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Rising like a giant sea creature from the pristine waters of Bass
Strait, Flinders and its surrounding islands are all that remain of the
land bridge that once connected Tasmania to mainland Australia. With a
mild climate, white-sand beaches and turquoise seas, these remarkable
‘mountains in the sea’ offer a tropical escape in the south.
 Strzelecki Peaks
With no time for thought beyond this, the ominous mass hits us – silently, without a bump – and we are engulfed. Literally, there is nothing to be seen out any window other than white. And then, as suddenly as it stuck, the sea of white drops away and we are gazing at it from above. Only it is no longer white; it is iridescent pink, as are the lakes of light the sun has cast across the ocean below.
“Not a bad office, hey?” says our pilot, Rod. “And the people on Sydney Harbour think they have good views!”
As we cross into Tasmanian waters, Flinders Island rises out of Bass Strait vast and mysterious.
The largest of the 52 islands in the Furneaux Group off the north-east coast of Tasmania, Flinders Island remains relatively untouched by tourism, which, according to a few of the lads at the local, is exactly how they like it. “Make sure you tell them how good King Island is,” grins one young farmer. He is only half joking. Still, after an excited call from a mate, I get an invite back for a Saturday evening barbeque. What’s on the menu? Mutton bird!
Mutton birds are an intrinsic part of the island’s history. Approximately 23 million mutton birds breed in 280 colonies around south eastern Australia. The largest of these colonies is on Babel Island on the eastern side of Flinders Island. Shipwreck survivors from the Sydney Cove lived on mutton birds until they were rescued and from that day they have been an important food and income source for the early settlers of the Furneaux Group.
While it is unlikely that low-level culling will seriously affect the island’s mutton bird population, I graciously request a raincheck on dinner. My belly is still bursting from the incredible lunch spread put on by our tour guide’s wife.
Jimmy and Penny Xypteras have called Flinders home for the past 23 years. If there is a question about the island you need answered, then Jimmy’s your man. As we bounce along the unsealed roads in Jimmy’s bus (brightly painted with a mural of Flinders), he relays intimate stories from throughout the island’s history; some funny, many sad.
He beeps the horn and waves at a passing vehicle, then stops the bus in the middle of the road and turns around for a chat.
“That was Pat the Rat, our local policeman (there’s only one). There’s virtually no crime here, so he has a fairly cruisey job.
“When I first moved here, I noticed that people would come to the pub and leave their cars unlocked with the keys in the ignition. I asked one of the guys about it and he said, ‘We never lock our houses either. The way we see it, if someone was going to steal something, they’d make more of a mess breaking in, so we might as well just invite them in and get over it’.”
Indeed, with a transient population of around 900 (usually no more than 600 at any given time), Flinders Island is a little country town stretched over a large expanse of land. And like all country towns, the townsfolk are intensely proud of their home.
 Cape Barren Goose
His pride is well founded.
Predominantly grazing land divided by a chain of hills and Mt Strzelecki to the south, the island is reminiscent of the United Kingdom with grasslands resembling the Kent Downs and rugged mountains similar to the Scottish Highlands. As we make our way to the site of the Aboriginal settlement at Wybalenna, Jimmy tells us a little of the island’s tragic history.
The National Trust regards Wybalenna as one of the most important historic sites in Australia because of its direct association with Tasmania’s Aboriginal tribes.
In 1833, the remnants of the Tasmanian Aboriginal population (a mere 160 people) were exiled to live at Settlement Point (named Wybalenna – black man’s houses – by the Aboriginals) with the misguided belief that they would be protected from the rape and abuse of the white settlers in Tasmania and hence saved from extinction. Unfortunately this was not the case. The women were still raped and the men were still murdered. By 1847, the settlement was deemed a failure and the remaining 45 Aborigines were sent to Oyster Cove on the east coast of Tasmania.
The Wybalenna Chapel, a simple Georgian building built by convicts in 1838, has been restored as a memorial to the lost race and, along with the nearby cemetery, is one of the few remaining tokens of the tragedy.
While the Island’s history may be slightly sombre, the aforementioned lunch soon put smiles back on our faces. As their surname suggests, Jimmy and his wife are Greek and when it comes to putting on a spread, Penny is every bit the Grecian goddess. Everything from the Kreatopitakia and sausage rolls, to the blue cheese bread and spreads, the salads and dressings, to the marinades and relishes is handmade and delicious. Had we been surrounded by whitewashed walls and a cobalt sea as opposed to beach scrub and a turquoise sea, we could well have been feasting on the island of Mykonos.
Not that the Furneaux Group can’t hold its own against The Cyclades. The coastline of Flinders Island is every bit as stunning.
I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting the waters of Bass Strait to be so ... well ... tropical. I was expecting angry, churning grey, not calm, pristine aqua. Looking out over Killiecrankie Bay from jj’s art cafe is like looking out over the Coral Sea from Hamilton Island. Which brings me to another local character and another local gem ... literally.
The turquoise waters and white sands of Killiecrankie Bay are richly endowed with glittering Killiecrankie Diamonds. These semi-precious stones are actually exceptionally high quality topaz, but to the untrained eye (all unmarried males stop reading here), they look every bit the part of a certified diamond.
Back at the Interstate Hotel (AKA ‘the local’) in Whitemark, we unload our bags from the bus and are about to head to our rooms when I spot a tiny ‘closet’ off to the side of the hotel. A diminutive, white-haired lady is carting a sign bearing the words ‘diamonds’ and ‘open’ inside. All thoughts of an exploratory walk around Whitemark are forgotten as I drop my already overweight luggage and race to catch the store owner before she closes the door.
Inside, Thelma enthusiastically introduces herself (“Don’t worry about your bags love, nothing will happen to them here”), then proceeds to acquaint me with each and every Killiecrankie Diamond and Paper Nautilus she has on display. She is a wealth of knowledge on the island and its treasures.
Having already blown my budget, I resign to purchasing nothing more than a humble Nautilus shell, but discover I have not a cent on me.
“Don’t suppose you take EFTPOS?”
“No,” replies Thelma, “but take it and just send me a cheque when you get home.”
God love country folk!!
I rise early Sunday morning exceptionally excited. I had read the previous day that the pies from Whitemark Bakery have been voted one of the top 10 pies in Australia by Vogue Food & Wine magazine. Their specialty? Wallaby in red wine. My stomach grumbles in anticipation as I walk the short distance down the main street and then ... devastation! The bakery is closed Sundays and every second Saturday!
 Trousers Point
We are on our way to one of the most photographed of the island’s hot spots – Trouser’s Point. It does not disappoint. Sheltered between headlands of ochre-coloured granite, aquamarine water laps a crescent bay of fine white sand, framed by wooded sand dunes and the shrub-covered face of the Strzelecki massif. I return to the bus with a wet bottom after a zillion photos and one too many proclamations of, “I’ll just see what’s around this corner”.
Indeed, I hope to return to see what’s around many more of Flinders’ corners ... and to cash in my raincheck on that mutton bird barbeque!
Travel Notes
Getting there: Airlines of Tasmania has direct flights from Launceston, Tasmania and Moorabbin, Victoria. There is also a cargo barge service which passengers can use
Accommodation: There is a variety of accommodation options spread across Flinders Island including a luxury resort, hotels, B&Bs, holiday cottages, farm stays, cabins and camping grounds. For more information visit www.flinders.tas.gov.au
Tours: Flinders Island Executive Tours can tailor tours from a short taxi ride for one to a group tour of the island lasting days. All travel needs can be arranged from accommodation, flights to and from the island, local scenic flights, charter boat trips and more. Jim Xypteras has lived on Flinders Island for many years and has an intimate knowledge of the island; Heron Airlines have a number of air tours incorporation Flinders Island
Photos Courtesy of Tourism Tasmania
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