Flour Cask Bay Sanctuary on Kangaroo Island: Lisa marvels at the beauty of this eco-sanctuary in the Kangaroo Island region of South Australia
Kangaroo Island is only about 15 kilometres off the coast of South Australia but it's a world away when it comes to natural beauty and scenery. No high rise developments here and because a third of the island is either National Park or Conservation Park it's likely to stay that way.
Flour Cask Bay Sanctuary is certainly helping the cause. It's a privately owned conservation reserve which takes in 600 hectares of beautiful salt lakes and lagoons, rolling hills and native bushland. It's on the south eastern side of Kangaroo Island and is open to the spectacular rolling Southern Ocean. And it's the wild beauty that convinced Mark Herrmann to set up his eco-sanctuary.
While no-one knows for sure, local folk law has it that the name Flour Cask Bay harks back to the days when a barrel or two of flour washed ashore on this lonely beach.
Mark Herrmann, Flour Cask Bay Sanctuary: "It's a stunning coastline. You've got about 10 kilometres of this sort of beach heading to the west heading to D'Estrees Bay and about 5 kilometres going back towards Pennington Bay and it's fantastic to walk - there's nobody there."
For Mark, who worked as a National Park Ranger of 26 years, Flour Cask Bay Sanctuary is the ideal pilot program for his dream of making conservation pay for itself.
Mark Herrmann: "We're very keen to try to continue to improve the environment so we put a lot of effort into it. Destocking and replanting and working on the salinity - this is one of the most saline catchments on Kangaroo Island."
And that's why it played such an important role in early KI industry. The rusting mining company sign at the Sanctuary entranced is a reminder of the days when nearby Salt Lake was the centre of a thriving salt and gypsum industry.
From the 1850s thousands of tons of salt was mined from the lake and at its peak, 100 families lived here. With their own school, boarding house, bakery and cricket pitch, it was a real little settlement.
Mark Herrmann: "They'd bring the salt back to the island on the lake and stack it up by hand. It was one hell of a job - the guys that used to do this had hands that were cracked and bleeding because of the intensity of the salt drying their skin."
The salt was bagged and taken by train to Muston near American River to be shipped out. It was hard, backbreaking work and so was the industry that followed. If you have ornate plaster-work in you house - it's possible it contains Gypsum mined from here. They mined Gypsum from the 1950s until the late 70s but the grey coral like crystal continues to grow around the shores glistening in the sunlight.
Mark manages the surrounding hills and bushland by setting up low impact 'eco experiences'. There are the usual camping spots complete with your own private lagoon but if you want something a little more exclusive you'll need to look carefully. The patches of remnant bushland hold their own secret. Tucked away in the trees on Rocky Ridge, Mark has set up an Eco Camp based around a Kimberley Camper Trailer.
Mark Herrmann: "It's quite spacious. We've got most services you'll get in house but in a camping style so there's a gas burner stove and griller, a 72 litre fridge. All of the cupboards are all stainless steel and we stock them with oils and foils and all sorts of condiments that you'd get in a house."
Complete with ensuite and solar power - the camps are fully self contained and have minimal impact on the environment. The Sanctuary is a great place for walking, cycling, fishing, canoeing and swimming and if you need a set of wheels, Mark will even hire you a Mercedes Four Wheel Drive - so you can do it in style. He'll also deck you out with a Kimberley Camper so you can explore the island at your own pace.
And at the end of the day you probably won't find a better place to watch the sun go down. Flour Cask Bay Sanctuary is on Flour Cask Bay Road. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Flour Cask Bay Sanctuary
Flour Cask Road
Ph 8553 7278Published 21st March 2010
