West Bay: In the Kangaroo Island region of South Australia
If it hadn't been for the efforts of a group of South Australian visionaries early last century much of the wilderness at the western end of Kangaroo Island would have been lost to the bulldozer and the plough. But thanks to environmentalist, Samuel Dixon and other members of the Royal Society of South Australia we have what is now called Flinders Chase National Park.
The coastal mallee stretches for miles offering a haven for local flora and fauna and many species specially introduced from the mainland.
Making sense of Samuel Dixon's unique gift to South Australia is made easier with the help of a trained eye, so the Postcards crew set off from the nearby Kangaroo Island Wilderness Resort with resident expert Jennifer Bowers.
It pays to soak up the park’s natural delights at a slower pace. A bit like the echidna we came across:
“When you're in Flinders Chase National Park the temptation is to look skyward at the majestic sugar gums and the tall mallee but it pays to keep an eye out for little fellas like this. (echidna) He would have been foraging for termites or ants of course because he's the spiny ant eater.”
Here it seems everyone has plenty of time for a good feed, including the bush turkey that loiters with intent around the newly constructed picnic enclosures. And it's more than likely you'll come across some local kangaroos. And if you do, please don't feed them regardless of how determined they might be. They're KI Kangaroos, a special breed not to be confused with the smaller Tamar Wallaby.
“They are very different from the Mainland Kangaroo. Their fur is much thicker, much longer and much darker. Their jaws are also wider and they are adapted to eating plants other than grass. They can eat leaves of trees and other things to survive in times of stress.
“Flinders Chase also has some unique plants not found anywhere else in the world”
The National Parks offers the opportunity to mingle up close with what Samuel Dixon sought to protect. And the reason he saw this part of the island as a refuge becomes clearer as you drive through the thick canopy with its dappled light all the way to some of the western most parts of the island.
West Bay typifies the beauty of Flinders Chase and a succession of maritime tragedies underline its remoteness.
“The Loch Vennachar went down in these waters in 1905. It took them some weeks to find and they actually sent out a mounted constable to look for it. He eventually found not only West Bay but also all the barrels of whiskey that had washed on shore.”
It's an isolated and stunning bay but in 1905 it was the final resting-place for an unknown sailor.
“Following the disappearance of the Loch Vennachar, wreckage was found at sea. But it wasn't for another two months that the body of a youth was found at West Bay and was buried here in the sandhills. The site was marked by a wooden cross made from the wreckage.”
Today the rolling surf gives just a hint of how treacherous the coast can be. Between 1877 and 1905 four ships were wrecked on the west coast including the Loch Sloy en route from Glasgow to Port Adelaide. On April 24, 1899 it went down and only four men made it to shore. One died soon after. Two others, William Mitchell and John Simpson were found not far from here.
“Seventeen days after the Loch Sloy went down, Simpson and Mitchell were found about seven miles south of the Cape Borda Lighthouse. Mitchell was in a very bad way. He was found with a penguin carcass draped around his neck and he was taking bites of flesh as he went along.”
They and another man named McMillan, finally made it to safety while another thirty-one passengers and crew drowned on the Loch Sloy. It's just one of the many tales to be encountered on the trip out to West Bay.
Emu Bay is a wonderful place to stay if you are visiting Kangaroo Island. Click here for more info.
Kangaroo Island Wilderness Resort offers a range of tour packages and accommodation. Kangaroo Island Wilderness Resort - Contact info@postcards.sa.com.au for more info.
