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Writer's picturePaula

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is situated 5 miles from the south-eastern coast of South Australia. It covers approximately 1660sq miles and has been isolated from the mainland for 8000 years. The eastern part of the island has been farmed since the early 19th century. Almost 30 per cent of the island remains relatively undisturbed within National Parks and Conservation Parks. A half a million sheep; 1 million Wallabies; 15000 koalas; thousands of tiger snakes, goannas, possums, echidnas, platypus, bandicoots, parrots and cockatoos, raptors, little penguins, water birds, seals and sea-lions and 4000 humans – all call Kangaroo Island home.

I was prepared for the National Park and wide variety of wild life, what surprised me was the large scale farming that takes place on the island. Although there is a small commuter airport, everything else comes to the island on boats. We took the ferry and were intrigued while watching semi’s back on the boat and drop trailers. Those trailers were picked up by other trucks when we docked in Pennshaw.

When World War II ended, the government established a war service land settlement scheme. Ex-soldiers were to farm the undeveloped land on the Island’s central plateau. 174 soldier settlers, and their families, came to the Island. Each soldier settler was allocated 1,200 acres with boundary fencing, two dams, a small house and implement shed, and were required to clear and develop 800 acres for pasture. The cost of the house, shed and fencing had to be paid back over 30 years. Today large scale sheep and small grains operations are common sights. Harvest was in full swing and big green and red combines were scattering across the country side. Photo opportunities abound on the island but the highlight for us was the ranger guided walk on the beach through the seal colony. I took some great pictures and was assured by the ranger that seals aren’t as cute and cuddly as they appear. The pictures tell a better story than I do – so check them out.

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