduced various exotic species. By the time the park was proclaimed the upper slopes of the amphitheatre and coastal clifftops were the only areas where remnant vegetation existed.

Since then the revegetation has been ongoing, initially using indigenous plant species, but more recently local provenance species as a seed source. The wide variety of soil layers and types throughout the park has caused a number of different plant communities to evolve and there are distinct areas throughout the park, including coastal dunes, coastal heath and grassy woodlands.

The Friends of Hallett Cove Conservation Park are a dedicated group of volunteers, who have been guardians of this unique coastal landscape since 1987. Over the past decades their commitment has transformed the park into a thriving refuge for native flora and fauna. The Friends have adopted bushcare methods, in conjunction with a planting program, which have removed invasive woody weeds, such as olives and African boxthorn and feral garden escapees. There has been significant revegetation works, including a reconstruction of the woodland, which formerly had the inland area. Approximately 35,000 plants have been planted across the park.

The friends group meets weekly on a Thursday morning and are always looking for new volunteers to join the group. It was interesting to learn that the focus in recent times—and not surprisingly—has been on weed removal rather than revegetation. The friends group have played a pivotal role in community engagement as well. I want to pay tribute to the work of Penny and the friends group. My family and I live nearby and we are lucky that this important park has been protected due to the service of these volunteers.