Merna Mora facts for kids
Merna Mora Station is a very large property in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. It's a special type of land called a pastoral lease, which means a family can use the land for farming. Today, Merna Mora is a working farm where they raise sheep and cattle. It's also a popular place for tourists to visit and stay.
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Exploring Merna Mora Station
Merna Mora Station covers a huge area. It includes the very top part of a famous natural landmark called Wilpena Pound. The property stretches west all the way to Lake Torrens and north towards a town called Beltana.
It is about 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Hawker. It's also about 57 kilometres (35 mi) south west of Blinman.
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The Land and Its Plants
The land at Merna Mora is very varied. You'll find rolling hills and ranges, sandy areas called sandhills, and flat clay plains. There are also large valleys and slopes covered in grass.
Many different plants grow here that animals can eat. These include trees like black oak and acacia, and shrubs like bullock bush. You can also find various grasses such as wallaby grass, windmill grass, and buffel grass.
Water and Transport
Water is very important on a large property like this. Merna Mora has some natural springs that provide water all year round. There are also 83 special wells, called bores, that bring water up from underground.
The property is also crossed by the Central Australia Railway. This railway line helps connect different parts of Australia.
A Family's History
Merna Mora Station is a truly historic place. It covers about 150,000 acres (234 sq mi; 607 km2) today. The Fels family has owned and managed this property for a very long time. They bought it in 1886, and five generations of the family have lived and worked there.
In 1968, the Fels family decided to welcome visitors. They opened up parts of the station for tourists to stay and experience life in the Australian outback. Because they have lived in the outback for so long, the Fels family are very skilled at living and working in the bush.
How the Station Grew
Over the years, Merna Mora Station has grown much larger. In 1905, a small part of the property was sold. This section was about 4,000 acres (1,619 ha) and had two wells.
Later, in 1949, the property was put up for sale. At that time, it was about 22,245 acres (9,002 ha). It had a four-bedroom main house, called a homestead, and a shed for shearing sheep, known as a woolshed. It also had three water wells.
The original Merna Mora property became much bigger in 1978. This happened when the Fels family bought another station called Wintabatinya. They expanded again in 1993 by buying Motpena station. These purchases made Merna Mora Station a total of 290,000 acres. This makes it one of the biggest pastoral properties in all of South Australia!
