December 26th, 2010 | 
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The Gawler Ranges are a range of mountains in South Australia to the north of Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Highway skirts the south of the ranges. The ranges were named by Edward John Eyre after the Governor of South Australia, George Gawler in 1839.[1] This was on one of Eyre’s earlier expeditions before his famous crossing of the Nullarbor Plain further west. And it was on this expedition that Edward John Eyre made the first recorded sighting of South Australia’s floral emblem, the Sturt Desert Pea , in 1839 during an early exploration of the region.[2] The ranges were formed by volcanic activity more than 1500 million years ago is around every corner in Gawler Ranges National Park. The highest point of the ranges is Nukey Bluff at 465 m above sea level.[1] The Gawler craton is a craton rich in mineral resources, although many are only recently discovered and not yet fully exploited.[2] Bornhardts dominate the landscape of the Gawler Ranges. [3] There are some 140 species of birds in the Gawler Ranges, including the Emu, Wedge-Tailed Eagle, Major Mitchell Cockatoo and the Singing Honeyeater.[2] The Gawler Ranges National Park and Gawler Ranges Conservation Reserve are in the ranges north of Wudinna. The ranges are covered by the Gawler Ranges Native Title Claim. Woomera is an Australian Defence Force facility supporting the RAAF Woomera Test Range, the western world’s largest defence systems test and evaluation range, and an Australian strategic national asset. Woomera …
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