Saint Kilda mangrove Trail: Keith explores some of the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia
Saint Kilda is one of our northern beaches beyond Outer Harbour. For kids it's an adventure playground, for boaties it’s a safe haven and for others it’s where you can ride a vintage tram. But if you are interested in ecology and the way nature interacts in the Gulf then the Saint Kilda Mangrove Trail is the jewel in the crown.
Once a 'who'd want to go there?' zone, we now recognise the giant swathe of Grey Mangroves around the Barker Inlet as one of our most important natural resources. The trail begins and ends at the Interpretive Centre, which hovers like a UFO pod over the expanse of dense mangrove forest. Steve Vines operates this world class facility and his enthusiasm for its place in the scheme of things is infectious.
Steven Vines, St Kilda Mangrove Trail: "You can go out here any day of the year and catch a feed of blue crabs or King George Whiting or snapper in the right time of the year - all of that is dependant on the primary production in the mangrove environment."
This is literally the ecological engine room of our metropolitan coastal system and the 1.5 kilometre trail allows you get right in amongst it. The boardwalk was built as part of a job creation scheme in the 1980s and is only about a 45-minute round trip - but if you know what your looking for it can take a lot longer.
As we head deeper into the forest the canopy closes in and we begin to drop below the high tide mark. Few plants can survive such a harsh, unforgiving environment - being flooded with salt water not once but twice a day is a tough gig. But these mangroves are tough old blighters. One of their survival tricks is to expel the excess salt from the underside of their leaves. Down below, their upward thrusting aerial roots push up through the heavy mud to steal vital oxygen at low tide.
Steven Vines, St Kilda Mangrove Trail: "The key thing to understand is that you are always here at a snapshot in time - so at the moment it's low tide but later on this evening, water will be up over you knees - all these aerial roots will be under water."
On the forest floor, tiny new mangrove trees scramble to get a footing. This entire area is effectively a giant compost heap providing a constant source of nutrients for the plants and animals below. It's all one glorious 'circle of life'.
Soon, we climb a lookout tower overlooking the barker Inlet.
Steven Vines, St Kilda Mangrove Trail: “Barker Inlet is the cradle of where it all happens - what you've got here is the transfer of all this productivity in the form of these plants - all of this gets converted into energy, taken out into this system. That’s why we've got dolphins swimming out here, hundreds of birds, why people can go out and catch a feed of King George Whiting and crabs - this is the interchange area, this is where all the energy moves from one system out to the next."
If you're a twitcher, as the Brits call birdwatchers, then the hides are literally built for you because between the samphire flats, then the mangrove forest and the Barker Inlet. There are up to 200 species of birds to spot. That’s another good reason for getting out here on the Saint Kilda Mangrove Trail.
The Trail is open from 10 o'clock daily for self-guided walks and generally closes around 4 on weekdays and around 5 on weekends and public holidays. Just follows the signs to Saint Kilda from Port Wakefield Road. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
St Kilda Mangrove Trail
Open daily from 10am
Adults $6.90 Concession $5.90 Children (5 – 17 years) $3.90
Ph 8280 8172Published 10th May 2009
