JUGGLING tourism and livestock can be demanding but for the Fels family, necessity makes it work.
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Donald and Kaye Fels, with son and daughter-in-law Philip and Sonya, operate Merna Mora Station in the Flinders Ranges.
The working sheep and cattle property has become a popular tourist stopover.
Kaye said the family entered tourism through necessity.
Her father-in-law died suddenly in the 1960s, leaving probate and death duties to be paid.
"In order to keep Merna Mora we had to diversify," Kaye said.
"The sheep and wool industry was not bringing in big money at the time."
They started with bed-and-breakfast accommodation before expanding into self-contained units.
About this time they had built a shearers' kitchen and dining room, which was developed into two units.
In 1980, when the settlement at Leigh Creek relocated, they tendered to get some of the single men's quarters, which were dismantled and rebuilt on site.
They have grown to nine self-contained units, a 10-room bunkhouse, bush camping and pads for caravans.
"We found in later years there is more of a niche for pad sites and for bush camping so we've developed that side of things," Kaye said.
"When the shearers come out they think they're pretty classy staying in units."
The property encompasses an area from the top of the Flinders Ranges, and Wilpena Pound, across to Lake Torrens.
It has four four-wheel-drive tracks along the site.
During this period, the Fels expanded the pastoral side of business.
In 1973 and 1994 they bought more land, expanding to about 518 square kilometres, and introduced Shorthorn cattle in 1973.
Kaye said having tourism helped keep the station going during tougher years in the agricultural industry.
"Having other industries, like sheep and cattle, meant we're not so dependent on the tourism side of things," she said.
"We could probably do a lot more on the tourism side but because we're so heavily on the pastoral side of things, we can only do what we can manage."
Kaye said they did not focus too much on promotion but kept busy because of word-of-mouth advertising and repeat visitors.
"From April to October the accommodation is pretty much a full-time job for two people," she said.
Things are much quieter the rest of the year, which allows them to focus on the property again.
"That's when we do the maintenance on the units, we shear in November, and maybe run a cattle muster," Kaye said.
But the station needs attention during peak tourist periods.
"We have to juggle it and say 'we can't muster now, a big group is coming in'," Kaye said.
"But husbandry of stock still takes priority."
They generally split the duties, with Kaye looking after finances, Sonya taking on accommodation work, and Donald and Philip primarily looking after the station.
"But we all have to pull together," Kaye said.
"If we're mustering, we're all mustering, and if we get a big group, we're all cooking."
