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Living on the Line: SA Dry

The settled areas of South Australia are often referred to as being above or below the line (Goyder’s Line of Rainfall). Farming in dryland areas (above the line) has faced particular challenges to the ways people use and live on the land and has contributed greatly to understanding of the relationship between people and the environment. Dryland farming has resulted in some key developments in farming technology, and even played a part in determining the basic wage for Australian workers!

Goyder’s Line
Central to the history of dryland farming is Goyder’s Line. Goyder was South Australia’s Surveyor-General between 1861 and 1893. He travelled extensively around the State and observed that there was a clear line of demarcation between areas that received adequate rainfall for cropping and areas prone to drought. This demarcation (Goyder’s Line) was defined in 1865 at a time when pastoral country ‘above the line’ was experiencing severe drought.

In the late 1860s and early 1870s there was good rainfall in northern South Australia and people who wanted to see agriculture expand into the more northern areas of the state ridiculed Goyder’s Line. Under pressure, the South Australian Government agreed to open areas above the line for settlement.

Dryland Farming
In the quest to produce viable crops, dryland farmers have been aided through scientific developments in crop-breeding and pest control, such as the introduction of myxomatosis, the introduction of super phosphate fertiliser, and inventions such as the Ridley Stripper and the stump jump plough.

The rapid development of new farming technology, such as tractors with pneumatic tyres, was matched by the decline in use of horses for transport and farm labour and the loss of related industries such as blacksmithing and coach building.

Catching and storing rainwater and utilising underground water supplies has always been a focal point for dryland farming communities. The legacy of this is evident in new irrigation systems and in the many dams, water tanks, windmills and ruins which still dot the landscape today.