Meldanda

Meldanda is a 40 ha (100 acre) property bequeathed to Cambrai Area School in 1991 by the late Mr Les Weiss.

Meldanda is an observation point in the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve which is Australia’s first Dark Sky Reserve and only the third officially designated Dark Sky Place in the country. Put simply, Dark Sky accreditation is like World Heritage Listing for the night sky. Darkness is measured on a scale of 0 to 22, with 22 being total darkness. Preliminary measurements in the Mid Murray in January 2017 came in at 21.97 – much darker than many accredited regions in the northern hemisphere.

Astronomy clubs often spending the night to view the galaxy. Cambrai PS is the only school in South Australia (if not Australia) with its very own observation point!

The tranquil River Marne flows through Meldanda and when flowing is home to thousands of frogs and other wildlife. Despite being a dying river system, Meldanda is an important ecosystem that supports the local wildlife and many endangered species of plants. The Marne River exemplifies the friction that occurs between humans and the environment when a resource (like water) is scarce.

As an Area School, the farm was used for cropping and sheep. Since then, the land has been rehabilitated over the decades with thousands of trees being planted and maintained by the school, local families and community volunteers.

Since then, Meldanda has been developed as a site for the provision of Environmental Education, Outdoor Education and Aboriginal Education for students from our school, young people across South Australia, as well as being a community resource.

Currently Meldanda is being managed by Mid Murray Landcare, reporting to the Cambrai Primary School Governing Council.

Community members who wish to use the facilities at Meldanda please make contact with: 8564 6044 or book online at https://www.meldanda.com.au

School Camps & Activity Boxes

Meldanda is the perfect place for a school camp with tents available, an equipped kitchen and hut, toilets, BBQ and fire pit facilities.

The school can also hire out activity boxes (see attached list) to support environmental learning at Meldanda. The senior students who are Environmental Leaders can also lead workshops or tours for other schools.

To book boxes and student guides, please contact the school.