St Kilda, South Australia
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St Kilda is a coastal
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
, now classed as a
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
, north-north-west of the centre of
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, capital city of
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. With a population below 100 and a sole road connecting to the nearest highway, its natural and built resources have remained relatively undisturbed. The seafront, containing a large area of
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...
s, faces the
Barker Inlet The Barker Inlet is a tidal inlet of the Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide, South Australia, named after Captain Collet Barker who first sighted it in 1831. It contains one of the southernmost mangrove forests in the world, a dolphin sanctuary, ...
, which is part of the
Port River The Port River (officially known as the Port Adelaide River) is part of a tidal estuary located north of the Adelaide city centre in the Australian state of South Australia. It has been used as a shipping channel since the beginning of European ...
estuarine area. St Kilda is an internationally recognised
bird-watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...
area: more than 100 speciesThe number of species noted in the reference is 100. On boardwalk signs the number () was stated as 200, and elsewhere as 150. of birds feed in and around the
mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...
s, salt
lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
s, mangroves and
seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...
beds. The inhabited section of the suburb occupies less than along the seafront. The remainder of the land was formerly used for extensive
salt evaporation pond A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed thr ...
s, although now they are much fewer in number. The settlement ponds of the Bolivar Waste Water Treatment Plant occupy some of the southern end of the suburb. St Kilda is bordered by Buckland Park to the north,
Waterloo Corner Waterloo Corner is a rural/urban suburb approximately 22 kilometres north of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Most of the land is used for agricultural purposes, including wheat, olives, grapes and tomatoes. Port Wakefield Road ...
to the east-north-east, Bolivar to the south and south-east, and Gulf St Vincent to the west. The suburb is home to a number of tourist attractions, including an adventure
playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
,
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
museum, mangrove forest walk and an abundance of birdlife.


History


Pre-colonial

Before the 1836
British colonisation of South Australia British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield ...
, the area was inhabited by the
Kaurna people The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...
, who occupied the land from what is now
Cape Jervis Cape Jervis is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located near the western tip of Fleurieu Peninsula on the southern end of the Main South Road approximately south of the state capital of Adelaide. It is named after the headla ...
in the south, up the western side of the
Fleurieu Peninsula The Fleurieu Peninsula ( ; locally mainly ) is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. History Before British colonisation of South Australia, the western s ...
, to Crystal Brook in the north, east to the
Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and d ...
, across to
Gulf Saint Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Spe ...
, including the
Adelaide Plains The Adelaide Plains (Kaurna name Tarndanya) is a plain in South Australia lying between the coast ( Gulf St Vincent) on the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges on the east. The southernmost tip of the plain is in the southern seaside suburbs of A ...
and
city of Adelaide The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council, is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia. It is legally defi ...
. They called the Port River region and estuary ''Yerta Bulti'', meaning "land of sleep or death". The Kaurna people made much use of the
estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
area for hunting and gathering food and for materials which they made into artefacts and tools. They made use of the
natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...
; for example, they would trap and spear fish (''kuya''), lobsters (''ngaultaltya'') and birds (''parriparu''), and gathered bird's eggs, black river mussels (''kakirra'', species ''
Alathyria jacksoni ''Alathyria'' is a genus of bivalves belonging to the family Hyriidae. The species of this genus are found in Australia. Species: *''Alathyria condola'' *''Alathyria jacksoni'' *''Alathyria pertexta'' *''Alathyria profuga'' References

''), periwinkle (''kulutunumi''), river crawfish (''kunggurla'' – probably
common yabby The common yabby (''Cherax destructor'') is an Australian freshwater crustacean in the Parastacidae family. It is listed as a vulnerable species of crayfish by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though the wild yabby ...
),
clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...
s, native mud oysters and
blue swimmer crab ''Portunus pelagicus'', also known as the blue crab, blue swimmer crab, blue manna crab and flower crab is a species of large crab found in the Indo-Pacific, including off the coasts Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and V ...
s. However, they did not kill the
black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...
s, as this was
taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
. The
reeds Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * Re ...
, blue flax lily and rushes (probably ''
Juncus kraussii ''Juncus kraussii'' commonly known as salt marsh rush, sea rush, jointed rush, matting rush or dune slack rush, is of the monocot family Juncaceae and genus ''Juncus''. It grows in salt marshes, estuarine and coastal areas. This species is idea ...
'', the salt marsh rush) were used for weaving baskets and nets – the latter used for not only fish, but game such as
kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
and
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
. Dolphins were known as ''yambo''.


After European settlement

The "official" town of Saint Kilda was surveyed by T. Evans and proclaimed on 31 July 1873. Settler fishermen had established huts on three low-lying
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
s, covered in shell grit and
saltbush Saltbush is a vernacular plant name that most often refers to ''Atriplex'', a genus of about 250 plants distributed worldwide from subtropical to subarctic regions. ''Atriplex'' species are native to Australia, North and South America, and Eurasia. ...
and surrounded by mangrove and
samphire Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies. * Rock samphire ('' Crithmum maritimum'') is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Uni ...
swamps by 1865. By 1873, 13 huts and a
boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...
were recorded. By the 1890s, people who lived in Adelaide were visiting the islands, attracted to the supposedly curative properties of the mangrove mud and using the beach for bathing and fishing for
crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...
s.eference invoked but not defined/nowiki> An early settler in the area was John Harvey, founder of the regional town of
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
, inland. He gave the locality its name since it reminded him of the isolated St Kilda
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
in the
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
, which contains the westernmost islands of the
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...
of Scotland. Details of the origin of the name is
here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...
. In 1886, governance of St Kilda was exercised by the Munno Para West District Council, which had been founded in 1854. St Kilda was proclaimed a town on 31 July 1893; sales of the first allotments occurred on the same day. eference invoked but not defined/nowiki> The St Kilda Hotel, built out of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
obtained from the hills eastwards, opened in 1898 with Matthias Lucas as the first
publican The (Latin ; Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'') were public contractors in the Roman Republic and Empire. In their official capacity, they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw pub ...
. It remains the township's only hotel. A school opened in 1902, where the tram museum is now sited. It closed from 1917 to 1924 and finally closed permanently in 1949. Students were then moved to
Salisbury North Salisbury North is a suburb in the City of Salisbury, part of the greater Adelaide conurbation in South Australia. It was built by the South Australian Housing Trust on a greenfield site in the early 1950s, mainly to house employees of the near ...
primary school; the timber building was eventually transported to
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
primary school. Together with most of the Munno Para West area, St Kilda came under the jurisdiction of the new District Council of Salisbury (later
City of Salisbury The City of Salisbury is a local government area (LGA) located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Its neighbours are the City of Playford, City of Tea Tree Gully and City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Encompassing an area of ...
) in 1933.eference invoked but not defined/nowiki> After floods occurred in 1948 and 1957, the three islands present since the first European settlers arrived a century earlier were extensively modified. Salisbury Council began building up the area, expanding seawalls and reclaiming additional land by dumping earth spoil. A major change to the landscape took place when construction of large salt evaporation lagoons began in 1935,1935 date is from Taylor, E.; PIRSA cites 1940. employing 600 workers to dig them out by hand. The company expanded the lagoons with mechanical equipment after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. St Kilda's population has never been large: 50 non-permanent residents were counted in the 1901 census; 68 (including 20 "permanent") in 1911; 30 total residents in 1933;eference invoked but not defined/nowiki> 80 in 2002; 70 (11 of whom were in families) in 2016; and 88 (18 of whom were in families) in 57 private dwellings in 2021. Many of the dwellings are insubstantial.


Attractions and facilities


Adventure playground

The St Kilda adventure playground, which covers at the seafront, has been voted by children as the best adventure park in South Australia. It has a "pirate"
shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...
, three-storey
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
, tunnelled slides on a hill,
flying foxes ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Austr ...
, a "bouncy
boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
" and numerous other pieces of play equipment. Shaded equipment and a small
maze A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lead ...
are enjoyed by younger children. Barbecue facilities,
basketball court In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor ...
s and a dog-friendly exercise area are also provided. The playground, opened in 1982 and upgraded in 2016, was initiated by the Lions Club of Salisbury and funded through club fund-raising activities, City of Salisbury council matching funding, and government employment schemes.


Tramway museum

Adelaide's tram museum is located at St Kilda on the site of the former primary school. It holds 24 electric
trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
, 2 horse trams and 5
trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
es that were used or built in Adelaide; most are restored and operational. The museum, which is open on Sundays and most public holidays from noon to 5 pm, is one of very few transport museums in the world to hold at least one example of every principal tram type to have been in service on a city street system. The entrance fee gives access to unlimited free rides on an electric tram along a line that runs between the museum and the
adventure playground An adventure playground is a specific type of playground for children. Adventure playgrounds can take many forms, ranging from "natural playgrounds" to "junk playgrounds", and are typically defined by an ethos of unrestricted play, the presence o ...
.


Mangrove trail and interpretative centre

St Kilda is sited on a
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...
forest that borders
Barker Inlet The Barker Inlet is a tidal inlet of the Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide, South Australia, named after Captain Collet Barker who first sighted it in 1831. It contains one of the southernmost mangrove forests in the world, a dolphin sanctuary, ...
, part of the largest tidal estuary of
Gulf St Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Sp ...
. Late in the 19th century, embankments were constructed through the mangroves to reclaim land for pasture. Subsequently, once the banks of the adjacent saltfields had been built, maintenance of the embankments ceased and the mangroves began to reclaim them. On one of the embankments is the Interpretative Centre, which gives insights into the flora, fauna and processes within the mangrove forest. From there, a trail begins through a flooded mangrove forest, most of it on an elevated
boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...
. The trail meanders through tidal
samphire Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies. * Rock samphire ('' Crithmum maritimum'') is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Uni ...
saltmarsh flats, mangroves and seagrass channels to a lookout that provides elevated views across the Barker Inlet.


Boating and fishing

A
marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
with floating moorings for about 75 boats, some more than long, and two boat ramps, is connected by a long sheltered channel to the Barker Inlet. Home to the long-established St Kilda Boat Club, it provides secure parking, slipping facilities and an electric mobility hoist for boarding boats. The breakwater is popular for
recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...
, especially for salmon trout, whiting (including King George whiting) and
bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...
.


Geography and environment

St Kilda is a flat, low-lying locality, mostly less than above sea level. Although once dominated by extensive salt crystallisation lagoons, many of the saltfields have closed, and land and water rehabilitation has been undertaken. Extensive treatment ponds of
SA Water SA Water is a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of South Australia. It is a successor to the Engineering and Water Supply Department, styled E & W S, a state government department, which was itself preceded by the Water ...
's Bolivar waste water treatment plant lie to the south.


Salt fields

The coast side of the mangroves is bounded by extensive
salt evaporation pond A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed thr ...
s leased for industrial use by the
South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...
. Today, most of these saltfields are no longer used. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is responsible for regulating the
salt field A dry lake bed, also known as a playa (), is a basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body, which disappears when evaporation processes exceed recharge. If the floor of a dry lake is covered by deposits of alkalin ...
s under the ''Mining Act 1972'', which includes a requirement for environment protection and rehabilitation. ICI Australia Ltd began salt production at Dry Creek in 1940 and an associated
soda ash Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...
plant at nearby Osborne. The company sold the operations to
Penrice Soda Products Penrice Soda Products was a company founded in 1935 in South Australia. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, named after its quarry near the small town of Penrice, South Australia. It was forced to close its soda ash production p ...
in 1989. In 2006, when more saltfields were in production than now, they were described as covering about . Salt water was pumped from the sea at two pumping stations, and north along the coast from the final crystallising area. Harvested salt was redissolved and pumped as brine to Osborne for manufacture of
soda ash Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...
by the
Solvay process The Solvay process or ammonia–soda process is the major industrial process for the production of sodium carbonate (soda ash, Na2CO3). The ammonia–soda process was developed into its modern form by the Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay during the ...
. Production in 1999 was . Penrice Soda Products ceased operations at its Osborne chemical plant in 2014 when it went into
receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
. In 2020, a
South Australian government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...
inspection observed that significant areas of mangrove had died off and that
brine Brine (or briny water) is a high-concentration solution of salt (typically sodium chloride or calcium chloride) in water. In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawat ...
had recently been pumped into the saltfields by plant management company, Buckland Dry Creek Pty Ltd. The pumping occurred after six years in which the lagoons had been allowed to dry out. , a conclusion had not been reached about the cause, and a senior departmental official noted that the pumping occurred downstream from where the dieback occurred.


Flora and fauna


Flora

The mangroves found on the coastline of St Kilda consist of a single species, ''
Avicennia marina ''Avicennia marina'', commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae (formerly in the Verbenaceae or Avicenniaceae). As with other mangroves, it occurs in the intert ...
'' var ''resinifera''. In the upper intertidal zone, mangroves become smaller the closer they are to land. They give way to a variety of
samphire Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies. * Rock samphire ('' Crithmum maritimum'') is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Uni ...
species, including beaded glasswort (''Tecticornia flabelliformis'') and blackseed glasswort (''
Tecticornia pergranulata ''Tecticornia pergranulata'' (commonly known as the blackseed glasswort or blackseed samphire) is a succulent halophytic plant species in the family Chenopodiaceae, native to Australia. This plant is commonly tested in labs involving its C3 phot ...
'') as well as saltbush on the saltflats of the supratidal zone. Nitre bush grows on the highest parts of the seawall and the abundant summer fruits provide food for birds.


Fauna

St Kilda is part of a
nursery area In marine environments, a nursery habitat is a subset of all habitats where juveniles of a species occur, having a greater level of productivity per unit area than other juvenile habitats (Beck et al. 2001). Mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass ...
for many of the commercially important fish and
crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...
s in South Australia, including King George whiting, western king prawns and blue swimmer crabs. There are brown snakes and
skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...
s in dense bushes along the top of the embankments. Each year in late summer, thousands of
black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...
s and ducks descend on the area as the inland waterways they inhabit dry up. Waterbirds such as
pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...
s,
cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...
s, oyster catchers and
tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae, subfamily Sterninae, that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated in eleven genera in a subgroup of the family Laridae, which also ...
s are common, often year-round.
Egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
s,
ibis The ibis () (collective plural ibises; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word f ...
,
heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...
s and
spoonbill Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...
s feed on the seagrass and fairy wrens, chats,
fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "f ...
s and thornbills feed on insects and plants among the samphire. Every September,
stint A stint is one of several very small waders in the paraphyletic ''"Calidris"'' assemblage – often separated in ''Erolia'' – which in North America are known as peeps. They are Scolopacidae, scolopacid waders much similar in ecomor ...
s and
sandpipers Scolopacidae is a large family of shorebirds, or waders, which mainly includes many species known as sandpipers, but also others such as woodcocks, curlews and snipes. Most of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soi ...
arrive from the
Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...
in a spectacular display. The abundance of birdlife attracts
birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
:
swamp harrier The swamp harrier (''Circus approximans''), also known as the Australasian marsh harrier or Australasian harrier, is a large, slim bird of prey widely distributed across Australasia. In New Zealand, it is also known by the Māori name . It arriv ...
s,
collared sparrowhawk The collared sparrowhawk (''Tachyspiza cirrocephala'') is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, New Guinea and nearby smaller islands. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Accipiter''. As its name implies the ...
s,
black-shouldered kite The black-shouldered kite (''Elanus axillaris''), also known as the Australian black-shouldered kite, is a small raptor (bird), raptor found in open habitats throughout Australia. It resembles similar species found in Africa, Eurasia and North ...
s,
kestrel The term kestrel (from , derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover ...
s and little falcons are all seen in the skies over St Kilda. The salt lagoons, mangroves and samphire wetlands are recognised as important areas for
migratory bird Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and mortality. Th ...
s by their inclusion in
treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...
created to protect birds and their environment: the China-Australia and Japan-Australia migratory bird agreements.


Protected areas

St Kilda and its aquatic and terrestrial surrounds are exceptionally well endowed. As a result, the waters and shorelines of St Kilda are part of several overlapping
protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
s: *
Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (ADS) is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Gulf St Vincent in and adjoining the north-western part of Adelaide, covering the estuary of the Port River around ...
*
Barker Inlet – St Kilda Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__ Barker Inlet – St Kilda Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters adjoining the east coast of Gulf St Vincent in Barker Inlet about north of the state capital of Adelaide. ...
*
Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area The Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area comprises land extending along the coast of Gulf St Vincent, north of Adelaide, South Australia. Description The Gulf St Vincent Important Bird Area (IBA) is a strip of coastline containing the continuo ...
*
St Kilda – Chapman Creek Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__ St Kilda – Chapman Creek Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters on the east coast of Gulf St Vincent adjoining the suburbs of Buckland Park and St Kilda about north o ...
* the proposed Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park.


Transport

St Kilda is badly served by public transport: the nearest bus stop (stop 63 on the
Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal system offering an integrated network of Buses in Adelaide, bus, Glenelg tram, ...
402 bus route) is from the tramway museum and from the playground.


Weather

The region has a
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, with St Kilda being slightly hotter and drier than the average climate of Adelaide. Based on past data, summer daytime temperatures may be expected to exceed on four days of the year and nighttime temperatures in winter may be expected to drop below on one day, although generally the winter is mild with moderate rainfall. The following graphs show climate data for
RAAF Base Edinburgh RAAF Base Edinburgh is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Military airfield, military airbase located in Edinburgh, South Australia, Edinburgh approximately north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and forms part of the Edinburgh Defenc ...
, inland from St Kilda. (Data are also available for the Bolivar Treatment Works, to the south and inland, but only in respect of rainfall.)


Notes


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Kilda, South Australia Suburbs of Adelaide Nature reserves in South Australia