Mallee Fowls at Innes National Park: Ali communes with Nature in the Yorke Peninsula region of South Australia

Innes National Park on the tip of the toe of Yorke Peninsula is one of the most spectacular parks in the State. So it's little wonder it's also one of the most visited parks in South Australia.

There are plenty of spots on the newly open Stenhouse Bay Walking Trail from which to take in some of the most awe inspiring coastal views across Investigator Strait. And come sunset, the open paddocks in and around the old ghost town of Inneston come to life with kangaroos, Tamar Wallabies and emus.

But there's one local resident bird who hardly gets a mention - mainly because he's so darn busy doing all the work on a nest that's at least twenty times his size.

The Mallee Fowl is an amazing bird. The male looks after between 5 and 30 eggs inside a giant earth mound. He'll add or remove leaf litter to the mound to keep the temperature inside at a constant 33 degrees.

The nests are difficult to find so we hooked up with some volunteers and National Park staff for some survey work. Park ecologist, Julia Bignall and volunteer Deb Brine got us to an active mound with the use of some GPS satellite technology.

"The mound is basically a big egg chamber," explained Julia. "The male Mallee Fowl will attend to the mound for eleven months of the year - basically preparing it for the female."

The hard work ensures the chicks emerge from their eggs and hit the ground running.

"The eggs are incubated for approximately 49 days," said Julia. "When the chick emerges from the nest it is completely independent - on it's own."

The Mallee Fowl breeding season runs from September through to December. That's when you're likely to catch of glimpse of them around the old town of Inneston. Innes National Park is a three-hour drive from Adelaide. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Innes National Park
Yorke Peninsula (3hrs from Adelaide)
Mallee Fowl breeding season runs September to December

Published 27th May 2007