Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Ghan. It is located approximately south of Ltyentye Apurte Community and south east of

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

. The reserve is surrounded by the pastoral lease and operating cattle station,

Andado Andado Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Alice Springs region of the Northern Territory. The traditional lands of the Arrernte people before European settlement, the first pastoral lease was granted in 188 ...

, the area also lies on the western edge of the Simpson Desert. The area is fenced to protect it from stock. It can be accessed via the old Andado track or the Binns track via Ltyentye Apurte Community or from

Kulgera Kulgera is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is south of Alice Springs and north of the border with South Australia, making it the southernmost permanent settlement in the Northern Territory. It sits on the junction of the ...

via the Stuart Highway. Occupying an area of the landscape in a flat, stony windswept plain in one of the hottest places in Australia. with temperatures often exceeding in summer and an annual rainfall of about . The traditional owners of the area are the Arrente peoples who lived and travelled through the area for thousands of years. The area is rich in Aboriginal artefacts and the name of the pastoral lease is derived from the Arrente word meaning ''stone tool''. Europeans arrived in the area in the 1880s and settled the lands for

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal ...

, raising both sheep and more recently cattle. Malcolm ''Mac'' Clark and his wife Molly arrived at Andado Station in 1955, Mac Died of a heart attack in 1978. The reserve bears his name as a result of his interest in conserving the trees found there. The reserve was established to preserve the rare

Acacia peuce ''Acacia peuce'', commonly known as Birdsville wattle, waddy, waddi, or waddy-wood, is a tree species that is endemic to central Australia. The Arunda peoples know the tree as Aratara, the Pitta Pitta know it as Kurriyapiri and Red Ochre Fat ...

tree, also known as Waddywood, of which there is a stand of 1,000 mature trees found within the reserve. During the 1900s most of these trees had been cut down to make shelters and stockyards until there were only three populations left: One at Andado, another near to Birdsville and the last near

Boulia Boulia () is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland, Australia. In the , Boulia had a population of 301 people. Boulia is the administrative centre of the Boulia Shire, population approximately 600, which covers an area ...

. In an area where only a few shrubs and grasses are able to survive Acacia peuce thrives and is able to grow to a height of and can live for up to 500 years. Prolonged drought, fire, rabbits and livestock are all a threat to any seedlings. Studies are being conducted in the area on regeneration rate and growth rate of the trees. In 1991, The conservation reserve was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

in 1991 and was added to the Northern Territory Heritage Register on 14 September 1994.

References

{{Protected areas of the Northern Territory, state=collapsed Conservation reserves in the Northern Territory 1982 establishments in Australia Protected areas established in 1982 Northern Territory places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate Northern Territory Heritage Register

See also

References