Get reliable rangeland science

Enabling public access to South Australia’s pastoral lands
Author
Nichols, C
Yates, M
Publisher
XII International Rangeland Congress
Publication Year
2025
Body

South Australia's pastoral lands are a rich resource of unique landscapes and Aboriginal and European heritage, drawing visitors from across the world to experience these amazing locations alongside commercial pastoral businesses. The Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act 1989 (the Act) enables access to pastoral lands: • the public can access any pastoral lands with consent from the pastoral leaseholder, • Aboriginal people have the right to access pastoral land to carry out traditional practices, in accordance with non-exclusive Native Title, which exists over most pastoral leases, • Public Access Routes enable public access to significant sites of high value without requiring leaseholder consent. The Pastoral Board has established a network of 23 Public Access Routes (PARs) totalling more than 700km of tracks to National Parks or historic infrastructure which can only be accessed by passing through pastoral land. These tracks are largely unmonitored and require a 4WD for clearance and access. PARs were initially established in the late 1990s and early 2000s to encourage visitation into the pastoral lands and boost tourism, as well as to develop a remote road network to help connect pastoral lease holders with the broader community. The SA Government is reviewing the long-term sustainable management of the PAR network to better enable public access to these valuable lands, while mitigating potential risks. This will include reviewing where PARs should be, trends in use, options for maintenance funding, and options for undertaking management of PARs including the role of lessees, government agencies and users. Stakeholders and the broader community will be closely involved during the review.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Additional Information
This paper is part of the larger XII International Rangelands Congress Proceedings. Page Numbers: 207-211. Theme: Theme 1 / Poster presentations – Theme 1
ISSN
978-0-646-72121-7
Conference Name
International Rangeland Congress
Collection
International Rangelands Congress
Keywords
rangelands
public access
pastoral
South Australia