New signs of life as Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park slowly recovers from bushfires

The animals and hikers are returning to Kangaroo Island’s jewel as black trees and exposed sand is replaced by new plant life.

Alison Buck, manager of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail and Fiona Jago, owner of the Western Kangaroo Island Caravan Park at Remarkable Rocks in Flinders Chase National Park. Picture: Simon Cross

The jewel in Kangaroo Island’s crown was reduced from a park teeming with wildlife to a desolate landscape punctuated with black trees and exposed sand dunes.

But a year on from the devastating bushfires, with its blanket of green plant regrowth, and echidnas and reptiles pottering along the soil, Flinders Chase National Park has become a symbol of the island’s recovery.

The Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail reopened last month, offering walkers the chance to see the park slowly rejuvenate after most of it was wiped out.

Trail manager Alison Buck says being able to bring people back through the park has been therapeutic, after her family home and farm was also “annihilated” in the fires.

Remarkable Rocks in June 2020, about five months after the KI bushfires. Picture: AAP /David Mariuz

The aftermath at Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat on South Coast Road, Flinders Chase, after the bushfire. Picture: Emma Brasier

“You feel devastated that something that big has happened,” she said of her reaction to the fires’ effect at Flinders Chase. “It’s a big part of Kangaroo Island – the locals love the park.”

Mrs Buck stayed away from Flinders Chase for about three months while focusing on her own property, but since returning has seen the landscape slowly recover with regenerating plants. Insects, birds and other animals have also returned.

“The little frogs were just going berserk out on the trail when I was there last week. But it’s probably the plants that you see the real amazing stuff in,” she said, highlighting those that flourish only once a fire has passed through.

“It’s exciting, like re-exploring,” she said.

Remarkable Rocks a year after the fires. Picture: Simon Cross

The Flinders Chase landscape a year after the fires. Picture Simon Cross

The wilderness trail is open in a modified form to people who book day walks through licensed tour operators, but camping is still unavailable.

“Walkers who have done the trail previously have been asking about coming back. They want to see what it’s like to experience the fire recovery and see the changes,” Mrs Buck said.

“They want to see those things that the bush had hidden from them when they were walking.”

The fire burnt 96 per cent of the park. Mike Greig, Kangaroo Island’s National Parks and Wildlife Service manager, said: “The burning was pretty tough to see but quickly we had animals moving around the landscape and we can see nature is getting itself back up and running.”

Rubble from destroyed buildings has been removed and a host of other work has taken place to welcome people back into the park.

The State Heritage-listed May’s Homestead and Postman’s Cottage, just west of the main park entrance, were both badly damaged in the fires, and since then, their stonework has been rebuilt. They will be re-roofed and used again as accommodation.

Bookings for KI – but with a new twist

Strong festive season bookings have given Kangaroo Island’s accommodation providers a welcome boost after an extremely tough year.

But the local tourism association says the pandemic has drastically changed the way holiday-makers are travelling, booking just days in advance instead of the usual three or four months ahead.

“That makes it very difficult in terms of planning, and it’s also very challenging for the businesses that have been hurting through most of the year and aren’t sure what things are going to look like after January,” said Pierre Gregor, who chairs the Kangaroo Island Tourism Food Wine and Beverage Association.

About a third of the island’s travellers normally come from overseas, another third from interstate, and the rest from within SA and this year, the domestic market has been the only healthy one.

The remains of the luxury resort Southern Ocean Lodge after fire ripped through the Flinders Chase National Park a year ago. Picture: Emma Brasier)

Mr Gregor said holiday-makers had lost confidence in travel amid changing restrictions.

Tourism businesses must adapt by offering the safety net of refunds or credits in the event of restrictions inhibiting people’s ability to travel, he said.

He has long lobbied for government subsidies to reduce ferry costs and also would welcome more marketing to promote the island’s attractions.

Mayor Michael Pengilly said he was “tremendously grateful” for South Australians heading to the island to support local businesses, saying much of the accommodation was booked out over Christmas and early into the new year.

Western KI Caravan Park lost three cabins, an office and two camp kitchens in the fire, and despite replacing two of the cabins, the pandemic has thrown owners Fiona and Mark Jago another massive challenge.

“The three-day circuit-breaker created a huge lack of confidence and we lost three weeks’ bookings in five hours,” Mrs Jago said.

“There was also the perception that there was nothing left of the western end of the island so we’ve been working very hard to change that.”

The reopening of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail will help attract more visitors to the accommodation, Mrs Jago said, which also ferries walkers in and out of the park each day.

“People come to Kangaroo Island for the food and wine but everyone wants to see Flinders Chase National Park, Remarkable Rocks and Admiral’s Arch. The more access we can provide within the park as it gradually opens up will help our business,” she said.