The Little Desert in western Victoria, lying south of the Western Highway that links Melbourne and Adelaide, was the subject of an intensive grassroots-led lobbying campaign in the late 1960s against a proposal to clear its native bushland for agriculture. A browse through newspaper archives of the period surprises one even now at the breadth and depth of the opposition to the government’s plans. Libby Robins’ book Defending The Little Desert: The Rise of Ecological Consciousness in Australia of 1998 tells the story.

 

Kaniva Flower Show 1973 – flyer.

The earliest leaflet for the new Park, enlarged from the Kiata Lowan Sanctuary, 1971

Various leaflets by the National Parks Service – birds, the Mallee-Fowl, tourist guides.

Nature trail guides to the Kiata and Pomponderoo trails.

A flyer announcing a ceremony in 2006 to honour long-time Ranger Keith Hateley.