Flinders Chase visitor centre to rise from ashes
Work has begun on a new $16m visitor centre at Flinders Chase National Park to replace the one destroyed in the Kangaroo Island bushfires.
The previous Flinders Chase Visitors Centre was destroyed by the 2019/20 Kangaroo Island bushfires. Photo: David Mariuz/AAP
The State Government said today that the University of Adelaide is contributing $2m towards the project to build research facilities at the centre, which has been designed by Troppo Architects with a strong focus on sustainability.
The centre’s walls will be made of rammed earth from local materials and the building will generate and store its own power, including for electric vehicle charging, while it will be self-sufficient in water use and wastewater recycling.
It was anticipated that conservation groups, research partners and commercial tour operators will use the event space and that locally made produce will be sold from the centre, which is expected to be completed in 2024.
The government said that KI tourism was worth $140m a year and rebuilding key visitor infrastructure was vital for the Island’s economic recovery.
Environment Minister Susan Close said it was “fantastic to see work now underway on the new centre that will create a world-class visitor experience for parks on the western end of Kangaroo Island”.
“The building will set a new national standard for ecologically sustainable development, with minimal impact to the environment both during the build and once complete,” she said.
