Bulletin - Vol 8 No. 6 November/December 2005

Stay 'under the light' on Montague Island

by Mark Westwood, Montague Island Tours, NPWS Narooma

Aerial view An aerial view of Montague Island, looking east back towards Narooma on the mainland.

November 2006 will see the 125th anniversary of the commissioning of the light on Montague Island off the NSW far south coast. It is perhaps fitting then that this historic site is now accessible for overnight stays as well as the half day tours which have run for many years.

Five years of work by the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation’s Parks and Wildlife Division (PWD) in Narooma has seen the development of overnight research and conservation tours for the general public to experience.

Sunset from the balcony The sunset view from the lighthouse balcony back towards the mainland is an amazing vista.

In a joint venture between PWD and Conservation Volunteers Australia it is now possible for groups of up to 11 people to venture out the 9 kilometres or so offshore to experience one or two nights staying in the refurbished Head Keepers quarters. A feature of the trip is time spent by each guest contributing to either a research program or habitat improvement works on the island.

The 150-year-old James Barnett designed light station now has two of its three houses open to the public – the first being the restored Assistant Keeper’s cottage which currently features a “museum in the making” for the famous half-day tours to enjoy their refreshments, and now the Head Keepers quarters is reborn as a guest house for overnight trips. The third house is used for staff and research personnel.

Lounge room Whilst not historically accurate, the furnishing are nonetheless comfortable and provide an 'old-time' ambience.

While not intended as an historically accurate refurbishment, the quarters have been tastefully and functionally decorated to give that “step back in time” feeling with all the comforts of boutique four-star guesthouse style accommodation. The still-functioning light casts interesting shadows as guests enjoy the solitude and the ambience not found elsewhere on the planet.

Twin bedroom One of the twin bedrooms in the Head Keeper's quarters

These tours are fully guided and costs include all boat transfers, meals and accommodation. In line with the island’s Nature Reserve status during their stay all guests must participate in some form of conservation or research work. This is no onerous task either, as some trips will feature monitoring of the wildlife such as Little Penguins, or perhaps helping remove undesirable plants as part of the Penguin Habitat Improvement Program, a ten-year project designed to remove kikuyu grass from most of the island. Some trips have involved removing sea spurge from the area between the north and south ends of the island known as “The Gut”.

Plenty of time is provided for relaxing and enjoying the island’s character as well as exploring around the tracks or perhaps a leisurely self-guided tour of the historical precincts. Guides for the tours are specially trained and willingly provide information, background and tales for anyone with an inquisitive nature.

The tours are open to anyone and operate year-round. Activities and wildlife vary with the season, as does the character of the island – from sunny spring days with nesting gulls and terns around you to wild winter sunsets with the only sound being the wind and the waves.

Picnic at Montague The grounds of the lightstation provide a perfect location and view for a picnic

Feedback from the tours so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and bookings for the second half of 2005 have been solid.

You can get a group together and book the entire trip, or come along as an individual or couple and join in an existing tour.

Dusk at the lighthouse

It hasn’t happened as of writing this, but all participants must be willing and able to have their stay extended by several days if the weather or the seas deteriorate. Many people so far have expressed the secret desire for this to happen, as once settled it is a hard place to leave!

All trips are subject to minimum numbers and weather and sea conditions, and participants will need a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy the total experience.

Enquiries, prices and bookings are done through Conservation Volunteers Australia - www.cva.org.au or 1800 032 501. Rates vary and are available on the website or by phone.

All photographs by Mark Westwood

NPWS officer Mark Westwood, who was instrumental in setting up the Montague Island overnight tours, with the State tourism award. State win for Monty's overnight tours Narooma News - Wednesday, 7 December 2005 The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) celebrated after being named the winner of a NSW Tourism award for its overnight tour package to Montague Island. The NPWS was named winner in the "new tourism development" category. NPWS regional manager, Tim Shepherd, said the award is a great result for both the NPWS and the local community. "We developed the overnight tour package after considerable planning and forethought," Mr Shepherd said. "Our aim was to develop a package that would provide the public with an opportunity to stay on the island while contributing to our overall conservation goals. To do this we have refurbished a section of the lighthouse keepers quarters to a high standard which accommodates visitors that pay to stay overnight and participate in a range of conservation activities such as assisting researchers or planting trees." "This package was only launched this year and the response from participants in the program has been exceptional. The funds raised are injected back into the conservation work being conducted on the island. Receiving this award is a fantastic result and will help enormously in our efforts to promote the overnight tours and raise further funds. It will also be another major attraction for visitors to the far south coast generating further economic activity in the region." "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Charles Sturt University and Conservation Volunteers Australia who have been our partners in this enterprise. Charles Sturt University has helped us tremendously with the research work and the tours while Conservation Volunteers Australia have been with us right from the beginning in developing the package as well as marketing to the broader community. They are also the agency which books our visitors. We are also grateful for the ongoing support and help from Eurobodalla Coast Tourism." Source: http://narooma.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=443999

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