Fleurieu Peninsula’s Granite Island stands neglected and disused, but plan are afoot to bring more tourists to the destination
AS tourists flock to the Fleurieu Peninsula for the long weekend, the jewel in the region’s crown, Granite Island, stands neglected and disused. Environment Writer JADE GAILBERGER reports on plans to restore the destination to its former glory.
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CRUISE ships would dock at the gateway to the Fleurieu Peninsula and passengers taken by boat to the Granite Island causeway, under moves to revive the tired tourist drawcard.
A $20,000 feasibility study on the introduction of cruise ship tenders has been approved by the local council, which Mayor Graham Philp says wants to change “the way we look at Victor Harbor”.
“We believe we can offer a lot more than a lot of other areas,” he said.
Initiatives are now under way to restore Granite Island’s facilities, renew its attractions and maximise the appeal of the horse-drawn tram and the causeway it traverses between Victor Harbor and the island.
The council study will examine whether it is viable to upgrade the causeway so it can safely receive tender boats from cruise ships which could dock at Victor Harbor, to incentivise them to visit the area.
“By having them come straight into the causeway, they’ll come straight into the town, have access to Granite Island, have access to the horse-drawn tram, access to the steam ranger and shoot across to Goolwa,” Mr Philp said. “We’ve got a better nature-based experience that you can actually do in an hour or in a day, plus we’ve got direct links to great wineries.”
The causeway already has a boat ramp, which pontoons could be added to, to provide a safer launching facility.
A State Government spokesman said it had “ spoken to the council about the infrastructure needed to cater for cruise ships at Victor Harbor”.
“If they (cruise ships) start coming in, we will certainly start having events specifically for them,” Mr Philp said.
Home to iconic little penguins and the majestic southern right whale, the island is characterised by huge granite boulders tinged with orange lichen. But it has faced increasing challenges in recent years — the kiosk closed in 2015, the penguin centre closed in January last year and the Swim With Tuna project is a year behind schedule because of two legal battles.
Ecologists say there is also an inaccurate public perception that there are no penguins left on the island.
Port Elliot’s Bruce Clayson, 86, has been coming down to Victor Harbor with his family since the 1950s. “I’ve seen quite a good few changes there but I think one of the worst ones was the ones we’ve got at the moment,” he said.
“No one can get a cup of tea over on the island, only a whippy van comes over on the Saturday or Sunday or very busy days. “They can’t sit down and see this glorious view and they’re very disappointed, they can’t come over, have a meal.”
Granite Island once had a chair-lift, and Mr Clayson said he has visions of a gondola going across the water to drop off visitors at a new cafe.
Victor Harbor Council has vowed to maintain its tourism model featuring its three major businesses, the South Australian Whale Centre, the horse-drawn tram and visitor information centre.
Other coastal councils — including Yankalilla, Alexandrina and Onkaparinga — will also be contacted by the Victor Harbor Council to discuss how cruise ship passengers could benefit the tourism in their areas. But Mr Philp said one of the island’s best tourist attractions — its beauty — was free.
“75 per cent of the drawcard is the natural coastline that you walk around,” he said.
Penguin tours are continuing and Flinders University penguin ecologists recorded 16 wild adult penguins, which this year successfully raised 16 fledglings.
Oceanic Victor’s Swim With Tuna will this month start moving a 45m-diameter platform across from Port Lincoln, to be located about 200m north-east of Granite Island.
Oceanic Victor co-owner Yasmin Stehr said a food venue would be in their “long-term ideas”, while the penguin centre would be “turned into more of a marine centre” if the building was salvageable.
“The first stage is to get the platform down there – we’re going to refurbish the original penguin centre and turn it into more of a marine centre,” she said.
A community push for hospitality on the island, along with a lease agreement to be finalised between Oceanic Victor and the Environment Department, could see a permanent hospitality venue on the island in the next five years. Pop-up vendors and activities with council approval may continue to operate on the island during peak periods.
Environment Minister Ian Hunter said the government was “considering some potentially exciting cultural events on Granite Island ... that will be in place for a period of time”.
French tourists Julien and Angelique Prabel this week visited the island with their young daughters Lib and Effie.
Ms Prabel said the island was “very beautiful”. “The girls love animals,” she said.
However, she said her daughters would have enjoyed an ice cream after they explored the island.
“It would be good if there was a rest or somewhere to eat, especially with a child.”
FLEURIEU PENINSULA: THE MAIN PLAYERS
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
The Environment Department is responsible for Granite Island and issuing lease arrangements on its north side to private enterprise. The former kiosk and penguin centre were under the same lease agreement but were operated separately. It is understood Swim With Tuna developer Oceanic Victor will take over both sites for redevelopment. The island has cultural significance for the Ngarrindjeri and Ramindjeri people. The Victor Harbor council is responsible for the horse-drawn tram, conducts works to the causeway, and bin collection — but is not privy to the future lease between Oceanic Victor and the Environment Department.
Friends of Granite Island, a volunteer-based conservation group, meets on the island on a Wednesday morning every fortnight to revegetate native plants, weed, and enhance the experience for visitors.
PENGUINS
The island, which has a little penguin population of 32, is a popular destination for international tourists to catch a glimpse of the birds in their natural habitat.
Granite Island Penguin Centre, which had rescued, rehabilitated and released penguins, closed in January last year when co-founder Dorothy Longden retired. The council has continued to offer penguin tours.
Flinders University penguin ecologists recorded 16 wild adult penguins, which this year successfully raised 16 fledglings.
Flinders University penguin ecologist Dr Diane Colombelli-Négrel leads the penguin research program and is optimistic about the future — but constantly battling against the inaccurate public perception there were no penguins left on the island.
She said it undermines “every effort we do to protect and maintain this colony”. The community was horrified after police last month alleged three men caused damage to a penguin burrow on the island and harassed two chicks by handling them.
WHALE CENTRE
The Victor Harbor community has come out in support of the South Australian Whale Centre following uncertainty over its future during a council budget review.
The centre boasts an interactive exhibit with a range of artefacts and history about whaling, local marine creatures and the area.
It also offers education programs for school and community groups, including school holiday programs, photography and whale spotting workshops, and indigenous exhibitions. The centre has more than 20 volunteers, including whale spotters who line the coastal clifftops during winter to log sightings.
HORSE-DRAWN TRAM
It is the only horse-drawn tram in the world and Victor Harbor council will continue to operate the iconic attraction, after considering privatisation last year.
It was estimated the iconic attraction featuring Clydesdale horses would cost ratepayers almost $500,000 to operate this year. A council steering committee is investigating the tram rides and upkeep of the horses, and will put forward recommendations to reduce ongoing costs.
HOSPITALITY
The kiosk on Granite Island closed in 2015 because the operators were no longer in a financial position to continue running the business.
The Environment Department said it would consider a “seasonal or pop-up cafe” for the site, but Mr Philp said last year the council approved coffee and juice caravans, and barbecue set ups but because “people think it’s closed because there’s no real business out there, it’s been problematic for those (businesses)”.
SWIM WITH TUNA
Yet to finalise a lease — expected to initially be five years — with the Environment Department, Oceanic Victor’s plan to set up a “swim with the tuna” tourist development is more than a year behind schedule because of two battles in the Environment, Resources and Development Court. Co-owner Yasmin Stehr said the first priority was to this month begin moving the 45m-diameter platform across from Port Lincoln. This is expected to take two weeks.
“It will be our vision and the vision of DEWNR and also the Ngarrindjeri people ... we’d like to create something that obviously benefits the community and treads lightly.
The company has also been working with university researchers, and hopes to create “beautiful areas” on the north side of the island where families “can come over and enjoy the area over there and ambience without having to pay a cent”.