Kangaroo Island Flight: Keith visits this Island region of South Australia
It's a short but very spectacular flight from the Aldinga airstrip along the rolling hills of the Fleurieu Peninsula across Backstairs Passage and onto Kangaroo Island. You get a fresh view of KI's long white beaches, weathered headlands, dense scrub and craggy shoreline.
Most people come to Kangaroo Island on the K.I 'Sealink Ferry', some fly into Kingscote airport via Rex into but if you have your own plane which we did for your story it was a case of 'Welcome to Muston Heights - Dean's Airport!'
It's on the shore above American River as it meets the vast Pelican Lagoon - the sheet of water that separates the Dudley Peninsula from the rest of the island. And one of the best ways to see it is with Dean Johnson. A retired farmer and cartage contractor, he's spent most of his working life driving trucks around the island - but flying above it is what he loves best. Hire his plane and he'll take you up for his special airborne tour.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I visualise owning my own aeroplane," Dean told us. "But being located on an island I could see the necessity for it and then it becomes infectious."
That's why Dean and his wife Judy have carved themselves a unique little niche in the Kangaroo Island tourism scene. Their house and hosted Bed and Breakfast called Muston Heights offers panoramic seascapes stretching all the way to the mainland. Every sunset paints a new picture and when we were there we were lucky enough to film an almost mystical scene as the waters below flattened into a millpond of reflections and colours.
Naturally, with views like that out the front and a private landing strip out the back - Muston Heights attracts its fair share of fly-in guests.
"One day we had a guy land here from Switzerland," said Dean. "He hired an aircraft in Sydney and was flying around, saw the airstrip and landed. He finished up staying a couple of nights and went on his merry way and hopefully he took a good report back to Switzerland."
Once you've seen it all from the air - you'll definitely want to explore it on the ground, so to help out, Dean and Judy will lend you your own set of wheels.
Just down the road is the little settlement of American River. It's one of Judy's favourite places so, as a fourth generation islander, we asked her what takes this once busy ketch port to the top of her list.
"It's what I've seen for the last 30 - 40 years," she smiled. "Beautiful boats and wonderful fishing. It's the beauty of the place - the pelicans, the black swans and other birdlife. It's very peaceful - it's lovely."
On the foreshore, opposite the wharf is a lovely little slice of American River history - the Schoolhouse Cottage. "The school opened in 1917," said Judy. "I think about 7 or 8 students used to go there."
Judy and Dean lived here for a few years before converting it into a quaint and very comfortable B&B. The classroom with its baltic pine floors and matchboard walls and ceilings is now the lounge.
After settling in Judy will happily share a few of her other favourite places on this end of the island. "First of all there's Pennington Bay. We tell everyone not to miss that because that's got a special beauty. My children used to go there when they were young and swim and surf and fish off the beaches…"
That's on the southern ocean side but she also loves the protected endless white sands of mighty Antechamber Bay facing Backstairs Passage. The Chapman River meanders its way through an enchanted forest of Paperbarks before spilling into the bay. "That was one of our favourite places," said Judy. "When the weather was nice we used to have a picnic under the trees and go fishing in the river.'
There's a melancholy gravesite upstream at Lashmar Lagoon of two of the first settlers in these parts. Jane Lashmar died of TB in 1866 and Thomas Clark was a retired sea captain.
Back to American River and any time's a good time to dangle a line from the old wharf. It gives you an excuse to watch the comings and goings. The boat-ramp is always busy as the local oyster farmers make their way back and forth between here and their leases each day.
If you want birdlife follow the walking trail along the shoreline towards Pelican Lagoon. Along the way there are wonderful slices of early island history like Independence Point. It's where, in 1803 a pioneering mob of American sealers spent winter and built a 35 tonne schooner, The Independence.
You can spend a weekend or a week exploring all of this and it still wouldn't be long enough. "It's not a bad part of the world to live in." laughed Judy. And as a bonus you get magnificent sunrise shots over American River from your front veranda of the Schoolhouse Cottage. Now that's my kind of B&B!
Judy and Dean offer B&B accommodation high on the hill at Muston Heights and down in American River in the Schoolhouse Cottage. If you've got your own plane there's no landing fee and Dean will happily negotiate to lend you a car for your stay and to take you up for a unique view of his little patch of paradise. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Muston Heights B&B Schoolhouse Cottage
Hosts: Dean & Judy Johnson
American River
Kangaroo Island
Ph. 08 8553 7367Published 6th August 2006
