Mount Gambier historian Nathan Woodruff fears the town's rail turntable could be lost to vandals if more steps are not taken to preserve it.
"People have cut holes through the fence, some sleep overnight in the small shed that's on the turntable, there are rubbish campfires and it's becoming a real hazard," Mr Woodruff said.
"It's an eyesore along what's got to be one of the crowning jewels for Mount Gambier, and that's the rail trail."
Mr Woodruff, who is chair of the local National Trust SA branch, said it was disappointing that one of the last monuments to Mount Gambier's rail history had been left to degrade.
"The former roundhouse was one of just three left intact in the state and that was demolished in 2018," he said.
"So just having the turntable here, it's able to tell that part of our story which is quite significant to Mount Gambier and could spark quite a bit of interest in tourism.
"There's a lot of rail buffs out there that love to travel and see this sort of thing."
Regular fire damage
Metropolitan Fire Service personnel were called to reports of sleepers on fire at the site at the weekend.
Mount Gambier station officer Adrian Puust described the incident as "very, very minor".
"It depends on the weather but during the warmer months, people start hanging down there a bit more and this sort of thing happens about every month or two," Mr Puust said.
"Even though the area is fenced off, people get in there and we get reports from residents who see smoke coming from the site."
The turntable and land surrounding it are the property of the state government, with maintenance such as grass slashing performed through the Department of Transport and Infrastructure.
A 2016 city development plan published by the department in conjunction with the council listed the turntable as a place of local heritage but the state government has no plans to develop the site.
MP urges development
Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell said the turntable would continue to decline without state government funding.
"I really like the idea of recognising our town's heritage by making sure the turntable is part of any future development," Mr Bell said.
"We really need to get the council on board to decide what is the best use of that facility."
Mr Bell said with the rail trail running through the area, there was scope for a historically-conscious housing project.
"We could fit another 800 people into Mount Gambier, no problems at all, but we just don't have the houses at the moment," he said.
"So if we're going to grow, we've got to utilise the assets that we've currently got."
Mr Woodruff said the immediate upgrade of maintenance of the turntable was essential to keep it until such developments were planned.
"Once you show a bit of care for something, a lot of damage from vandalism and tagging stops," he said.
"Whereas if something looks unloved, it's only going to attract more."
