It may not look like much at the moment, but Louth Island in South Australia could soon be home to an eco-resort.
Louth Island (Aboriginal name: Yarudu) is a 135-hectare island located in Louth Bay in South Australia’s Spencer Gulf. It’s just 3 kilometres from the mainland and is around 18 kilometres from Port Lincoln.
The island was named by Captain Matthew Flinders in 1802. Grazing of sheep began in began early last century and a bit of guano (bird poop) mining has also occurred on the island.
As things currently stand, much of Louth Island is covered with introduced grasses and weeds. African Boxthorn has also been proliferating since a reduction in grazing – which I know from personal experience (and many punctures) can be challenging to get rid of.
The good news is a bunch of bird species frequent the island. Among them, Fairy Penguins are known to breed there as do Hooded Plover, which are a threatened species. The island is also free of rabbits, rats, mice, cats, foxes and other introduced species.
In terms of existing buildings, there’s not much – a lean-to shed, a working shearing shed and associated stockyards built back in the 1950s, and some ruins.
The island was purchased in 2021 by Che Metcalfe. Assuming a green light from the powers-that-be, Mr. Metcalfe intends transforming Louth Island through his Ika Shima eco resort project. It will consist of:
- 26 single bed villas
- A day spa (earth sheltered construction)
- The existing shearing sheds will be converted to a laundry and workers accommodation facility
- Solar powered desalination plant
- Two ground mounted solar panels arrays
- Tennis court
- Outdoor gym
- Swimming pool
- Yoga/meditation area.
- Revegetation and landscaping
On the last point, the existing Ika Shima web site indicates the developer is “currently working hard with organisations like Greening Australia to restore the island to its original state.” The web site also mentions construction is well under way and the resort is set to open this year.
But the web site jumps the gun a little on current status given approvals are yet to be issued.
Solar Energy Details Sketchy
I couldn’t find any solid information on the solar power setup, only that it will impact an area of 3.85 hectares There is also a mention of batteries and hydrogen (of course) on the optimistic Ika Shima web site.
This looks like a really interesting project that could do a lot of good – and it’s great to see renewables in the form of solar panels and battery storage will be powering it. But if Hooded Plovers are breeding on Louth Island and given the shorebird situation generally, any form of motor vehicle use on beaches as an attraction should be given a miss; whether they are electric vehicles or not. Beach driving has generally proved to be an incredibly destructive/disruptive practice, and future generations will look back on the activity and ask: “what were they thinking?”
A public consultation period is currently active for the Ika Shima eco resort project, and closes on February 14. Further information is available on the PlanSA website.
About Michael Bloch
RSS - Posts
Single bed villas……. good luck with that
There may be one bed per villa — so a single bed — but I’m willing to bet that one bed will be queen sized.
Looks like it will be a fabulous place for a great relaxing holiday,good luck.Me and my other half will come for a relaxing break.Carol Smith
I thought it might be useful to provide an update and some more detail about the project.
Details about our solar and battery installation can be found here:
https://www.powerplus-energy.com.au/off-grid-innovation-powers-rumi-a-luxury-eco-resort/
The original reference to hydrogen was in relation to the ongoing search for a better solution than lithium-ion to store energy produced from PV. I am now leaning more towards thermal batteries but I think what the guys at https://hysata.com/ have done is a big step forward towards making hydrogen produced from PV a viable solution. The missing part of course is the storage of the hydrogen. Then the cost of fuel cells is ridiculously high currently.
It is well known that batteries that need to cycle daily are not ideal and are not a long-term solution. We currently use them as they are the best option for now. However I sincerely hope and believe there will be better long-term energy storage solutions available soon. These potential solutions have the added benefit of being much greener without the need for rare earth metals.
We are in it for the long haul and are spending a very large amount of money on renewables to keep the island off-grid so that it can be enjoyed for generations to come without burning fossil fuels.
Regarding the comment about one bed. The bed is a king sized bed and the villas are designed as a couples retreat. There will be an option for extra bedding ion the living area of each villa for children. The villas are also group in clusters so that a group can stay in. a cluster and be nearby to each other.
Not sure what the hooded plover has to do with solar but it is important to point out that no vehicles are driven up and down the beach as this would disturb them unnecessarily. We have worked with very reputable ecologists to produce extensive management and construction plans that protect all flora and fauna on the island. The protection of the ecology on the island is very important to