River Murray

The River Murray Dark Sky Reserve is an area of more than 3,200 square kilometers that sits entirely within the Mid Murray Council area in South Australia, roughly 100 kilometers east of the state capital, Adelaide. Established in 1970 principally to protect the endangered southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), Swan Reach Conservation Park is the Reserve’s core site due to its exceptional natural darkness, its size, its protected status and its central location within the Reserve. The park comes under the control of the South Australian Ministry for Environment and Water and is managed on its behalf by the Department of Environment and Water (DEW). State government legislation and associated regulations mean that development inside the park is restricted solely to structures associated with conservation management. There are currently no facilities within the park boundaries, apart from a few rough tracks.