Month / Mar 2018

by brandsa2018

World’s largest outdoor art gallery on the cards for outback SA

Marree woman Jo Bonner is overseeing what she hopes will become the world’s largest outdoor art gallery in a bid to boost tourism in outback South Australia.

Two artists are already on board the Artback Rail Trail which aims to eventually see various outdoor public artworks installed in small SA towns along the old Ghan railway.

Jo, 63, is vice president of the Marree Progress Association, which has secured a $20,000 grant, from Regional Arts Australia through Country Arts SA’s Step Out Grant, to support the first two participating artists, Raylene Klinger and Susan Michael.

The women have already begun work on their projects and will showcase their creations in Marree from July 7-13, coinciding with the town’s popular camel racing event, the Camel Cup.

While the exact nature of the artworks is yet-to-be revealed, one of them will involve an old red Ghan carriage in Marree, with its surface prepared by Work for the Dole participants.

An abandoned train station in Marree.

Jo says she is aiming for at least two artworks – which could range from sculptures to murals – to be unveiled each year.

She says she hopes the trail will eventually connect small towns along the old Ghan rail route, including Lyndhurst, Farina, Marree and Oodnadatta.

“At this stage we’re hoping it could run from Port Augusta to the Northern Territory border, which could make it the largest outdoor gallery in the world,” Jo says.

“The artworks could be on walls, buildings … outback towns have many old stone ruins that would be perfect so there’s a lot we can do.”

Jo says she encourages tourists and locals to participate in the artworks or watch as they develop.

She says she was inspired to bring the Artback Rail Trail to life because it could help boost tourism in the outback and rejuvenate interest and business livelihood in small country towns.

The Marree Australian Camel Cup is one of the biggest events on the town’s calendar and a main fundraiser for the Marree Progress Association. The first two Artback works will be launched the day before the races.

“We have all that rail history and the outback attractions like Farina and Lake Eyre, but we’re still not quite getting that tourism and getting people in,” Jo says.

“If we can increase the time tourists spend here it’s going to increase tourism in the town, leading to substantial growth, more employment opportunities and maybe even encourage people to consider what it’s like to live here.

“Even if the visitors don’t stay over night but buy a cup of coffee … every little bit counts and it’s keeping the services alive.”

Jo says she was inspired to create an outback arts trail after learning of a long, public railway trail in Canada and seeing the success of the Silo Art Trail in Victoria.

“With the Silo Art Trail, all those little towns were dying until they created artworks on the silos and now the towns are booming,” she says.

“People go there to watch the artists in the cherry pickers painting the silos.”

Jo moved to Marree three years ago from Adelaide with her husband.

Together they own the Drovers Run Caravan Park, while Jo is also a relief teacher at Marree Aboriginal School.

“I really knew nothing about Marree before I moved here, but I’d always had a liking for the outback and was always fascinated by the colours of the landscape,” she says.

In February 2018 Jo’s commitment to her community helped secure her as a finalist for the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.

AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner Alex Thomas, left, with finalists Jo Bonner and Lauren Thiel.

She says the acknowledgement had helped spread the word about the Artback Rail Trail and shed light on country communities in the Far North.

“We really have to market these outback places because it’s important for the people who live here.

“It’s not just about the art.”

An exhibition of works by local and SA artists will unfold in the Marree Hall in July.

Artists will also present workshops, including night photography and landscape painting, in the evenings at Drovers Run Caravan Park.

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by brandsa2018

Top 10 places to visit in SA (while the weather’s still playing nice)

It’s official.

Summer is over and autumn is here.

The good news, however, is that the good weather won’t disappear overnight, so consider this your last chance to get out there and enjoy some of South Australia’s most iconic and Instagrammable spots.

With a couple of long weekends on the horizon, we’ve rounded up 10 amazing local sights that have to be seen to be believed.

(And yes, it was nearly impossible to cap it at 10 – we sure do live in a beautiful place!)

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1. Locks Well Beach

We all love the Eyre Peninsula for a long weekend getaway and Locks Well Beach is of the most reliable locations for catching salmon in SA.

There’s also a lookout with panoramic views of the beautiful rugged coastline and the perfect photo opportunity to capture a stunning west coast sunset.

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2. Lake Bumbunga

Drive two hours north of Adelaide (approximately 25 minutes from Port Wakefield) and you’ll not only think pink, you’ll see it.

Lake Bumbunga is made up of three salt pans that have been harvested for over 30 years for use in swimming pools, water softener and – wait for it – fish and chips. Yes, really!

3. Umpherston Sinkhole

Who knew a sinkhole could be so beautiful?! Located in the heart of Mount Gambier, this naturally formed limestone cave was transformed into a garden late in the 19th century and it’s been a tourist magnet ever since.

However, we doubt Instagramming your visit was around back then…

4. Seal Bay

Kangaroo Island’s south coast is not only home to white sandy beaches, but – as the name suggests – plenty of seals.

You’ll literally find yourself surrounded by the cute sea creatures lazing around on the sand. They’re Insta stars in their own right and know how to strike a pose.

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5. Talia

The tiny town of Talia is another Eyre Peninsula hidden gem.

Waves have crashed against the granite cliffs for many years to create this stunning seaside destination which is known for rock fishing, fossils and its beautiful turquoise coloured ocean.

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6. Fishery Bay

Located in Port Lincoln National Park, Fishery Bay is a spectacular section of coastline bordered by high cliffs.

A popular fishing area, the bay was the site of a 19th century whaling station and some of the remains are still visible on the eastern rocks.

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7. Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre – despite its name – is usually dry and only fills up once every eight years. Despite this, it remains one of SA’s most well-known natural landscapes.

The vast, dry expanse of shimmering salt is so large that it crosses the borders of three states and on a cloudless day, seems to merge into the horizon.

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8. Remarkable Rocks

No visit to Kangaroo Island holiday would be complete without a trek to one of its signature landmarks.

It took approximately 500 million years for rain, wind, and crashing waves to create the Remarkable Rocks which are now part of the Flinders Chase National Park.

Word has it that early morning and early evening are the best time to visit and take a snap.

9. Wilpena Pound

Wilpena Pound is more than 800 million years old, located in the heart of the Flinders Ranges.

A large natural amphitheatre created by millions of years of erosion, it’s surrounded by ancient mountain ranges, spectacular gorges and sheltered creeks.

It’s also is a favourite for nature lovers and bushwalkers alike.

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10. Innes National Park

If you’ve ever wanted to get away from it all, head to Innes National Park.

You won’t be completely alone as it’s home to emus, kangaroos and tammar wallabies, and you may also see whales, dolphins and seals swim past.

This stunning location is a natural playground with beaches, bushwalking trails and secluded fishing spots with the most incredible view of the stars.

Sonia Bavistock is a fashion and lifestyle blogger and also has her own social media management and copywriting business. Sonia is passionate about all things South Australia and can often be seen dining out with a glass of wine in hand.

by brandsa2018

Speedcast: there’s no better place for us than SA

Mike Kenneally is a senior executive at Adelaide-based Speedcast and says there is no better home for the leading global communications company than South Australia.

He says that over the past four years the business has acquired a handful of other companies, boosted its revenue and is now a world leader in high performance communications for government, maritime, defence, mining, oil, and gas sectors.

“If you looked at where we were four years ago to now, it’s chalk and cheese,” Mike says.

“We have a much larger revenue, we’re a much bigger company, and we’re much more strategic.”

As the largest provider of remote communications and IT services in the world, Speedcast’s services are delivered via a global network of more than 70 satellites and more than 40 teleports worldwide.

Mawson Lakes in Adelaide’s north is home to a sophisticated anchor station facility that connects Speedcast’s clients to the rest of the world.

Speedcast acquired state-of-the-art teleport infrastructure from NewSat in 2015 and has since installed more infrastructure, employed more engineers, and experienced “healthy” revenue growth.

Mike says the Mawson Lakes-based teleport is “one of the biggest and most strategic from a military point of view”.

“The anchor station contains a whole lot of antennas that are pointed at different satellites and we connect all the clients of those satellites to the rest of the world,” he says.

“The location (of the teleport) is extremely strategic because we can cover all of the Pacific, Asia and the Middle East from Adelaide, we’re right in the middle of it all.

“We’ve supported Australian government initiatives in the Middle East and in our own region,  providing comms to soldiers in the field. Any sort of communications they want, we can provide.”

In 2017 Speedcast was awarded a contract to provide mission-critical remote communication services for the Department of the Environment and Energy’s Australian Antarctic Division.

The service allows individuals in Antarctica’s harsh climate to communicate with the outside world and in the event of an emergency.

Mike says Speedcast has upgraded the satellite technology in the Mawson, Davis and Casey bases in Antarctica, quadrupling their data throughput.

“Certainly it’s been an interesting challenge and we’re expanding the roles of some of the people here and in Perth (another of Speedcast’s hubs), but the responsibility for the project rests with the team here in SA,” he says.

“One of our guys (from SA) has been down to the ice for a couple of weeks to actually do the conversion, which was pretty exciting for him.”

In a more recent leap forward, Speedcast won a $184m contract with the National Broadband Network (NBN) Co to deliver enterprise-grade satellite services.

“The NBN up until now has been a consumer level service but they are ready to expand it and offer services to business … and clients in mining, oil, gas, defence, and maritime,” Mike says.

He says Adelaide’s climate makes it the perfect city to host satellite communication networks for use by the defence sector, among others.

“The weather here is perfect for us because satellites operate best in clear sky conditions, we’re geologically stable, politically stable and we have excellent communications infrastructure,” Mike says.

“We also share a border in some respects with the US, which you wouldn’t immediately think but for US clients who want to connect using (station in) Adelaide, they can connect without going over anyone else’s territory.”

Despite Adelaide being an important hub for Speedcast, it has 1300 employees worldwide, the majority of them engineers.

The company has two sites in Adelaide, one in Thebarton and the other in Mawson Lakes.

Mike says Speedcast is “looking to expand its role” in the nation’s naval shipbuilding plan, including the $35 billion Future Frigates to be built in SA.

He says that with the state secured as Australia’s defence epicentre, over coming decades will come a drive in growth and optimism for local start-ups.

“I think we’re seeing recent wins by a lot of companies and a decision to continue shipbuilding-related activities here,” Mike says.

“That will have a spin-off for SA and businesses are sensing that optimism, which hasn’t been there for quite a while.”

Mike has a background in technology, satellites and defence-related projects and says he’s glad he can remain in the industry from his home state.

“The changing technology now makes it possible for people to work from anywhere but still be engaged in the sector and I think that’s a fantastic thing,” he says.

“It means that people don’t have to move away for their job.

“It also means there are new opportunities for new start-ups to capitalise on niche opportunities and operate from here … they don’t have to go and live California to do it.”

I Choose SA for Shipbuilding and Defence Industries stories are made possible by City of Salisbury:

Visit the I Choose SA for Industry website to learn more stories about key industry leaders, why they’ve chosen SA as a base and how the state is enabling them to succeed.