St Kilda Mangrove Tours

The trip out on the Dolphin Magic tour gives you little hint of what's to come. As Steve Vines makes his way to the mangroves, the reminders of man's impact on this unique environment are everywhere. But that doesn't seem to bother the starts of this show.

"We have for example, well over 200 dolphins on our database for now and we know forty or fifty of those dolphins very, very well and the uniqueness of their characters is what makes it very special for us as researchers because every day we go out and we're going to meet friends, and as in the human world, those friends have their quirks and personalities and differences and that makes it pretty special".

Steve's company Eco Interactions runs a variety of tours in and around the Saint Kilda mangroves. You can either sit back and absorb the knowledge gleaned by Steve over the years, or take a more hands-on approach. And that involves helping Steve and his supporters in their work with the Australian Dolphin Research Foundation ... work which involves identifying these fascinating creatures and recording vital information about their behaviors.

"Dolphins are very much like humans in that much of their behavioral repertoire is learned behavior. So, if as young dolphin your mother has a particular preference for an environment and a particular preference for a behavior system ­ for example fishing in the mangrove creeks, then that's likely to be the behavioral repertoire that you'll display, whereas if your mother is a very social dolphin and spends much of her time with the larger dolphin groups off the metropolitan coastline ­ that's likely to be the behavior you'll display".

If you really want to know what makes this marine environment tick, then head for the mangroves. As you approach from open water they seem impenetrable ­ but within minutes, you're entering the very heart and soul of this unique wetland.

"This area that we're about to enter now is called Swan Alley Creek and was named by William Light, and certainly this area is very much as it was when the Rapid sailed in here well over 150 years ago and indeed has remained very similar to the several thousands of years ago when Kaurna people interacted with it".

Over the years the mangroves have received plenty of bad press. In fact when the first settlers came here they called Port Adelaide Port Misery because of the mud and the flies. Thankfully attitudes are beginning to change and a tour like this really gives you an insight into this unique marine environment ­ a natural resource ­ which from this spot is abut 18 kilometres from the centre of the city of Adelaide".

Most trees would drown in such a water logged environment ... but the mangrove has developed its own unique survival mechanism.

These aerial roots pierce the heavy mud and suck in additional supplies of oxygen.

The thick canopy of leaves eventually becomes a twenty square kilometre compost bin ­ providing much needed nutrients for an endless array of marine life. And just as life teems below, the upper reaches of the mangroves provide the ideal refuge for a variety of birdlife.

"These particular birds that we've just seen are in a feeding congregation. Your just likely to see a Siberianvisitor ­ an Eastern Curlew for example, or in fact you may see a Sacred Kingfisher. There's a whole range of birds that we have here. They're likely to be feeding on Yellowed eyed mullet which are here in large numbers that appear in large numbers throughout the sanctuary and of course that's something of a feat for the black cormorants that we're seeing here. And the pelicans and silver gulls are seeing what they're doing and trying to get in on the act".

Some tend to fish at their own pace ... a leisurely start to a morning adventure ... a bit like Steve's tours which run daily from the Saint Kilda Mangrove Trail.

Apart from the Trail Walk ­ Steve offers the comprehensive Dolphin Magic Tour and the research tour conducted under the auspices of the Australian Dolphin Research Foundation.

St Kilda Mangrove Trail Walk
$6.50 Adults $4.50 Concessions
Four Hour Dolphin Magic Tours $95 per person.
Three Hour Dolphin Research Tour $45.00 per person.
Bookings can be made with Steve or Sandra on 8280 8172.