Walk the Wild South Coast Way Preview

Congratulations! You’ve reached the official start / end point of the Wild South Coast Way on the Heysen Trail.

If you’re just starting out, you might enjoy listening again to Ramindjeri Elder Mark Koolmatrie’s welcome to the trail.

Don’t be alarmed! While the object in the distance might look like something from out of space, it’s actually one of Finnish designer Matti Suuronen’s ‘Futuro’ pods. Produced in the late 60s and early 70s, the pods were intended to be used as portable ski chalets. Made of fibreglass and plastic, they were easily dismantled and were sent around the world to new homes – with one of the sixty pods produced finding its way to South Australia. While they are now sought after by collectors, they were initially met with public scepticism and were quickly discontinued. Today you can enjoy massage treatments in this unique dwelling as a guest of Naiko Retreat.

Do you find yourself drawn to a certain plant or animal? This could be your nga:tji (totem). Hear from Ngarrindjeri mimini (woman) Kyla McHughes on the significance of nga:tjar (totems) to Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri palak (people), and what to watch for to discover your own nga:tji while on the trail. When you're ready, click through to discover some of the nga:tjar you might encounter today.

Do you find yourself drawn to a certain plant or animal? This could be your nga:tji (totem). Hear from Ngarrindjeri mimini (woman) Kyla McHughes on the significance of nga:tjar (totems) to Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri palak (people), and what to watch for to discover your own nga:tji while on the trail. When you're ready, click through to discover some of the nga:tjar you might encounter today.

Follow this track to get to the Kondoli - Keeper of Fire Walk at Tapanappa Lookout. Discover how Ramindjeri people came about the tools to create fire, and take in the incredible artwork produced by local Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri artists.

Don’t have time to get there? Hear the story from Ramindjeri Elder Mark Koolmatrie.

Follow this track to get to the Kondoli - Keeper of Fire Walk at Tapanappa Lookout. Discover how Ramindjeri people came about the tools to create fire, and take in the incredible artwork produced by local Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri artists.

Don’t have time to get there? Hear the story from Ramindjeri Elder Mark Koolmatrie.

Do you find yourself drawn to a certain plant or animal? This could be your nga:tji (totem). Hear from Ngarrindjeri mimini (woman) Kyla McHughes on the significance of nga:tjar to Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri palak (people), and what to watch for to discover your own nga:tji while on the trail.

Ready to discover some of the nga:tjar you might encounter on your journey today? Step this way.

You’ve got some hard yards ahead of you. Ranger Paul is here to cheer you on!

The choppy seas of Backstairs Passage have wrecked many seaworthy vessels over the years.

In 1934, the Danish motor vessel ‘M. V. Victoria’ was wrecked on this beach during a storm.

On board the ship was 5700 tonnes of phosphate destined for Wallaroo.

A team of salvage workers were engaged to clear the wreck, living in tents on the beach and working around the clock.

Faced with the daunting task of getting the salvaged cargo up the steep hillside, a flying fox was constructed to do the heavy lifting.

Many walkers have since wished for the return of the flying fox when faced with their own steep climb up!

On stormy days, you may see the last remnants of the wreck jutting out of the water.

You’ve got some hard yards ahead of you. Ranger Paul is here to cheer you on!

Do you find yourself drawn to a certain plant or animal? This could be your nga:tji (totem). Hear from Ngarrindjeri mimini (woman) Kyla McHughes on the significance of nga:tjar (totems) to Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri palak (people), and what to watch for to discover your own nga:tji while on the trail. When you're ready, click through to discover some of the nga:tjar you might encounter today.

The estuary here is a place of transition – where water from Waitpinga Creek meets and mixes with the sea. It is a life source for many plants and animals, both below and above the surface. You may see large flocks of crested turns and other seabirds resting here, and even the occasional wedge-tailed eagle, so keep your eyes peeled inland. If you're visiting in the winter, higher flows might force you to take your shoes and socks off to make the crossing. It’s all just part of the adventure!

Do you find yourself drawn to a certain plant or animal? This could be your nga:tji (totem). Hear from Ngarrindjeri mimini (woman) Kyla McHughes on the significance of nga:tjar (totems) to Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri palak (people), and what to watch for to discover your own nga:tji while on the trail. When you're ready, click through to discover some of the nga:tjar you might encounter today.

Have you noticed West Island just offshore? It has a little known claim to fame – stone was quarried from it and used for the base of Parliament House!

Over the past couple of decades, rangers have been making an annual journey to the island (declared a conservation park in 1972) to cut down an introduced weed called tree mallow.

The plant forms dense canopies that prevent sea birds such as crested terns, Caspian terns and Pacific gulls from nesting on the island. These birds rely on islands like West Island to provide fox and cat free areas to raise their young.

The birds use the cut down tree mallow to make simple nests – a just end to an unwelcome intruder!

You might spot some of these island dwellers as you walk along the trail. Look for a black cap of feathers to distinguish Caspian and crested turns from seagulls, and if you think you’ve spotted a small albatross – that will be the Pacific gull.

If you’ve reached for your camera today to capture the stunning coastal views along this stretch of the trail, you’re in good company. Almost a century ago, Sir Hans Heysen captured the very same view...only he did so with paint and brushes. In 1925 he wrote, “You would love the grandeur of this coastline, could you but see it.” Bringing his love of nature to the world was a driving force behind Sir Heyen’s seventy year career – a fact that was recognised in the naming of the Heysen Trail in his honour.

Congratulations! You’ve reached the official start / end point of the Wild South Coast Way on the Heysen Trail.

If you’re just starting out, you might enjoy listening again to Ramindjeri Elder Mark Koolmatrie’s welcome to the trail.