ONE Flinders Ranges family has opened the door to almost 200 years of station country history.
Husband and wife John and Erica Lock are the fourth generation to live at Coonatto Station - a 4856-hectare property 300 kilometres north of Adelaide.
They manage a 3000-head self-replacing Merino flock and a tourism operation.
Mrs Lock said Coonatto once took in 900 square miles (1448km) of country.
"Coonatto was established in the mid-1800s and shares in a rich history," she said.
The first parcel of land to become part of Coonatto was bought by the young English aristocrat, Hugh Proby, in December 1851.
Proby had arrived in SA in May with 5000 pounds sterling to pursue a pastoral career. After purchasing the lease east of Mount Brown, he bought two further leases to the north.
But in August 1852, the 24-year-old Proby met his fate while attempting to ride his horse across the flooded Willochra Creek.
The two northern leases on which Proby had run cattle were stocked with sheep by JR Phillips, and with more land, the then Kanyaka Station was formed.
Most of the extensive ruins seen at Coonatto today are relics of Phillips' Kanyaka headquarters.
Mrs Lock said they opened the shearers' quarters to tourists four years ago.
"Our self-contained quarters sleep up to 10 guests," she said.
"We also provide five secluded, unpowered camping sites. There is plenty to explore at Coonatto, from the ruins to the natural spring and beautiful Gum Creek located just a short distance away."
Mrs Lock said they planned to restore the station's small stone church and open it as a public museum.
"It is John's dream to do up the church and to add to it the many antiques and knick-knacks we have found," she said.
"It was built in the 1800s and originally contained both a chapel and a schoolroom. Among many notable visitors to Coonatto was the first Anglican Bishop of Adelaide, Augustus Short, who conducted services there."
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Mrs Lock said the station had once welcomed the captain of a ship named after Coonatto.
"The vessel transported wool to England," she said.
"When the captain visited, he would stay in the VIP suite which now is the shearers' quarters."
The remaining pillars of a 64-stand woolshed can still be seen. Coonatto now shears 3000 sheep a year.
"For the past two years we've also averaged over 100 per cent at lamb marking," Mrs Lock said.
"We're making up for 2018 and 2019 when we were unable to have any lambs on the ground with the dry conditions."
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