Adventure tour operator welcomes financial boost

Limestone Coast tourism business earns a slice of grant funding

Well before the term eco-tourism was part of our vernacular and it was discovered the goldmine that nature-based experiences could provide to the tourism industry, Uncle Ken Jones was tapping into just such experiences. It was as far back as 2005, when he was a park ranger, that Uncle Ken saw the value of taking people into the great outdoors and educating them about native flora and fauna and the many cultural lessons that could be taught around our indigenous heritage.

“I started doing those type of tours back then and have been doing them ever since,” Uncle Ken said.

His latest venture is Bush Adventures and the experiences he offers are just what the South Australian Government was looking to finance as part of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s $2 million Experience Nature Tourism Fund, with the Limestone Coast based Bush Adventures one of 18 recipients across South Australia, earning a share of the $486,000 handed out in the first round of grants.

The funding program runs over four financial years, with up to $500,000 available in each year and Bush Adventures snared just over $15,000 for the purchase of a trailer and equipment to operate an immersive eco-tourism experience through various national parks throughout the Limestone Coast.

“We (Bush Adventures) look to encourage visitors to our National Parks and we can provide a safe opportunity to showcase the natural assets of the Limestone Coast,” Uncle Ken said.

The trailer, which is in its design phase, will be used to store tables and chairs, waders for walking in swamps, creeks and rivers, pop-up shades, car fridge and freezer and a barbeque for catering.

The Bush Adventures tours can be tailormade with around eight people the optimum number. “We share stories about Boandik ancestry in the Limestone Coast,” Uncle Ken said.

And that’s not the only way Uncle Ken shares those stories – he has also penned a series of books, 13 so far, under the banner of History of the First Australians, which are available in most local school libraries and school visits and tours are also a huge part of Uncle Ken sharing his vast expertise.

The books came about during COVID and have taken off with demand continuing to grow. “During the COVID shutdown I got bored and started drawing and that’s when I was asked if I would be interested in doing some children’s books,” Uncle Ken said. “There is a lesson in every story – there’s always a meaning.”

Uncle Ken visits around 20 schools in the Limestone Coast, encouraging them to set up their own bush tucker garden and a camp fire area to sit and yarn. “I also teach carpentry skills, art and craft, weaving, painting and sketching and bird watching,” he said.

But it is the Bush Adventures tours set to benefit from the lates funding and Uncle Ken has families in his sights.

“I love sharing all about our natural environment with visitors and locals and we encourage families, particularly with young kids, to get off their devices and get out into the bush and enjoy what nature has to offer here on our wonderful region,” he said. “Story telling is a major part of our tours. We also focus on safely identifying bush foods, which we do in our own home garden, and we share some meals with the herbs and species we grow at home in our own vegie garden and orchard. We also offer a beachcombing experience – learning about shellfish and celebrating our coast while cleaning up our beaches.” Bush Adventures has worked closely with local land managers in setting up its tours.

“…these tourism experiences will highlight the important natural and cultural assets …” Zoe Bettison (South Australian Tourism Minister)

“We make sure we have permission for access and they have encouraged us to increase the visitation so visitors can be offered better interpretation and appreciation of the natural habitat.”

Where possible Bush Adventures utilise local businesses and that that will be the case with the creation of the recently funded trailer.

South Australian Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison was excited about what this round of funding would achieve in the eco-tourism space.

“These tourism experiences will highlight the important natural and cultural assets that are our state’s national parks and will enable operators to attract visitors from interstate and overseas, as we support the industry to recover from the impacts of the pandemic,” Minister Bettison said.

“…I love sharing all about our natural environment with visitors and locals and we encourage families, particularly with young kids, to get off their devices and get out into the bush…” Uncle Ken Jones (Bush Adventures)