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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-12-04 Daily Xml
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Naracoorte World Heritage Festival and Run

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:34): On Sunday 24 November, I was honoured to attend and take part in the inaugural Naracoorte World Heritage Festival and Run. This event was held to celebrate two very special anniversaries. Fifty years ago, in 1969 one of the world's 10 greatest fossil sites was discovered at the Naracoorte Caves. The caves themselves were discovered back in 1857, when the Reverend Julian Tension-Woods uncovered the first of thousands of tiny bone fragments deep inside a cave.

The key discovery, though, was in 1969 when palaeontologist Professor Rod Wells and his colleague Grant Gartrell were deep in the Victoria Caves, where they found an enormous chamber filled with the fossilised remains of tens of thousands of individual animals. This was the largest and most preserved discovery of so-called megafauna, the bones of giant marsupials, including the wombat-like diprotodon, the marsupial lion and the giant kangaroo, all of which used to roam the area more than 500,000 years ago.

In 1994, 25 years after the megafauna discovery, the Naracoorte Caves were added to the World Heritage List. This is an important recognition that identifies the caves as a place of cultural and physical significance to the planet and recognises the scientific value of fossil deposits. Importantly, the recognition guarantees the site will be held in trust for future generations, committing governments and local communities to protect the caves for everyone to enjoy.

The Naracoorte Caves are one of only two fossil sites in Australia and 11 worldwide that are listed for their World Heritage value. Today, the Naracoorte Caves site has grown to be a world-class location visited by more than 50,000 people every year. Of the 28 caves on the site, four are open to the public to explore and enjoy, boasting amazing displays of stalagmites and stalactites. There are a variety of tours to suit any level of fitness or ability, from the rooftop walk to adventure caving—a test for anyone who feels claustrophobic.

The inaugural Naracoorte World Heritage Festival and Run helped highlight and celebrate the anniversaries of the megafauna find and the World Heritage listing. There were among 300 entries, with participants able to take part in 22-kilometre, 14-kilometre or five-kilometre run courses. Trail runners came from as far away as Adelaide, and some were from interstate. The courses traversed the natural beauty of the area through pine forests and natural bushland, past farms and vineyards and over wombat holes and dry creek crossings, testing the abilities and fitness of many who participated.

The run was a really great occasion, and many families took part. I was privileged enough to take up the opportunity to run the five-kilometre run (it felt like more than five kilometres). I went with my daughter and we ran together most of the way. She trailed me for the first four kilometres and left me for dead in the last kilometre, coming in second. What was most important was that I was not the only one to participate in the run, as there were many other families taking part.

It was much enjoyed and interesting. One of the best things about running is to run somewhere you have not seen or been before because it takes your mind away from whatever you are suffering from the run to enjoying whatever you can see along the track. We had to dodge a few native issues, such as wombat holes, and I heard that runners managed to avoid a couple of slippery Joe Blakes that were sliding through the bushes as well. In all, there was great participation. It is one of the first fun runs they have held, and I hope that there go on to be many more.

Support for the festival and run was enabled through $20,000 from the Australian government's Building Better Regions Fund, while the Naracoorte Lucindale Council and the Business and Tourism Association contributed more than $15,000 and $5,000 respectively. The University of Adelaide and the Naracoorte Caves supported the festival and run with in-kind contributions. I would also like to express my thanks to all the people and local businesses who lent their support to and helped organise this event.

To the many stallholders who offered the best of our local food, wine and produce, thank you for again putting our region on the map. It was estimated that around a thousand people participated on the day, and one of the most popular events of the day was the Naracoorte Caves Music ensemble, who performed a specially composed piece inside the Blanche Cave. There was also an opportunity to hear from Professor Rod Wells and his colleague Grant Gartrell, who, as I said, discovered the megafauna remains inside the Victoria Caves 50 years ago.

Thank you also to the Department for Environment and Water for hosting the Naracoorte Caves run and for their ongoing role in the management of these fantastic natural assets. I look forward to the Naracoorte Caves fun run becoming a popular and important event on the tourism calendar. May the Naracoorte Caves continue to inspire, teach and amaze the many people who visit every year.

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