Tarina Warren has been legally blind since she was 16, now a seeing eye dog is helping her navigate life on Moolooloo Station

With its rugged, ancient landscape dotted with colourful plains, rocky mountain peaks and scenic gorges, Moolooloo Station in South Australia's Flinders Ranges draws tourists from across the country.

The property, which is nearly the size of Singapore, is both an eco-tourism hub and a working sheep station, owned by farmers Reece and Tarina Warren.

But the workforce at this station has one unique addition, seeing eye dog Mika, a glossy black labrador who plays a special role in running the property.

Mika has become Ms Warren's way of getting around.

The station owner has been legally blind since she was 16, after losing her sight at seven.

Her vision loss was caused by Stargardt Macular Dystrophy, which is a degenerative disease with no cure.

"I've never driven. I did all my study with minimal vision," she said.

But this year saw a major decline in what was left of Ms Warren's vision, leaving her grappling with a loss of independence.

"In the past 12 months I've had a rapid decline that meant I couldn't get around without help anymore," she said.

Adapting to change

The change left Ms Warren questioning her role in the day-to-day operations of Moolooloo Station, as she was unsure how she would do things the way she previously had.

The biggest challenge was finding her way to locations she used to navigate to with ease, such as the shearers' quarters.

"Because it's been very dry, it all looks brown to me, so I was finding myself wandering off the tracks," she said.

After struggling to find a solution, Ms Warren put herself on the waiting list for a seeing eye dog.

It was not just to keep her functioning on the station; she also needed support in her role as a physiotherapist on the Yorke Peninsula.

The perfect pair

The matching process to find a dog that was able to cope with both the remoteness of a sheep station and busy visits to town was surprisingly fast.

Seeing Eye Dogs senior instructor Brooke Anderson said there had already been several success stories of partnering dogs with farmers.

"We have got other clients that work on regional properties with farm-type situations," she said.

But this was the first time Ms Anderson needed to find a dog that could cope with the challenges of station life.

Labrador Mika was selected for her "adaptability", being able to switch between leading Ms Warren around the station to calmly waiting while she saw clients at the clinic.

Ms Anderson said she had witnessed firsthand how dogs helped to create a sense of independence for a person.

"[Getting] dog guide mobility can give that sense of movement back to a client, which is pretty important," she said.

Thinking outside the box

Josie Clarke is the founder of Ability Agriculture, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to create awareness and opportunities in agriculture for people with a disability.

"Vision impairment within agriculture and how you navigate that is something that hasn't been highlighted much," Ms Clarke said.

She said there was no "one size fits all" approach when it came to navigating a career on the land.

"A lot of people with disability and impairments have had to figure out how to innovate and do it their own way," she said.

Ms Warren said the partnership had given her more confidence in every part of her life, and she had been able to try new things.

"Apparently it [takes] six to 12 months [to] feel like the bond is really good and [the dog] almost starts reading your mind," she said.

The station owner said when Mika wasn't working, she was a playful and affectionate pup who loved her toys and doing "zoomies" outside.

"When she hasn't got that harness on, she's just a dog," she said.