(Hong Kong, 23 December 2008) – In South Australia, fourth-generation Flinders Ranges’ residents Tony and Julieanne Smith have transformed a small struggling sheep station into an award-winning tourism icon that not only attracts 20,000 visitors each year but has also achieved the highest standard of ecotourism accreditation.
Rawnsley Park Station shares a boundary with the dramatic Flinders Ranges National Park and is named for one of the range’s most striking peaks, Rawnsley Bluff – the southern point of Wilpena Pound.
Accommodation includes luxury eco-villas, holiday units, a caravan park and some of the best camp sites in the Flinders Ranges.
Wildlife, birdlife and flora abound on the property, and four-wheel drive tours, bushwalking, scenic flights and cycling are all available with English, French and German speaking guides.
Tony and Julieanne Smith are passionate about the Flinders Ranges and were one of the first tourism operators in South Australia to gain official ecotourism accreditation, as well as being active in the development of the region’s ‘geo-tourism’ sector. The Smiths have also contributed significantly to the Flinders Ranges’ recent declaration as a ‘National Landscape’ by Tourism Australia.
The couple are committed to environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism and have a Heritage Agreement with the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage in order to protect the diverse vegetation of Rawnsley Bluff. As part of this commitment the couple have ensured there is a dedicated eco-tourism officer on site.
Rawnsley Park Station’s four eco-villas are beautifully designed, inspiring and luxurious, yet have met the highest standards of sustainable design. Another four eco-villas are currently under construction.
The eco-villas have achieved Advanced Ecotourism accreditation, which recognises Australia's leading and most innovative ecotourism products.
Products with this prestigious accreditation provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about the environment with an operator who is committed to using resources wisely, contributing to the conservation of the environment and helping local communities.
Key features of the eco-villas’ sustainable design include straw bale walls for insulation, a water waste treatment system that mirrors the action of a rainforest floor and retractable fabric ceilings.
Straw bales were selected to form part of the construction for their thermal insulation properties. In addition to the insulating properties of the straw itself, the rendering of the bales on both sides also helps keep temperature changes to a minimum.
Once described by an Italian travel agent as ‘the most luxurious swag in Australia’, the retractable fabric ceilings in the eco-villas’ bedrooms were inspired by the hessian or calico fabric ceilings used in traditional Australian settler houses. Combined with a covered skylight, these ceilings provide a magical night viewing panel from the bedroom: guests can lie back in bed and gaze up through their ceiling at the stars in the clear southern skies above.
Each villa has a 4,500-litre rainwater tank that provides water for drinking purposes. In addition to this, water is obtained from a bore that draws from the groundwater aquifer. This sandstone aquifer is replenished by water from a dam constructed on the property in 1992.
One of the most vigorously debated decisions when developing the eco-villas was whether to install spas. Tony and Julieanne made the decision that, while spas may have added to the luxury appeal of the accommodation, their use in an environmentally sustainable development could not be justified because of their high water and energy use.
The villas’ Biolytix water waste treatment system uses a polythene tank that has alternate layers of peat soil and polythene tubes, creating an environment where bacteria can naturally treat organic matter. The aerated surface of the holding tank becomes a breeding ground for earthworms that provide the first stage of organic breakdown. Tony and Julieanne have chosen this system because it requires minimal power to operate, while delivering highly treated water suitable for subsurface irrigation. The Biolytix units at Rawnsley Park Station are the first of their type in South Australia.
Tony and Julieanne have been very aware of the fragile nature of the native vegetation on the eco-villa site. The principal plants on the site are Native Pine and Shiny-leaf Hop Bush. Both are arid zone plants that are very slow growing and Tony and Julieanne took great care to ensure that only the minimum vegetation clearance took place during construction of the eco-villas as most of these plants are 50-100 years old and still only 1-3 metres high.
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