Flinders Chase Visitor Centre
Sustainability at the core
The Flinders Chase National Park Visitor Centre is an exemplar of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). Located on the former KI Wilderness Retreat site, it makes use of an area that had previously been developed.
Self-sufficient energy: Our centre generates and stores its own power, including electric vehicle charging stations.
Solar-powered comfort: Our solar passive design ensures year-round comfort. Low-energy heating and cooling systems adapt to the changing seasons, keeping you comfortable while minimising our carbon footprint.
Harmony with nature: Whether you’re sipping coffee on the café deck or exploring the natural surroundings, our visitor and staff areas seamlessly blend with the site’s beauty.
Rainwater capture: Solar panel-covered walkways and shelters not only provide shade but also collect rainwater. Wetland filtration and stormwater management complete the cycle.
Material selection: Our architecture proudly stands concrete-free. Instead, we’ve crafted it from sustainably sourced, bushfire-resistant Australian timbers. It’s sturdy, eco-friendly, and uniquely Australian. Rammed earth walls, sourced from materials on-site, create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Laterite gravels, limestone, and charred eucalypt add local character.
Bushfire preparedness: Our location isn’t just pretty — it’s strategic. We’ve curated it to reduce bushfire risk while providing spaces for visitors to relax and explore.
Marine parks
State and Commonwealth marine parks protect the species and landscapes within the waters around Kangaroo Island. These parks include Western Kangaroo Island Marine Park, Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park, Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park and Encounter Marine Park.
Marine content included within the Flinders Chase Visitor Centre was a collaboration between the South Australian Department for Environment and Water and Parks Australia.
Find out more about South Australia’s marine park network and the Commonwealth marine park network.
Artist spotlight: Agnieszka Woznicka
A highlight of the interpretation gallery is the interactive video artwork by Agnieszka Woznicka, a visual artist known for her explorations of the natural world. Drawing inspiration from dreams, psychology, folklore and nature, her work captivates and educates visitors of all ages. Agnieszka also teaches in the illustration and animation program at the University of South Australia and works from her studio in the Adelaide Hills.
Agnieszka’s work Life at the Edge is a sensory journey through Kangaroo Island’s unique ecosystems, exploring the interrelation of its different habitats, capturing a sense of immersion and wonder and encouraging a new way of looking at the world around us and the relationship between nature and imagination. The film explores a number of visual and symbolic edges: earth meeting sky, sky meeting ocean, static meets dynamic, fluid meets rigid, smooth vs irregular, past meets present.
The work is a form of collage combining layered photographic, video and animated elements, and a mix of abstract and photographic imagery. Animation techniques include digital drawing, traditional watercolour painting, stop-motion and rotoscoping. The photographic imagery is sourced directly from Kangaroo Island, Flinders Chase National Park and the marine parks, referencing and depicting patterns, textures, and colours found in the island’s environments.
Artist spotlight: Cedric Varcoe
Cedric Varcoe is a proud Ramindjeri/Narungga man living on Country, with strong connections to his ancestral lands. His family originates from both Raukkan and Point Pearce communities. Cedric works as a painter, weaver and woodcarver, drawing inspiration from his culture, Dreaming stories and significant sites within his ancestral lands to keep them strong, as well as his Mi:Wi (Spirit) strong through art.
Cedric has created three artworks for the Flinders Chase Visitor Centre: a Wakaldi (shield), a Kulindjeri (headband) and a Punawi (woven weapon bag). These artworks represent objects carried by Ngurunderi the Creator on his journey through Ruwi (Country) and across to Kangaroo Island as he shaped our lands and waters. It is important for all Ngarrindjeri men to make and carry these objects, just as Ngurunderi showed them in the Dreaming.
Quiet lab, busy scientists
The University of Adelaide has launched the Flinders- Baudin Research Centre beside the Flinders Chase National Park Visitor Centre — you can find the lab by exiting the visitor centre using the doors opposite the entrance. The new field station allows for further research that adds to the current knowledge of the area’s flora and fauna, as well as investigating fire and water resource management and restoration ecology.
At key times of year you can look through the windows into the lab space and see scientists at work, but don’t be alarmed if the lab is empty – the researchers are often out in the field, tracking wildlife and exploring ecosystems. Stay tuned for their amazing findings!
Thank you to our contributors!
The stories you discover within the Flinders Chase National Park Visitor Centre were created with help from:
Sue Catcheside and Emeritus Professor David Catcheside
Geoff Chapman
Jonathan Tyler
Nicole Middleton and Darren Phillips
Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation members
Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation members
Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation members
Phill Cassey
Assoc Prof Neale Draper
Dr Peggy Rismiller
Daniel Duval
Dr Clare Buswell & Dr Dave Gillieson
Brian Clarke
Jim Geddes
Professor Andy Lowe
John Foden
Bob Hill
Richard Glatz
Dan Hanisch
Alison Myers
Dr Jess Marsh
Peter Shaughnessy
Ky Alecto
Thank you for generously sharing your time, stories and expertise.