Hallett Cove Conservation Park

Hallett Cove Conservation Park South Australia
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Hallett Cove Conservation Park
Nearest town or city	Adelaide
Coordinates	35°04′25″S 138°29′57″E / 35.07361°S 138.49917°E / -35.07361; 138.49917Coordinates: 35°04′25″S 138°29′57″E / 35.07361°S 138.49917°E / -35.07361; 138.49917
Established	1976
Area	51 ha (126 acres)
Managing authorities	Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
Website	Hallett Cove Conservation Park
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

Hallett Cove Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the suburb of Hallett Cove, South Australia on the coast of Gulf St Vincent about 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of the centre of the state capital of Adelaide.

Hallett Cove is one of the best known geological sites in Australia and is known for its international significance. The area has been declared a Geological Monument by the Geological Society of Australia and placed on the South Australian Heritage Register for its educational and scientific significance.

Hallett Cove is named for John Hallett who discovered the area while searching for lost stock in 1837. In the 1840s the cove was used by smugglers to land goods at night which were then taken to Adelaide by dray. In 1847, the Worthing Mining Company purchased 800 acres (320 ha) from the Hallett family and built a copper mine on the northern side of Hallett's creek. However, the ground proved to be too hard and water kept flooding the diggings. In 1852 the miners left for the Victorian gold rush and the mine was finally abandoned in 1857. Farming began in what is now the eastern section of the park in the 1850s. In the late 1880s the cove was used for naval exercises and the southern area of beach was cleared of rocks to allow landings.

Professor Ralph Tate realised that South Australia had been subjected to an ice age when in 1877 he discovered the area's smoothed and striated glacial pavement. In 1893, "the largest scientific excursion ever held in the Southern Hemisphere" explored the area with Prof. Walter Howchin later demonstrating that the deposits were of Permian age and that Australia was closer to the south pole than today while part of the Gondwanan supercontinent. During that time the south-western two-thirds of Australia, including much of South Australia was covered by an ice sheet. The first detailed description of the geology of the area was published in 1943.