The 19th Australian Rangeland Society Conference will be in Port Augusta from 25th September to 29th September 2017.
External factors are driving significant change across the rangelands as technology advances, social dynamics and climate change impacts become apparent. The rangelands community and industries are in a state of transition. To explore this and seek to inform future developments the proposed theme for the conference is Transition to Transformation.
Port Augusta has an ongoing connection with the rangelands of South Australia with the relevant government agencies based in the town, the long history of research at the nearby Middleback Station, the nearby Flinders Ranges and an active pastoral industry to the north and north-west. Being positioned at the head of the Spencer Gulf and at the intersection of the national highways has meant that its historical role as the service centre for outback SA and Central Australia, continues today. In addition to servicing the pastoral industry, Port Augusta is now the centre of the emerging clean technology industry and the expansion of the nearby Cultana training area will increase the role in defence industries. Port Augusta has easy access to a variety of rangeland ecosystems and land uses for field tours. The conference is planned for to coincide with school holidays in a number of jurisdictions, assisting those attendees that would like to take the opportunity to visit iconic places such as Lake Eyre, the Flinders Ranges or the nearby Clare valley. The climate in the spring of Port Augusta will be good for field trips and general activity while missing the peak winter tourism season.
Conference information is already available on the ARS website – check regularly for further updates!