Roxby Downs, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roxby DownsSouth Australia |
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A BHP-sponsored village in Roxby Downs
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 Roxby Downs
Location in South Australia
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| Population | 3,884 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 20 November 1986 (town) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5725 | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | ACST (UTC+10:30) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Region | Far North | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Giles | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||||||||
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| Footnotes | Adjoining localities | ||||||||||||||
Roxby Downs is a town in South Australia. It is about 511 kilometres (318 mi) north of Adelaide, the state capital. Around 4,000 people live here, though many stay for only a short time.
The town has many fun places and services. You can find swimming pools, a cinema, and a shopping centre. There are also schools, cafes, and sports clubs. Roxby Downs has two nearby towns. Andamooka is an opal mining town about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east. Woomera is 84 kilometres (52 mi) south.
Contents
How Roxby Downs Started
Roxby Downs was built between 1986 and 1988. Its main purpose was to support the Olympic Dam mine. This large mine and processing plant is located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of the town.
The town officially opened on November 5, 1988. A big "town party" was held to celebrate. The company that owned the Olympic Dam Project sponsored the event. The town is managed by the Municipal Council of Roxby Downs.
Water for the Town
Roxby Downs gets its water from the Great Artesian Basin. This is a huge underground water source. The water is first cleaned by the Olympic Dam mine operators. Then, it is sent to the town through a pipeline. In 2004, the town used about 3 million litres of water each day.
Local Environment
Roxby Downs is in a dry area of Australia. In the past, this land was heavily overgrazed by sheep and cattle. This happened when European settlers brought pastoralism (raising livestock) to the region. Many native trees and shrubs were replaced by short-lived plants and weeds.
Scientists believe there were once at least 27 types of Australian mammals here. By 2016, over 60 percent of them had disappeared. This happened since European settlement.
Threats to Wildlife
Animals brought from other countries, like feral rabbits, cats, and foxes, made things worse. They hunted native animals and damaged plants. Some bird species, like the bush thick-knee, are now very rare or have disappeared from the area. Many medium-sized desert mammals are now completely extinct or only live on a few islands of Australia.
Protecting Wildlife: Arid Recovery
The Arid Recovery Reserve is a special place for wildlife conservation. It is about 20 km (12 mi) north of Roxby Downs. This reserve helps protect native animals and plants. As of 2024, it covers 123 km2 (47 sq mi) of dry land.
The Arid Recovery project started in 1997. Katherine Moseby and John Read wanted to create a safe place for the ecosystem. Their goal was to keep out feral animals like rabbits, cats, and foxes. The first part of the reserve was fenced in 1997. It has grown much bigger since then.
Bilbies Return
In October 2020, nine bilbies were released into the Arid Recovery Reserve. Bilbies are small marsupials with long ears. This release aimed to increase the number of bilbies and improve their gene pool. The first bilbies came to the reserve in 2000, and more followed in 2010. These new bilbies came from Thistle Island, which has many of them.
Healthy Ecosystem
Heavy rain in January 2022 helped the reserve's wildlife. An annual survey found the second highest number of native animals in 25 years. There were especially high numbers of reptiles, such as skinks and geckos.
Roxby Downs Climate
Roxby Downs has a hot desert climate. This means it has very hot summers and mild winters. The weather changes a lot between seasons because the town is far from the coast.
In January, the average high temperature is 36.9 °C (98.4 °F). In June, it drops to about 18.5 °C (65.3 °F). The average low in January is 21.3 °C (70.3 °F), while in July it's around 4.3 °C (39.7 °F). The town gets very little rain, only about 149.3 millimetres (5.88 in) per year.
| Climate data for Roxby Downs (30º29'24"S, 136º52'12"E, 99 m AMSL) (1997-2024 normals and extremes) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 48.5 (119.3) |
46.8 (116.2) |
43.4 (110.1) |
40.0 (104.0) |
33.0 (91.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
34.6 (94.3) |
39.0 (102.2) |
42.0 (107.6) |
47.4 (117.3) |
47.4 (117.3) |
48.5 (119.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 36.9 (98.4) |
35.7 (96.3) |
32.4 (90.3) |
27.3 (81.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
34.6 (94.3) |
27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
8.7 (47.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
4.3 (39.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
9.2 (48.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
16.4 (61.5) |
19.0 (66.2) |
12.7 (54.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
11.0 (51.8) |
5.0 (41.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
6.0 (42.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 17.1 (0.67) |
14.7 (0.58) |
7.1 (0.28) |
16.5 (0.65) |
8.1 (0.32) |
15.6 (0.61) |
6.3 (0.25) |
8.8 (0.35) |
8.9 (0.35) |
15.9 (0.63) |
14.1 (0.56) |
16.5 (0.65) |
149.3 (5.88) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 42.3 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 18 | 21 | 22 | 27 | 34 | 41 | 39 | 32 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 27 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
4.4 (39.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
3.9 (39.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
1.3 (34.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
0.0 (32.0) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.1 (37.6) |
3.1 (37.6) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1997-2024 normals and extremes) | |||||||||||||
Images for kids
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Roxby Downs in 2017
