<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/05/that-sinking-feeling-australias-limestone-coast-is-drying-up>
"Graham Kilsby, a fourth-generation farmer, is surveying the Kilsby sinkhole, a
popular freshwater diving site on his property south of Mount Gambier.
The gin-clear waters provide visibility of up to 65 metres. But, as he inspects
the sinkhole when
Guardian Australia visits, alarm bells ring. Water levels
dropped 1.5 metres between January and March 2025.
It’s a long-term decline, made worse by South Australia experiencing one of the
driest years on record since 1900. And it’s not confined to Kilsby’s property:
the entire vast groundwater network in the limestone crust that straddles the
border between South Australia and Victoria – an area of such agricultural
richness that it has been dubbed the Green Triangle – is in decline, thanks to
decades of over-extraction and declining rainfalls. Monitoring of 181
groundwater wells by SA authorities shows a consistent decline since 1993, with
some, particularly in areas of intensive irrigation and forestry developments,
dropping by several metres.
We’re here to explore the sinkhole alongside a group of experienced freedivers.
And, as Kilsby says, to “see it before it’s gone”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
