Mention the word ‘island’ and most people immediately conjure up images of sandy beaches and tropical wonderlands.
While Australia has many islands which could be described as a tropical paradise, Australia’s third largest island, Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast, is an island destination with a difference.
Without doubt, it is one of Australia’s best and most surprising tourist destinations. And, it is much bigger than most people imagine. The island is 155 kilometres in length and 50 kilometres at its widest point. The 541 kilometre coastline has some remarkable scenery from sheer cliffs to rocky headlands and beautiful, picturesque sheltered coves. Much of the coastline is remote and rugged and there are many ship wrecks scattered around the island’s shore line.
Less than 5000 people live on this island community with almost one-third of them living in the island’s ‘capital’, Kingscote. Life on the island offers a sense of detachment from mainland Australia and the lifestyle here carries none of the stress or hustle and bustle of the mainland’s capitals or major regional areas.
Some 30 percent of the Kangaroo Island or ‘KI’ as the locals call it, is protected as national parks perhaps the most remarkable is Flinders Chase National Park. The whole island is a virtual wildlife sanctuary without fences and driving after dark does carry its risks of colliding with nocturnal wildlife. Here, perhaps more than anywhere else in Australia, road kill is a common and most undesirable sight.
KI is a beautiful place – the diversity of the island and its people is much about the character of the place. As well as its many natural beauties, it has a growing reputation as a food and wine destination without peer. It is renowned for its honey, eucalyptus oil, marron farming and cottage or farm-gate enterprises.
Getting to Kangaroo Island is relatively simple. While there are air services – a 30 m inute flight from Adelaide Airport to Kingscote Airport, most visitors elect to drive and take the ferry crossing to KI. From Adelaide, drive south to Cape Jervis, the nearest mainland point to the island. The road to Cape Jervis is mostly highway and is very good although a little windy when approaching Cape Jervis. It is comfortable 90 minute drive to Cape Jervis and the SeaLink Ferry terminal. SeaLink has two modern ferries – the Sealion 2000 and the Spirit of Kangaroo Island – which service the 15 kilometre crossing from Cape Jervis across Backstairs Passage to Penneshaw. While SeaLink run several services each day, it is always advisable to book in advance, particularly at peak holiday periods.
Each of the SeaLink ferries can carry up to 55 cars and there is also provision to take trailers, motorhomes and caravans or campers although these do incur extra costs. These two modern SeaLink ferries make the crossing extremely comfortable with large passenger lounges, cafeteria and viewing decks. If the whole concept of an island adventure is too much to organise, a quick call to SeaLink and they can organise absolutely every aspect of a visit to KI including ferry crossings and accommodation, even beach buggy excursions or fishing trips.
One of the biggest mistakes visitors to KI make is to underestimate the island’s size and just how long it takes to see the very best of this South Australian gem. Never try and do it in a day (although there are day long coach trips organised by SeaLink from Adelaide) – always allow at least three days and even then, it will be a jam-packed itinerary.
Our trip to KI started with a sensible early evening drive down to Cape Jervis to allow us to catch the early ferry service to the island. There is limited accommodation in Cape Jervis however the best place to stay is Cape Jervis Station, built between 1836 – 1840, it is still a working sheep station. It is impossible to miss as the station homestead is on Main South Road as one approaches the town itself. A large casting of a horse marks the homestead entrance. Accommodation is in charming restored cottages and the station also operates a restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For those taking their caravan or campervan to KI, Cape Jervis also has van and camping sites.
Cape Jervis Station was a charming start to our KI adventure and is highly recommended.
The SeaLink ferries are big, comfortable, roll on, roll off ferries and can carry up to 350 passengers on a single crossing. The 45 minute cruise across the passage to Penneshaw passes quickly thanks to the comfortable passenger lounges – all equipped with aircraft type seats and tables and a visit to the licensed onboard cafe’s is also recommended.
On arrival at Penneshaw, the first point of call should be the Visitor Information Centre just up the hill from the ferry terminal. The centre has a wealth of information on the island, its attractions and lots of memorabilia. One vital piece of information, just incase you are not taking your own car. Not all hire companies allow their vehicles to be taken to KI. It pays to check the fine print and for those who fly to KI, there are rental car companies located on the island. Away from the major towns, Kingscote and Penneshaw, fuel can be a problem although places like the KI Wilderness Retreat, just near the Flinders Chase National Park on the western side of the island, also sells fuel. And, because KI is an island and home to rare native species including the purest strain of Ligurian bees in the world, quarantine measures are very important and huge fines apply to those disregard the rules.
Our first stop after leaving Penneshaw was the island capital of Kingscote, a charming township with superb views over Backstairs Passage and many attractions to enjoy as well as a wide range of accommodation.
Inevitably, in our attempt to take in as much of KI as we could in our three day stay, we did do a bit of back-tracking and perhaps a better planned itinerary might overcome this. One the way into town, our first stop was Ferguson Australia – a world renowned exporter of Kangaroo Island seafood including the giant Southern Rock Lobster, King Crab and King Prawns. For more than 45 years, three generations of the Ferguson family have proudly fished the cold, unpolluted waters of the Southern Ocean for the magnificent Southern Rock Lobster.
Ferguson Australia is a major regional employer and as well as operating two cray boats themselves, they also buy from 12 other cray and fishing boats working the pristine waters around Kangaroo Island.
Their Kangaroo Island depot is located at Kingscote while their boats operate from the beautiful and more remote Vivionne Bay. Their depot is equipped with an impressive quantity of tanks and cold rooms as well as serving as a storage point for their numerous cray and crab pots. The tanks are maintained at 12.1 degrees Celsius and are used to store the crays (cray is an Australian terminology. In the world market, lobster is more commonly used to describe these crustacean) and King crab before they are sent to the Adelaide factory for grading, processing and packaging. Their Kingscote depot also has a busy shop front with a wonderful array of the Ferguson product range. Honestly, I have never seen bigger lobster or crab – they are just so impressive and as we were to later learn, absolutely delightful and succulent.
Here we met ‘Oscar’, a giant King crab and a family pet. Oscar weighs an impressive seven kilograms however Fergusons have caught crab up to 11 kilograms in weight. These crab are between five and 15 years old and are delivered to market in four to five days after capture. Like the Southern Rock lobster, the colour of the King crabs is dependent on habitat. The whiter the colour means their habitat is in deeper water based on limestone or coral while the darker reddish coloured crab are from a seabed environment in shallower waters. In fact their colours range from speckled to limestone, pure white, purple and dark red.
So impressed with the size of the Southern Rock lobster, we left the Ferguson’s Kingscote depot shop with a prized specimen selected for us by Debra Ferguson, the company’s marketing manager. Later that night, at the Wilderness Retreat on Kangaroo Island, we enjoyed the best lobster I have ever tasted.
The Southern Rock lobster is widely regarded as the highest quality and premium crustacean available in the world today. The Southern Rock lobster has a high percentage of meat recovery (meat-to-shell ratio) and a longer growing period in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean, ensuring a firm texture and exquisite sweet flavour. These lobsters, harvested in the clean coastal waters off Southern Australia, are considered the supreme lobster by true lovers of the delicacy.The species has a light, sweet and rich taste with firm flesh that retains its shape during cooking. Traditionally, consumers have brought lobsters whole, however as Ferguson Australia has developed a gourmet lobster range that make handling and cooking easy, these lobster and other seafood products marketed by the company, come is portion controlled serves ensuring no waste.
However, lobster is not the only crayfish found on Kangaroo Island. One of Australia’s largest marron farms where these sweet tasting crays are grown, can also be found there. Marron, for those who are unaware are freshwater crayfish and not, as I had earlier suspected, overgrown yabbies.
A visit to the Andermel Marron Farm revealed a fascinating recent history to the development of this much sought-after delicacy. The farm was founded by former chemical engineer, John Melbourne in 1999.
A tour of the property reveals the massive scope of the marron farm at Andermel. The farm now produces between five to six tonnes of marron annually and around half of the farm’s production is used through the Andermel Farm Marron Café. In addition to the farm production, Andermel Marron Farm also purchases up to two tonnes of wild marron each year to supplement their farm capacity.
I was curious, “What is the difference between a yabbie and a marron or are they one and the same?” I ask. John replies, “There is a significant difference. A yabbie has a short, fat body and big claws. Yabbies only have 25 percent weight in their tails and always have a muddy taste. Marron, by contrast, have a much larger body weight – up to 40 – 45 percent weight in their body and marron don’t have a muddy taste.”
The word, ‘marron’ is derived from the French language and means ‘chestnut brown’- the colour of the marron before they are cooked and processed. Surprisingly though, wild marron are almost black in colour and it is also not unusual to find blue marron in the wild. While farmed marron life for around three years before they are harvested, wild marron can live in their natural environment for between 15 – 20 years.
When the marron reach harvest age, the ponds are drained overnight and then the marron are harvested by hand, According to John Melbourne, hand harvesting is much more humane than mechanical harvesting. After the marron are harvested, they are washed and graded. After being graded, they are stored in large filtered tanks awaiting processing.
All of the Andermel Farm marron are handled humanely and are placed in a freezer for 30 minutes to shut down their metabolism. The marron are then boiled in salty water for around five minutes and are then ready for use in the farm restaurant or as farm gate sales.
While Andermel Farm quickly established its credentials as a producer of fine quality fresh water crayfish, John Melbourne has now substantially diversified his operations and now has his own vineyard and lemon myrtle nursery.
The establishment of the lemon myrtle nursery was part of a CSIRO trial and the trial grew into a boutique production nursery with more than 70 lemon myrtle plants and aniseed myrtle as a variation.
John has now expanded his boutique range of farm gate products – he calls them his bush tucker range – to include his home-made range of sauces including lemon myrtle tartare sauce, bush tomato and pepper and savoury chilli as well as his Two Wheeler Creek range of outstanding wines.
The wines take their name from the creek which runs through the property. Legend has it that in earlier times, a surveyor was riding his bike and accidentally rode into the creek – hence the name ‘Two Wheeler Creek’. Andermel Farm has 20 acres under vines – eight acres of whites planted in 2003 and 12 acres of reds, mostly cabernet sauvignon and shiraz were planted in 1999. John claims his sauvignon blanc is the best on KI while his 2005 shiraz was highly awarded. The development of the lemon myrtle nursery led to the production of a lemon myrtle liqueur.
However, the real secret to the Andermel Farm success story is the Marron Café. The café seats 90 people and is virtually at capacity 364 days each year (closed Christmas Day). Employing his own chefs, John Melbourne has developed a superb range of oven baked marron dishes and serves them with sauces and condiments made on the farm using myrtle and other bush tucker herbs grown on the farm.
Andermel Farm offers a rare opportunity to sample fresh marron grown on the farm, in the farm café and washed down by a delicious range of home-grown wines and even a cup of lemon myrtle with home-made desserts are on offer in the café. The café is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm daily and is situated in close proximity to the marron grading shed and the Two Wheeler Creek cellar door.
I was actually surprised at the size of the marron – perhaps another misconception associated with yabbies. The larger marron are around 400 grams while smaller specimens can range down to 60 – 100 grams in weight. The larger marron sell for around $48.00 per kilogram while the smaller graded marron (60 – 100 grams) are much the same as large ocean king prawns at $35.00 per kilogram.
Whilst we enjoyed a visit to Andermel Marron Farm, the good new is that, while we would always encourage a visit, all of the farm produce, including wines, marron and the bush tucker sauces can be ordered by email or by down loading an order form from the website and sending by facsimile. Remember, all marron are shipped live and are subject to availability.
Our next stop was the remarkable Flinders Chase National Park. It is a good drive across the centre of the island to reach Flinders Chase National Park and we had timed our arrival there at late afternoon as we had heard of the spectacular sunsets to be seen at Admiral’s Arch at Cape Du Couedic.
It is not often that you find a national park with a prominent marine emphasis yet on the south-western tip of Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island, lies a marine and protected wilderness area that is truly remarkable.
Not just because the incredible granite boulders known as ‘Remarkables Rocks’ can be found there but more so because of its diversity and incredible depth of history. While Matthew Flinders is credited with the discovery of Kangaroo Island, it was the famed French mariner and explorer Nicolas Baudin who actually first circumnavigated the island a year after is discovery in 1803.
Baudin’s exploits are well documented and the south-eastern most point in Flinders Chase National Park, Cape du Couedic, was named by Baudin after a distinguished French naval commander of the 1780s.
In fact, Cape du Couedic is not far from Kirkpatrick Point where The Remarkables sit perilously close to the cliff face at the point. From a distance, these huge boulders stand out from the otherwise saltbush landscape like giant pre-historic animals of unusual shapes. These remarkable rocks sit atop a huge granite dome which gives way to a rugged shoreline below.
These curious shaped granite formations stand some four to five metres in height and are covered, in part, by an orange coloured lichen. With the sun on the rocks, the lichen gives the rock formations a moon-like appearance of breath-taking colour. Lichens are actually living organisms and surprisingly like on the nutrients they are able to extract from the granite boulders and in turn produce a weak acid which contributes to the continual decay of the granite.
Tourists and nature lovers alike flock here and it is fair to say that the Remarkables Rocks are perhaps the most photographed rocks in Australia, apart from the equally famous Ayres Rock in the Northern Territory.
When entering Flinders Chase National Park, there is a well appointed and impressive interpretive centre and café which, is an important first stop. There is also a small entrance fee to be paid and if checking into the lighthouse keepers accommodation at either Cape du Couedic lighthouse or the more remote Cape Borda lighthouse, necessary book-ins can be done at the interpretive centre.
While dotted along the remote south-west coastline of the island, are numerous spectacular bays and ship wrecks, many of these are unaccessible. One of the most spectacular attractions in the park, apart from Remarkables Rocks, is Admiral’s Arch, a limestone cavern deep below the cape lighthouse. While Baudin discovered the cape during his 1803 circumnavigation, the arch itself was not discovered until the lighthouse was constructed during the first decade of the 20th century. This was due largely to the fact that the cape is surrounded by a double chain of shoals a the adjoining inlets are also protected by reef outcrops.
Three earlier ship wrecks between 1875 and 1899 had claimed 79 lives and as a result, there had been widespread calls from mariners to erect a light on the south-west tip of the island. Cape Borda light was constructed in 1852 and Cape Willoughby lighthouse was commissioned in 1852.
However, it wasn’t until 1902 that the South Australian Marine Board recommended the construction of a lighthouse at Cape du Couedic. It would be another four years before construction on the Cape du Couedic lighthouse began in 1906. The lighthouse was finally completed in 1909.
While the lighthouse cuts a stark figure on the south western skyline of the island, the lightkeepers houses are much more impressive. These solidly built and beautifully restored cottages are now popular overnighter and longer stay preferred accommodation options for visitors to the island and the park proper. The sheer isolation of the cape is perhaps the key attraction in staying here.
Just a short walk from the lighthouse, along a timber walkway, is the spectacular Admiral’s Arch. Again Parks South Australia have done an incredible job in constructing a walkway deep into the limestone cavern of the arch. At sunset, it is a photographer’s delight as the scene is remarkable as the sun breaks below the horizon. This natural arch has been shaped over thousands of years by continual coastal erosion and the effects of rainwater percolating through the soil above, all serving to breakdown the limestone causing it to breakaway from the layers above.
While admiring the natural beauty and power of nature in creating this phenomenal arch, one’s attention is quickly drawn to the colonies of New Zealand fur seals which call the cape home. They laze and frolic on the rocky platforms and inlets below in complete oblivion of the visitors above who seem captivated by the activity or lack of it. There are several observation platforms in the arch and a few resting spots, complete with seats, on the walkway to and from the arch.
While Flinders Chase National Park has much to offer visitors to the remote part of Australia, the natural attractions of its south-western tip make the park a truly remarkable destination.
Our first day on the island seemed to pass quickly and there was much still to see. We had decided to overnight at the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat, literally on the doorstep to the park. The Wilderness retreat truly lives up to its name. Built around a virtual wildlife enclosure, after dark wallabies and possums seem to interact with guests totally bewildered by the indifference shown by the island’s native inhabitants The retreat has 40 rooms – 18 luxury suites build around the courtyard as well as the Eco Lodge which offers three star budget accommodation.
The retreat is well serviced and has been developed to ensure its presence is minimal in terms of environmental impact. Wireless internet is available in the main reception building which also houses a gift and souvenir store and comfortable lounge area.
The retreat’s restaurant, named after French explorer Nicolas Baudin, operates for breakfast and dinner. Ferguson’s had kindly called ahead to alert the Head Chef of our desire for him to prepare our Southern Rock Lobster. But first, we decided to sample the restaurant’s menu starting with a Seafood Chowder made from 100 percent Aussie seafood and accompanied by parmessan and garlic bread. Honestly, the chowder contained more seafood than any chowder I have ever tried and, a tasty Greek Salad to share.
As we enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant featuring exposed log walls and internal fire place, the chef was busily preparing the piece-de-resistence – our Ferguson Australia freshly caught giant Southern Rock Lobster. All I can say was and in keeping with the restaurant’s French heritage, ‘manifique’.
We strolled back through the courtyard to our suite, to be entertained along the way by a couple of possums climbing about the verandah and a few rock wallabies feeding around the yard. They had little interest in our coming and going and seemed almost oblivious to our presence. Their presence however served to highlight the lengths to which the retreat has gone to ensure that they have minimal impact on the natural habitat. After a most relaxing night where the silence was almost deafening, we were up early and on the road back to the eastern end of the island. A stop not on our original itinerary was the Kangaroo Island Lavender Farm. We came across this delightful little farm, located some 23 kilometres from Kingscote, just by following the roadside signs and with a degree of curiosity, decided to investigate. The farm has 77 different varieties of lavender growing including French, English and Italian. Each lavender has a different colour and different uses. The farm’s owners, John Merlo and Bronwyn Smith acquired the property around 14 years ago and decided to plant their first lavender bushes a year later. They have been making lavender and lavender by-products for the past 12 years and opened the farm shop in 2008.
A still is needed to extract the lavender oil and the farm’s still is located in the Hilltop Birchmore Golf Club clubhouse. The club was the first ladies golf club in the Southern Hemisphere and gentlemen were strictly forbidden to play.
We were to learn that eight to 10 kilograms of lavender flowers are required to yield just 100 – 125mls of lavender oil however 100mls of lavender oil goes a long way. The oil is then used to produce a myriad of lavender products which are sold in the farm’s shop including the delicious lavender scones. We’d skipped breakfast to get on the road early and morning tea and a lavender scone, jam and cream was a great way to satisfy the hunger pangs.
Kangaroo Island, in more recent times, has developed a reputation for boutique food and wine operations as well as many farm gate enterprises that have grown through the determination and ingenuity of KI farmers. The Lavender Farm is one but as we were to discover, there are many more.
After the Great War, the island saw an influx of soldier settlers and as a result, the island farming community has been largely based on sheep and cattle enterprises with some farming such as barley and other cereal crops. Changing markets and demand meant that many of these soldier-settler blocks became unviable however several farmers have shown great initiative and diversified into tourism based operations – what we call farm gate enterprises.
One of the best examples of farm gate enterprises is the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Farm and Distillery. Four generations of the Turner family have lived and worked on the property. However, in 1991, with the downturn in wool prices, current owners Larry and Bev Turner decided to take a huge risk and restore their farm to narrow leaf mallee – a native eucalyptus variety.
Ironically, in the early years of Kangaroo Island settlement, eucalyptus oil was a major export for the island with more than 48 privately owned distilleries operating there. Eucalyptus oil was once described as one of Australia’s first export industries. Sadly, time and costs overcame the home-based industry and today more than 90 percent of the eucalyptus oil used in Australia is imported. Of the remaining 10 percent of eucalyptus oil produced in Australia, three percent comes from the Emu Ridge Distillery.
Despite their obvious success, it was a huge gamble to revegetate their farm. Larry went in search of information and in 2000, Larry Turner was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study eucalyptus production and wildlife management. His Churchill Fellowship took him to South Africa, France, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and Amsterdam. Says Turner, “People need to understand wildlife management when undertaking something like this. Initially government departments didn’t want to know us and we were unable to get any financial assistance to return the farm to natural vegetation and entice the native wildlife back.
“It wasn’t so much R & D (Research and Development), in our case it was M & M – Mistakes and Mishaps,” he scoffed.
Turner is a pragmatic character – a genuine bloke if ever I have met one and a bloody hard worker. Since they started on the revegetation project, the Turner’s have planted more than 180,000 eucalypts of which 90,000 are harvested each year. All of the seed needed to propogate the seedlings was collected from the property. More than four kilometres of creek lines were constructed on the property to make Emu Ridge virtually drought resistant. In an area where the annual rainfall is about 18 inches, it was about water harvesting, storage and management.
The trees are back, the wildlife has returned and as Larry Turner says, there is a nice balance on the property. But to achieve success, many changes were made – the old shearing shed is now the Emu Ridge Nursery and all of the power used at Emu Ridge is generated either by steam or solar energy – there is no mains power to the property.
So how is eucalyptus oil made? Firstly, the mallee trees are harvested with chain saws – a virtual trimming operation. The eucalyptus bush is then placed in a large copper pot (around 500 kgs of leaf and 500 litres of water and heated. Vapour is created and collected as steam. The steam is cooled and liquified. That mix of eucalyptus leaves and water produces between three to four litres of raw oil. The raw oil is then redistilled, bottle and sold or used in a myriad of eucalyptus based products.
The Turner’s opened up Emu Ridge Distillery for farm gate sales and tours. Every day, hundreds of visitors, some in cars, others by the bus load, arrive to see a working transformation – a genuine Aussie success story.
Their first shop was an old Post Office however that has long been superceded by a modern facility with a large shop front, galleries and even a theatrette where a sulky (horse drawn buggy) provides a unique form of seating.
Around the farm is a collection of farm equipment and memorabilia from the days when Emu Ridge was a working sheep and grain property. There is also much history at this place and its existence today as one of Australia’s major suppliers of eucalyptus oil (and the generator of local jobs and much needed tourism for the island) is due almost entirely to the sheer determination of Larry and Bev Turner and family in turning adversity into triumph. This is true Aussie spirit!
Like many to venture to Kangaroo Island for the first time, we had researched some of the island’s attractions and amongst those things which came as a surprise was the Ligurian Bee.
This tiny winged creature, originally imported from Italy, is today, due largely to Kangaroo Island’s isolation, the purest form of Ligurian Bee in the world and therefore, the honey produced on KI is unique in the world.
Clifford’s Honey Farm is another farm gate enterprise with a sweet reputation. Run by David and Jenny Clifford and family, the Clifford’s have perfected the art of honey production and from their farm. Originally the 1200 acre agricultural property specialised in sheep and cattle production as well as growing barley, lupins and canola. While the Clifford’s have been farming on KI for many, many years, they bought their current property in 1980 and when David and Jenny’s sons and daughters took over the farming side of things, the Clifford’s turned their hand to honey production.
Today, the Clifford Honey Farm on KI produces between 15 and 30 tonnes of Ligurian Bee honey and all is produced in a purpose built factory on the farm. Their farm gate shop accounts for most of their honey sales although internet sales is a growing segment of their operations.
I was like a ‘kid in a candy shop’ – there were so many delightful honey products, even a honey mead made by McLaren Vale Distillers using Clifford Farm honey. A by-product of honey production is wax. To every 50 kilograms of honey, a kilogram of wax is extracted and the wax is then used to make candles and polishes.
As David Clifford explained, honey has no additives and it will last for thousands of years. “There is no use by date on honey.”
Leaving the honey farm, it was off to a curious place on the KI map – American River. In fact, it is not a river however this, the most protected natural harbour on Kangaroo Island, takes its name from American sealing activity on Kangaroo Island during the winter of 1803.
A surprising set of circumstances led to American whalers settling at the inlet, a narrow tidal channel which separates Pelican Lagoon and Eastern Cove on the island’s northern aspect. When Matthew Flinders met French explorer Nicolas Baudin at Encounter Bay in 1802, Flinders told Baudin of Kangaroo Island and the considerable seal population there.
After meeting Flinders, Baudin sailed southward circumnavigating and charting the island. In early 1803, Baudin met up with an American brig, ‘Union’ in King George Sound. The American brigantine was commanded by Captain Issac Pendleton who was on a sealing expedition in Australian waters. Baudin also told Pendleton of the seal colonies on the island and suggested a visit to the island would be worthwhile.
Pendleton sailed to Kangaroo Island using Baudin’s charts and anchored in the inlet which now bears the name ‘American River’. Pendleton mistook the inlet as the mouth of a river and surprisingly, during their stay during the winter of 1803, didn’t explore further upstream.
The Americans did busy themselves while anchored there by construction a 40 ton schooner, which they named ‘Independence’. The schooner was built completely of native pine hewn from the island’s native stands. Independence was to become the first ship to be constructed in South Australia.
While the sealers have long gone, American River is today, a quiet island community which has become the home of the Kangaroo Island oyster industry. American River oysters are widely sought after as the pristine waters of Eastern Cove are an excellent natural habitat for sea live and farmed oysters.
The village of American River is surrounded by native bushland and has a statue of a pelican at the town’s entrance. Follow the roadway around to the water’s edge to discover a fabulous boat ramp, well kept camping grounds and the Oyster Farm. The jetty at American River is a hive of activity during the growing season from April to December.
While bird watching, fishing and sailing are enjoyable pursuits at American River, a visit to the Oyster Farm Shop, on the American River foreshore, is a ‘must-do’ when visiting the island. The Oyster Farm at American River is owned and operated by an enterprising you couple, Ken and Amanda Rowe who did the sea-change bit back in 2008. Coming from a successful IT background in Adelaide, Ken, Amanda and their young family settled in American River to take up the challenges of oyster farming. With no previous experience, the Rowe’s have developed their operations and from their 15 hectare water lease, they currently produce some 50,000 dozen of superb American oysters. Most of their harvest, which is graded by a state-of-the-art photo electric grading machine, compared to a standard and sorted accordingly. The oysters are placed in cartons and shipped to the mainland. From there, they are distributed to the finest restaurants and seafood outlets in Adelaide, Melbourne and a growing market in Queensland.
The Oyster Farm Shop serves some of the best and certainly the freshest natural oysters to be found anywhere. The oysters are served on a rustic wooden tasting platter carved in the shape of Kangaroo Island. The oysters are grown in unpolluted, pristine waters and have a unique taste sensation – the after taste is like a burst of fresh, salty water!
The Rowe’s are experimenting with smoking their oysters and their quaint shop sells everything from Kangaroo Island grown marron to abalone as well as a range of products exclusive to the island – honey, lavender, condiments and gift lines. American River is a beautiful place to visit and if you have the time, spend a couple of days. There is much to see and do.
We had, perhaps not surprisingly, found KI to be an Aladdin’s cave of fine produce and the ‘farm gate’ enterprises were contributing significantly to a changing tourism focus and economy on the island.
Unless you are concentrating closely, you can easily drive by one of Australia’s most impressive mini distilleries. KI Spirits are located at Cygnet River on the main highway to Kingscote. It is a true Aladdin’s Cave. Here in a small shop front, Jon Lark has perfected the now famous KI gin and a collection of awarded liqueurs, distinctive to Kangaroo Island.
Jon, a trained chef, moved to the island some eight years ago looking for a lifestyle change. He was successful in obtaining a grant from the South Australian Food & Beverage Fund to study food and beverage in Europe concentrating on Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. On his return in 2004, obtained a licence and started small scale production of liquors. Since then, his unique liqueurs have won awards at wine and spirit shows in London, New York and San Francisco. Then just five years ago, Jon decided to open the KI Spirits Cellar Door and since then, production has not been able to keep up to demand.
Of the 20 mini distilleries located around Australia, more than half have a strong focus on whiskey production so in establishing KI Spirits, Jon Lark decided to concentrate on premium gin production. KI Spirits also produce three infused vodkas and six liqueurs. Says John, “The advantage with gin is that you can bottle and sell immediately, there is no ageing process”.
KI Spirits buys their spirit from the Barossa Valley and then redistills. The spirit is again distilled and then the process of introducing botanicals and spices begins. Wild gin is made from juniper berries, wild berries and native juniper. Gin was first made by the Dutch in 1640. Interestingly, we learned that the term ‘Dutch Courage’ came from drinking gin.
The Dutch originally used juniper, coriander and angelica in distilling gin. These days, the process is much more sophisticated and the KI Spirits gin is a 43 per cent alcohol by volume with a floral, smooth flavour. “It is a very neat gin,” says Jon.
The KI vodka evolved by necessity as Jon wanted to make cocktails. “I learned a lot from the Europeans and this knowledge was extremely valuable in developing our vodkas,” Jon added.
The KI liqueurs also use botanicals native to the island including wild fennel and as Jon says, Kangaroo Island’s ‘hero product’, honey from the Ligurian Bees. All of the KI Spirits product line is beautifully presented in attractive bottles with distinctive labels.
The only drawback, if you can call it that, with mini distilleries is their capacity. It takes seven to eight hours to distill 70 bottles of gin or the same time to distill 30 dozen bottles of the distinctive liqueurs.
The KI Cellar Door uniqueness is its cosy interior. A small building accommodates the still, the bottling area and the sales counter. The product is wonderfully compelling with attractive displays and interesting merchandise lines. KI Spirits is another island destination to be missed. Busiest times at the KI Cellar Door are Christmas, Easter and the October island Art Festival. Again, while a visit to Kangaroo Island and the KI Spirits Cellar Door is always encouraged, KI Spirits can be ordered online and delivered Australia-wide. The distinctive island spirits can also be found in most of the island’s restaurants and bars as well as Adelaide outlets.
No visit to Kangaroo Island would be complete without some time spent in the island ‘capital’, Kingscote. It is by no means a bustling metropolis however it does has beautiful bay views, magnificent promenades lined with imposing Norfolk Pines, superb accommodation, quality restaurants and some novel attractions including the pelican feeding at the Kingscote Wharf and an evening Penguin tour.
KI Fine Art Galley in the main street just up from Aurora Ozone Hotel is highly recommended. Run by husband and wife team Fred and Fleur Peters, the island’s premier art galleries feature impressive works including sculptures, impressionist pieces, jewellery and paintings of all mediums.
The gallery opened in January 2009 with just two rooms and 10 artists and has now expanded to three shops and some 25 artists including their jewellery shop, located across the road, where Fred works his masterly craftsmanship producing distinctive and much sought after jewellery. Some of their artists accept commissions to design and create specific and individual works of art.
Fleur Peters concentrates on her role as curator promoting the island’s growing and much recognised band of artisans. Her aim is to take the island’s world class art to an expanding market and she has done this with great success through the gallery displays. The Peter’s aim is to feature artists best work and our visit to the gallery confirmed the high quality and variety of island inspired art.
Our choice of accommodation in Kingscote was the Aurora Ozone Hotel. There are actually three separate buildings which comprise the Aurora at Kingscote. The original hotel is located on the foreshore overlooking Nepean Bay. The Victorian facade has been preserved and the hotel has the old world charm coupled with superb food and beverage service. We enjoyed dinner and breakfast at the hotel and could not fault the quality of selection or the service.
Of interest is the historic memorabilia displayed in the hotel and visitors usually take their time to absorb the charming facts of this splendid old world hotel.
We actually stayed in the modern hotel section on the opposite side oft he road to the original Victorian hotel building. Our suite overlooked the hotel and promenade and was by contrast with several leading metropolitan executive suites, just enormous and the standard of amenities was impressive to say the least. Magnificent bathrooms, desk and study nook with internet access, dining table, lounge, flat screen television and king size bed – a really impressive four plus star hotel.
The Aurora at Kingscote also offers accommodation in two and three bedroom townhouses including a penthouse for those wishing to stay a little longer and really soak up the island lifestyle.
Our last day on this unique island had arrived and we had yet to visit Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. Cape Willoughby was the first light station established in South Australia and was originally known as the Sturt Light, after Captain Charles Sturt, the noted South Australian explorer of the 1800s. The imposing lighthouse, built of solid granite block measuring 1.4 metres at the base and 86 centimetres at the tower and hewn from the ragged cliffs surrounding the cape, was built between 1849 and 1851. In 1849, a team of18 men were sent from the mainland to the ragged coastal outcrop to built a light which would guide ships safely through Backstairs Passage an 11 kilometre passage between the mainland and Kangaroo Island – the preferred route of early shipping plying the Southern Ocean trade.
So remote was the cape lighthouse (although geographically only 17 kilometres from Penneshaw) in those early years that telegraph communication with the island ‘capital’ Penneshaw wasn’t established until 1874, more than 20 years after the light was commissioned. However the lighthouse became a valuable safety beacon for the colonies on Kangaroo Island. The lighthouse stands on the cape’s highest point, some 75 metres above sea level and has a height of 25 metres.
While the lighthouse has long since been decommissioned, a weather station, now located in the original store house, takes and records regular weather readings electronically, every three years. Wind speeds of up to 117 nautical per hour have been recorded at the lighthouse. The importance of the weather station is not dissimilar to the records kept by the early lighthouse keepers. These records included oil used, wicks burned, comets, bush fires and ships passing the lighthouse.
While Cape Willoughby Lighthouse remains on its original exposed and remote cliff face overlooking Backstairs Passage, it is much more accessible today. The lighthouse is a popular destination for visitors to Kangaroo Island (largely the reason for its major renovations) and the dedicated staff of the South Australian Parks Department conduct regular tours of the lighthouse giving an insightful history of the light and its importance to early maritime traffic between Kangaroo Island and the Australian mainland. The restored lightkeeper’s cottages are in demand for those wishing to spend a night or three at Cape Willoughby gives an interesting insight into the early pioneering years of kangaroo Island.
Returning to Penneshaw, we had time to take a stroll through the Penneshaw Maritime and Folk Museum. The museum building was originally a school and now houses a superb collection of early settlement memorabilia, beautiful models of Flinders’ sloop HMS Investigator and Nicolas Baudin’s French frigate Le Geographe. Also on display are superb reproductions of Baudin’s French charts of the island and a replica model of the SS Karatta, the longest serving and best loved of all steamers operating between Kangaroo Island and the mainland. She commenced service in 1907 and remained in service for a remarkable 54 years. The museum is a window in time and provides a snapshot of early settlement on the island. The life boat on display outside the museum is a stark reminder of the harshness of conditions of those early settlement years.
Kangaroo Island is like no other. It is deceptive in size and is a remarkable example of the transition of Australian island life to the modern era. It captures vividly, the charm of island life and the character of its people are unique. Their enterprise and determination has carved a viable future for the island in these harsh economic times. The scenery is superb – the beaches and coves besplendid, the lighthouses and national parks remote and mystifying and the island history is completely absorbing. Kangaroo Island is without a doubt, an island destination with a difference. My advice, just go and take the opportunity to stay a while. It will be an unforgettable experience.
Useful Websites & Sources:
https://www.sealink.com.au/ – Sealink Ferry
https://southaustralia.com/ – South Australia Tourism
https://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/ – Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance
Story: Peter Scott
Photography: South Australian Tourism
Peter is a real adventurer who loves jetting off to new places. He's a big fan of exploring different countries and getting to know their cultures. He's also a huge food lover. Wherever he goes, he can't wait to try out the local grub and discover all sorts of tasty dishes.
Peter is a super friendly guy who can't resist a good chat. He loves meeting new people and always finds it cool to learn about their backgrounds and cultures. He's always ready for a chat, whether it's about their life stories or their local traditions.
Because he's travelled so much and tried so many kinds of food, Peter knows a lot about different places and their cuisines. His stories and insights, filled with his own unique experiences, are always interesting and fun to hear. This makes him a great person to hang out with, whether you're having a conversation about world cultures or just looking for some travel tips.
Wow, thank you for the immense detail – what an absolutely charming read. It’s been 5 years since I was last in Kangaroo Island, and I think about them regularly and the fires that swept through in 2020.