Image Credit: The Pressure Project
South Australia’s Limestone Coast, home to some of the country’s most breathtaking sinkholes and wetlands, is facing a water crisis that locals say has been building for decades.
A well-known sinkhole owner and a world-famous cave diver are urging urgent action to save South Australia’s most iconic dive sites, before it’s too late.
Tourism operator and farmer Graham Kilsby, who runs the iconic Kilsby Sinkhole near Mount Gambier, has raised the alarm alongside renowned cave diver and South Australia’s Lieutenant Governor, Dr Richard Harris. The pair are urging action to save the region’s aquifer-fed landscapes, which they say are under threat from long-term overuse and mismanagement of water.
In one of the driest years thus far, natural wonders along the Limestone Coast like Piccaninnie Ponds and Ewens Ponds are struggling. But Graham says it’s not just the current drought to blame.
“That’s the problem people have. They think it’s just been a dry couple of years,” he says.
“But this has been building for 20 years. Since irrigation really kicked off in the region, we’ve seen a constant drop in our water table.”
The Kilsby Sinkhole is located on a sheep farm just 14km south of Mount Gambier, and hosts stays, tours, snorkelling, scuba diving and free diving alongside farming activities dating back 130 years. But with water levels continuing to fall, the future of both the tourism and farming operations is under threat.
At the Kilsby Sinkhole alone, the water level has dropped 4.5 metres since 2000 with a dramatic fall of more than 1.5 metres just since Christmas, and Graham says the impact isn’t just on tourism, but the environment and future of the entire region.
“Some people think there’s plenty of water underground so we should just use it,” he explains.
“But that freshwater is what holds the seawater back. If the water table drops below sea level, we’ll start seeing saltwater come into our coastline.”
The Kilsbys are not just landowners, they’re also irrigators, and extracting water for farming exacerbates the problem.
“We are farmers and we are also irrigators. We are very much a part of this problem,” Graham says.
“Forestry and irrigation are the two things that are reducing our water table. The only thing stopping seawater from pushing into our coastline is freshwater pushing out. If we let that drop too far, saltwater will creep in. Limestone isn’t a one-way valve. That fresh water is like a bowl overflowing. If we lose it, we’re in trouble,” he explains.
To do their part, the family – who also run a sheep farm – are planning to phase out irrigation on their property over the next three years.
“We just believe what we’re doing long-term isn’t sustainable. We’re making changes now so that our kids and grandkids still have something to work with.”
Other local sites are already feeling the strain. Ewens Ponds has faced repeated closures, and Piccaninnie Ponds — once a world-famous dive spot — has been shut for over two years due to algae caused by reduced water flow.
“These beautiful springs need constant flushing to stay clean, but as the water slows down, nutrients build up, algae takes over, and we lose what made these places so special,” says Graham,
For those unfamiliar with the draining process (like myself), in simplified terms, it’s “like a bucket. Irrigation and forestry are the taps at the bottom, and rainfall is the tap at the top. But the top tap isn’t running as fast as the bottom. Anyone can see what happens next — the bucket empties.”
Graham’s message is clear: this affects everyone.
“People think it won’t touch them — but every time someone turns on a tap in this region, it’s having an affect on our water table. We all rely on it.”
With fears of irreversible damage, Graham is calling for the community and government to act before it’s too late. It’s not just businesses that need to shift, but the entire industry.
“At what point do we say, ‘We’ve taken things too far’? Hopefully not when it’s already too late.”
“We need to do something now. People have to realise that if they want to continue farming in this region in the manner that they are now, that they will have to make some changes or the time will come where it’s simply shut up shop.”
While the outlook might be looking drier… and dire, if there’s a time to rally together, it’s now. Speak up and spread the word to protect the Limestone Coast’s treasured natural wonders.
Wondering how you can help? Graham urges people to contact Environmental Minister Susan Close to raise your concerns.
WHAT: Limestone Coast sinkholes dry up
For the Kilsby Sinkhole website, click here.
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