Field Trips
For Pre-Forum Tour to River Murray (PT1) click here
The following field trips will be held concurrently on
Wednesday 2 April 2008.
TOUR OPTION 1 (FT1) $120 per person
Salinity Management The River Murray THIS FIELD TRIP IS FULLY BOOKED
ITINERARY
This tour will travel to the Riverland region of SA. This
region is a major irrigation area of the State where nearly half
of all SA s wine grapes are grown along with around 90% of all
citrus, stonefruit and nuts. We will call at Lock and Weir No 1
Blanchetown. This lock and Weir is one of 13 along the River
Murray that maintain a pondage for both navigation and
irrigation. The next stop will be Waikerie, first settled in
1894, consists of well over 5,000 hectares of agricultural,
horticultural and viticultural developments. Here we will have
the opportunity to gain an understanding of salinity impact
zoning and the benefits of salt interception. From here we will
move onto the SARDI research station where research is being
undertaken on developing economic opportunity use of saline
groundwater to produce saltwater fish. The next stop on this
tour will be the Stockyard Plain Disposal Basin where the saline
groundwater extracted by the salt interception schemes in the
area is disposed of.
Summary of points of interest:
- Salinity impact zoning
- Horticulture and salinity
- Crop management issues
- Salt interception and disposal
- Saline aquaculture
TOUR OPTION 2 (FT2) $120 per person
Groundwater Salinity Management THIS FIELD TRIP IS FULLY BOOKED
ITINERARY
This tour will travel to the Langhorne Creek Region of SA, just
south of Adelaide. The region features Lake Alexandrina,
Australia's largest permanent freshwater lake and a natural
flood plain, the soil of which is fine, fertile and deep, having
been deposited by the Bremer and Angus rivers over aeons, thus
making it a very good region for horticultural production in
general. Here we will have the opportunity to look at the
various irrigation techniques employed including the use of
moderately saline water and aquifer storage and recovery. We
will travel to the Murray Mouth where a series of barrages keep
the sea from entering Lake Alexandrina and Albert. Here we will
have the opportunity to gain an understanding of the salinity
impacts on the Coorong as well as the dredging operation. On our
way back to Adelaide we will travel through the McLaren Vale
region where treated sewage effluent is used to supplement the
limited available groundwater. If time permits we may also have
the opportunity to call into one of the local wineries.
Summary of points of interest:
- Aquifer storage and Recovery
- Conjunctive water use
- Irrigation techniques moderate saline water use
- The barrages a barrier to Seawater intrusion
- Dredging of the Murray mouth
- Salinity issues in the Coorong
- Aquifer management
TOUR OPTION 3 (FT3) $120 per person
Yorke Peninsula
ITINERARY
Yorke Peninsula (affectionately known as YP) lies several hours
west of Adelaide, bounded by the Spencer and St. Vincent Gulfs.
YP has a rich mining history, and is a popular tourist
destination with its coastal attractions and national parks.
Agriculture on YP has been a major industry since the mid 1800s,
and the region is renowned for its cereal grain production. One
of the first written accounts (in 1924) of dryland salinity in
Australia related to an outbreak on YP, and salinity remains a
significant Natural Resource Management issue.
Currently around 14,000 ha of land are visibly affected by
salinity, with a 50% increase in this area possible by the year
2050. Besides prime agricultural land, salinity is threatening
urban and rural infrastructure, and biodiversity assets such as
wetlands.
Tour highlights:
- Salinity and irrigation (Northern Adelaide Plains).
- Perennial plants for recharge reduction and profitable
saltland
- Research catchment - groundwater modelling and EM mapping
results
- Catchment groups – community action to control salinity.