Prescribed burn at Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park
A prescribed burn is planned at Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, on the Yorke Peninsula, on Sunday 24 March 2024, weather conditions permitting.
- The burn will start at 10am and is likely to be completed by 6pm on Monday 25 March.
- The area to be burnt is 66 hectares within the park.
- It is a landscape protection burn to reduce the likelihood of the whole park burning in a single bushfire event.
- The Inneston to Pondalowie Bay section of the “Walk the Yorke” walking trail will be closed for the duration of the burn.
- Smoke could remain in the area for some time, potentially affecting Pondalowie Bay Road.
- Speed restrictions will be in place on Pondalowie Bay Road and drivers should be aware of emergency vehicles and personnel on the road.
- National Parks and Wildlife Service crews will remain on site until safe.
National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia conducts a statewide program of prescribed burns to reduce the spread and intensity of bushfires, protect communities and enhance biodiversity. Prescribed burning is just one tool used to reduce fuel loads across strategic areas of public and private land.
Prescribed burns will only be carried out when it is deemed safe to do so and may be cancelled at short notice.
For the most up-to-date information and to find a list of planned prescribed burns, visit the DEW website.
YPC Art Mentorship & Artist in Residence
Proposed expansion of Wardang Island Indigenous Protected Area
On behalf of Narungga people, the Point Pearce Aboriginal Corporation, Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation and Aboriginal Lands Trust, are looking to expand the current Wardang Island Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) to include Sea Country along the west coast of Yorke Peninsula. IPAs are areas of land and sea managed by First Nations in accordance with Traditional Owner’s objectives.
More information can be found HERE, at https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/environment/indigenous-protected-areas-ipas and at https://youtu.be/fgc_4n3xEeY?si=P85hKI0LWKJCd7Gu
If you would like to contribute to the consultation, or if you would like more information about the proposal, please contact the Aboriginal Lands Trust via email shaun.branden@alt.sa.gov.au
Regional Arts Fund Project Grants
The next round of Country Arts SA Project Grants will open 5 February 2024
Project grants fund high-quality projects benefitting regional or remote artists, arts workers, audiences and communities. Focus of the project can include any area of creative practice, multiple artforms or cross-disciplinary practice.
- Project Grant funds may be spent on:
- Artist Fees
- Travel costs (including international)
- Materials
- Venue Hire
- Equipment Hire
- Insurance
- Project administration costs
- Disability access costs
Please check with a Country Arts SA Grants officer for eligibility of other expenditure not listed here.
Project Grant money cannot be spent on:
- Touring projects from major cities such as tours of performances and exhibitions
- Curriculum based activities including for primary, secondary or tertiary courses
- Competitions, prizes or awards
- Ongoing activities of collecting institutions
- A project principally benefitting a major city or metropolitan location
- A funded activity that will commence before funding is approved
Upcoming Information Sessions
If you’re looking to apply for a grant join an upcoming information sessions to better prepare you for the application process.
Eligibility, project details and brief intro to Smarty Grants | Tuesday 6 Feb: 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Addressing the selection criteria | Thursday 8 Feb: 10:30am – 11:30am
Budgets | Monday 19 Feb: 10:30am – 11:30am
Support material & Acquittals | Thursday 22 Feb: 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Find out more here: https://www.countryarts.org.au/for-artists/grants/
You can also book a one-on-one online session to discuss your specific project in detail.
You can book your one-on-one session using the following links:
Thursday 8th Feb: Book time with Kayla Perry: Project Grant One-On-One Meeting – Block 1
Monday 12th Feb: Book time with Kayla Perry: Project Grant One-On-One Meeting – Block 2
Monday 19th Feb: Book time with Kayla Perry: Project Grant One-On-One Meeting – Block 3
Monday 26th Feb – Thursday 29th Feb: Book time with Kayla Perry: Project Grant One-On-One Meeting – Block 4
Monday 4th March – Tuesday 5th March: Book time with Kayla Perry: Project Grant One-On-One Meeting – Block 5
Tuesday 12th March: Book time with Kayla Perry: Project Grant One-On-One Meeting – Block 6
For more information and to apply visit https://www.countryarts.org.au/available-grants/project-grants-round-two/
Australia Day Celebration 2024
Council invites the community to come together to reflect, respect and celebrate Australia Day in 2024.
The event will be held at the Maitland Town Hall from 2pm starting with a Citizenship Ceremony followed by the presentation of the Australia Day awards.
YP Summer Holiday Workshop Program 2024
South Australian Recreational Boating Safety Strategy
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) is beginning work to develop the first ever South Australian Recreational Boating Safety Strategy.
The strategy will guide the decisions and actions of Government over the next five years to create improved marine safety for recreational boaters, ensuring all users can share and enjoy our waterways safely.
Why we need a South Australian Recreational Boating Safety Strategy
In South Australia there is approximately 5,000 km of coastline waters and 700 km of the River Murray plus a range of other rivers, lakes and reservoirs that recreational boaters and other water users enjoy daily including fishing, cruising, paddling and water skiing.
There are over 300,000 boat licence holders and more than 55,000 registered vessels in South Australia. There is also an increasing number of vessels using our waterways that do not require registration such as canoes, kayaks, surf skis, kite boards and paddleboards.
Statistics show there have been 69 people that have lost their lives in drowning related incidents involving boats and watercraft over the last 20 years with 13 of these deaths occurring in the last five years.
Your input is important
Gathering feedback from the community, waterway users and marine stakeholders is critical to the development of an effective and robust strategy.
DIT invites feedback about recreational boating safety in South Australia via the online survey found HERE.
This initial consultation closes on 5 January, 2024.
National Asbestos Month 2023
Marking 12 years campaigning in the prevention of asbestos-related diseases 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of National Asbestos Awareness Month.
This year also marks 12 years of Australia’s longest-running, multi-award winning annual asbestos education campaign warning homeowners, renovators and tradies of the dangers of asbestos and directs them to Australia’s most comprehensive source of asbestos information and resources at asbstosawareness.com.au where they can learn how to manage asbestos safely.
Since launching in 2011 for Asbestos Awareness Week, the campaign has grown into National Asbestos Awareness Month winning multiple peer-reviewed awards both nationally and internationally and has been acknowledged in parliaments across Australia and global medical journals as a leading initiative in the prevention of asbestos-related diseases.
In December 2022 Advocacy Australia was recognized with two Golden Target Awards for the 2021 campaign.
The importance of continuing the National Asbestos Awareness Month campaign and the asbestosawareness.com.au website in the prevention of asbestos-related diseases cannot be overstated.
With funding for the campaign ceasing in 2018 and funding to keep the website live concluding in January 2019, to help save lives the campaign is being conducted in a pro-bono capacity.
To continue the campaign and keep the website live beyond 2023, funding is desperately needed.
ASBESTOSAWARENESS.COM.AU
asbestosawareness.com.au is Australia’s leading, most comprehensive trusted source of asbestos information dedicated to educating the community about the dangers of asbestos with a specific focus on homeowners, renovators, tradies, commercial property managers and the owners and managers of regional properties where naturally occurring asbestos can be found.
Since launching on Monday 21 November 2011, the asbestosawareness.com.au website has had:
- Over 2.5 million pageviews
- Over 1.1 million sessions
- Over 815,000 unique users
- Asbestos information resources accessed from the website:
- Over 1500 resources are available to the public to download. 107 are flyers, fact sheets, posters and templates with the remaining being images, graphics, presentations and videos.
- These resources have been accessed over 600,000 times
Visit asbestosawareness.com.au for information and useful, practical resources including:
- Asbestos in Your Home – The Ultimate Renovators Guide (Easy to follow video hosted and produced by Australia’s Renovation Queen™ and Asbestos Awareness Ambassador, Cherie Barber)
- Asbestos Awareness Residential Property Checklist – A Homeowner’s Guide to Identifying Asbestos-Containing Materials (User-friendly step-by-step guide to identifying asbestos in the home)
- Asbestos Awareness – 20 Point Safety Check (Asbestos risks and how to manage asbestos safely)
- Fact Sheets for Homeowners (When, why and how to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Asbestos Awareness Toolbox Talks (10 Toolbox Talks to help employers better inform workers of asbestos risks )
- Asbestos Awareness for Young Workers (Education resource developed with SafeWork NSW )
- Asbestos Awareness – 20 Point Safety Check (Asbestos risks and how to manage asbestos safely)
- Residential Checklist for Tradies – A Tradespersons Guide to Asbestos (Identify the product types and locations)
- Trade Specific Checklist for Tradies – A Tradespersons Guide to Asbestos (Tailored to 23 specific trades)
- Fact Sheets for Tradies (When, why and how to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Asbestos Product Database (Australia’s first comprehensive online asbestos product database)
- Asbestos Management for Commercial and Non-Residential Properties (Australia’s only online resource)
Nominate: 2024 Citizen of the Year Awards
Money Matters Workshop
Are you looking to keep more of your hard-earned cash in your own pocket? Look no further!
Join other like-minded business owners for a working lunch, networking opportunities while supercharging your financial savvy at the Money matters workshop.
Here’s why you should attend:
- Boost practices for financial success
- Understand those numbers and get tips for business cost savings
- Master budgeting essentials and cashflow
- Q&A sessions
Event details:
Date and time: 12pm-3pm, Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Location: Yorketown Community Hub, 33 Stansbury Rd, Yorketown SA 5576
Meet the facilitator:
Julie Allerton – a business owner, chartered accountant and APEC certified business counsellor.
Secure your spot at this must-attend workshop today:
Register HERE
Should you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact the Council’s Economic development team at 08 8832 000 or email tramy.ngo@yorke.sa.gov.au.
We look forward to meeting you at the workshop.
Arthurton Main Street Development – Works Commencing
Contractors will be completing the hot mixing of the footpaths and driveways in the main street of Arthurton from Wednesday 26 July to Monday 31 July 2023.
We apologise in advance for any inconveniences.
Unlocking cultural fire practice to rejuvenate Narungga Country
Dozens of small cultural burns were conducted across Guuranda (Yorke Peninsula) last week, reinvigorating cultural practice on Nharangga Banggara (Narungga Country).
It is just the second time in recent history that cultural burning has been performed on Yorke Peninsula, signalling a growing movement to unlock this important Narungga land management technique.
During five days in mid-June, Narungga men and women ignited patches of native grasses and similar understorey species across 4 locations in Ardrossan, Point Pearce and Minlaton as part of a Yorke Peninsula Council project funded through the Australian Government’s Preparing Australian Communities – Local Stream.
They were led by renowned fire practitioner Victor Steffensen from Firesticks Alliance, who has now worked with Narungga people on three occasions in the past 18 months.
Northern and Yorke Landscape Board Ranger and Narungga man Farrin Miller was part of the week-long exercise.
“Returning traditional land management ways to Narungga Country is a step forward in restoring this beautiful place to one with thriving native plants and animals for future generations to enjoy,” he said.
The first cultural burn for the week, between 19 and 23 June, was held at Ardrossan Grasslands by Narungga lead fire practitioners Peter Turner and Clem Newchurch, who shared the importance of fire for Country and how the parklands have regenerated since the first burn conducted there in May 2022.
The Ardrossan site is ecologically significant, with at least 89 native plant species in the 6.8 hectare area.
Last year’s burn has helped to reduce thatch, giving the native species space to germinate.
The other burns were held at Wadgedin Scrub at Point Pearce, on private property at Minlaton and at Minlagawi Gum Flat Reserve.
Whilst the rain prevented burns at other locations, Victor explained the importance of storm burns due to Yorke Peninsula’s stony land and plant species, with the need for cold temperatures and soaking rains to ensure burns are slow-moving and controllable.
Participants learned how Yorke Peninsula’s native grasses cure mid to late winter, and burning at this time is crucial to protecting the health of the soil.
The project aims to build cultural burning knowledge, experience and capacity amongst Narungga people and also raise awareness in the broader community about the importance of the practice, its role in reducing wildfire risk and keeping Country healthy through burning in the right way.
These messages will be shared through a series of short films to be produced by Yorke Peninsula Council and premiered at upcoming community workshops.
Fringe on YP
The Adelaide Fringe Festival is coming to Yorke Peninsula with a spectacular line up of entertainment.
Find out more and book HERE
North Coast Road Upgrade – Stage One
Works forming part of Stage One of the North Coast Road Upgrade, which will see the first 1.82 km of the unsealed section of North Coast Road, starting from Point Turton, sealed, will commence on Monday 30 January 2023.
The works, which are being undertaken by Downer, will include:
- earthworks;
- sealing;
- stormwater management, including the installation of stormwater draining infrastructure;
- road delineation; and
- installation of traffic control devices.
The works are anticipated to be completed between April 2023 and May 2023, weather permitting.
The North Coast Road Upgrade – Stage One has received funding through the Special Local Roads Program.
Australia Day Celebration 2023
Council invites the community to come together to reflect, respect and celebrate Australia Day in 2023.
The event will be held at the Maitland Town Hall from 2pm starting with a Citizenship Ceremony followed by the presentation of the Australia Day awards.
Access Advisory Working Party – Call for disability access project ideas
Safety reminder as trucks on roads increase for harvest
With an anticipated large grain harvest in most parts of South Australia, motorists are reminded to be aware of the thousands of additional heavy vehicles on the road over the coming months.
Grain Producers SA Chief Executive Officer Brad Perry said many of the extra heavy vehicles will be on country roads during harvest.
“The prospect of high grain production volumes throughout South Australia means more heavy vehicle traffic on our country roads, so road safety must be at the forefront,” said Mr Perry.
“Motorists are urged to be patient and exercise caution when interacting with the thousands of extra heavy vehicles on the road over harvest.”
Mr Perry said the wet conditions also provide additional challenges for all motorists to be aware of during harvest.
“In many areas on-farm the ground is sodden, so for the grain producers and carriers it’s important to have a level access point at paddock entry or loading for heavy vehicle accessibility and safety in all weather conditions,” said Mr Perry.
“With such a wet start, harvest in South Australia will continue throughout the festive holiday season, so for those travelling during this period it’s important to plan your trips ahead, drive to the conditions and ensure it is completely safe before overtaking trucks and large agricultural vehicles.
“For heavy vehicle operators, this is also a timely reminder to make sure heavy vehicles are correctly registered or permitted and are properly checked before use.
“Whether it’s a farm-owned heavy vehicle or grain producers using contractors to cart grain, the message from us is clear: take your time to ensure you’ve considered any risks and put appropriate steps in place to make your harvest operations safe.”
Yorke Peninsula Council Mayor Darren Braund said it is important to share the road appropriately this harvest season.
“The busy holiday period also coincides with harvest so it’s important for everyone to be aware of their surroundings and drive to the conditions,” Mr Braund said.
“We all want to get to our destination safely these holidays so please respectful to all road users.”
Some tips from the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) for sharing the road with heavy vehicles include:
- Plan ahead, be patient and alert, and drive carefully
- Don’t exceed the speed limit
- Drive to the conditions, especially when visibility is low
- Ensure it’s safe to do so before overtaking trucks and large agricultural vehicles, and leave plenty of room
- Slow down when approaching slower vehicles, or vehicles entering or leaving the road
- Be aware of blind spots for heavy vehicles, as they have bigger blind spots than cars
Grain Producers SA is the peak industry body representing the 4,500 grain farming
Video: Safe and Healthy Work for All
YP Leisure Options (YPLO) is a community service provided by Council staff and volunteers, providing services to people with a disability and the elderly.
This video demonstrates how YPLO’s Wood Shed provides a safe environment and guidance to apply safe operating procedures, ensuring council is a safe, inclusive and accessible work environment for all.
2022 Council Elections – Candidates
2022 Council Election nominations have now been verified by the Electoral Commission of SA and publicly released.
You can find out more about voting HERE