Oregano,Chives and Cayene,just add Salt Traditional Cache
Oregano,Chives and Cayene,just add Salt
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Cheetam Salt Ltd, Lochiel Operations.
Lake Bumbunga's potential as a source of salt was was first recognised in 1868 but it was not until august 16, 1881 that a lease was taken up at the Northern end by Mr Snowball of Adelaide.Mr Snowball's method was to use a steam pump to pump water(47% salt) from the lake at a rate of 4500lt an hour into a large raised concrete tank that was divided into two compartments, contents of one allowed to settle while the other was being used.The salt water was then run into copper evaporating pans,these pans about 4mt by 5mt and over 1/2mt deep,stood over large furnaces that were fueled 24 hours a day.once the water had evaporated the salt was removed to a drying apparatus and then bagged.production in 1883 was 10 to 14 tonnes per day.
By 1886 a new company, South Australian Salt Company had abandoned the water boiling method as it had been noted that the lake dried out in december each year.The company employed men as labourers to scrape the lake using large square ended shovels and heap it into mounds.The salt was bagged from the mounds on the salt lake.Large mallee forks with bars across them to carry 12bags(which weighed 1.4 tonnes)were dragged across the lake by 8 bullocks.
By 1901, 13,000 to 15,500 tonnes of salt was proceesed using this meathod, requiring at least 40 men during the summer harvest.
In 1901 the Castle Salt Co-operative Company took up a lease of 900h in the middle section of the lake and set up their salt works 6.4km north of Lochiel.In 1915 the company built a shed at the Snowtown Railway Yards,this shed could store more than 1300tonnes, they also purchased the old flour mill storage shed to store salt as well.
In 1912 the Australian Salt Company Ltd started harvesting salt from the soutern end,the new companies works were situated 1km from Lochiel.By 1914 the company was carting salt to Pt Wakefield as they had established a refinery there.This company went into liquidation in 1922.
Salt harvesting at the northern end ceased in 1916.
In 1924 a new company, the Australian Salt Company was incorporated and was then known as Australian Salt Company Ltd.
In 1927 CheetamSalt Pty. Ltd. of Geelong, Victoria purchased Australian Salt Company Ltd.After 1930 Cheetam Salt Pty.Ltd. was the only operator left after aquiring all the other companies and their leases.
In the early 1920's the meathod of harvesting was motorised,tractors were used both on the scarifier and the harvester, replacing the horses and scoops, while trucks were used to cart the salt to a elevator near the edge of the lake.The elevator was used to move salt to the top of stacks.The motor truck fleet began with 4 Chevrolets.At its biggest it contained 22 Ford V8's.By this time it operated 24 hours a day.It was seasonal work.Many university students earned money for next year's fee's,books and living expenses at the Salt lake during the long vacation.
In the 1950's the company constructed two 15 hectre permanent pans at the southern end,into this they pumped the saline water to a depth of over 1/2mt, allowed it to evaporate and then dry.This gave a greater depth of salt and larger crytals for the water softener industry plus it meant that the plant did not need to travel as far and less area needed to be harvested.
From 1967-1968 the Australian Salt Company Ltd contracted the work out of scraping the salt and carting it to the stack on the bank of the lake.This contract was won by Mr Thomas Slattery a farmer north of Snowtown (Tom is retired now to Snowtown), this contract he held till 1982 and in that time he and is hard working crew averaged over 80,000 tonnes per year with the highest yield being 100,000 tonnes.
From 1982, Cheetam Salt Ltd harvested the salt on a irregular basis, with most of the harvesting plant moved to Edithburg for the companies operation there.
Cheetam Salt Ltd finally ceasing opperations at the Bumbunga Lake, near Lochiel in 2000.Most of the buildings had to be removed as they were constructed of asbestos material.There still is one stack of salt near the northern end of the operation area and that has been there for a number of years.Cheetams now harvest at either Globe Darby near Adelaide or Price on Yorke Peninsula.
Cheetam Salt Ltd has begun harvesting salt from this site once again(you can see the plant out on the lake),some say that it is because they cannot supply their contracts and need more salt,some say that if they do not they will lose the rights to hold the mining lease.I hope its for the salt but history will tell.
Just for those who want to know a few extra facts,Lake Bumbunga is one of the largest salt lakes in South Australia.It is 9.6 km long and at its widest is 3.2 km across and is about 2230 hectares in area.There are a number of fresh water springs that feed into the lake,with the biggest near the island that has a road to it (this is a all year round stream and the only one).All of the salt harvesting opperations operated near a spring, it would have been very challenging without fresh water.
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(Decrypt)
Obvy hc gur ovyyl sbe n fgrj.
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