The Woolford family has joined Australian authorities to convert their remote Flinders Island sheep farm off South Australia into a $4.8 million wildlife sanctuary.
The Australian and South Australian governments allocated $4.8 million to fund the project, which aims to eradicate all introduced predators and rodents before returning endangered native animals to the territory, according to The Times of India.
Peter and Pamela Woolford purchased Flinders Island nearly half a century ago and relocated to the remote outpost with their young sons. Located roughly 30 to 35 kilometres off the coast of the Eyre Peninsula, the island spans approximately 3,854 hectares of coastal land in the Great Australian Bight.
Decades of sheep farming on Flinders Island
For decades, the family operated a Merino sheep farm on the property. Merino sheep are a specialized breed famous for high-quality wool production that historically underpinned rural pastoral agriculture across Australia.
The Woolford children grew up on the island, spending their free time surfing, fishing and exploring the surrounding landscape. Because of their isolated location, the boys completed their school studies via radio transmissions through the Australian distance education network, a system traditionally used to educate children living in remote Outback regions.
Agricultural operations on Flinders Island were gradually scaled down starting in the early 2000s. The transition culminated in 2025, when the family removed the final livestock from the property to prepare the ground for conservation work.
Helicopter baiting and cat tracking campaign
The island is now undergoing a comprehensive ecosystem restoration effort designed to eliminate invasive species. Feral cats, rats and mice introduced since European settlement represent the main threat to indigenous Australian wildlife.
Following the removal of farm livestock, teams initiated a targeted pest eradication campaign. Helicopters dropped approximately 108 tonnes of poisoned bait across the island to destroy rodent populations.
To track and eradicate feral cats, conservation teams deployed camera traps, thermal imaging drones and specially trained detection dogs. Project managers are currently reviewing monitoring data to verify whether eradication has been successful.
Return of native species and ecosystem recovery
If inspections in 2027 confirm that Flinders Island is officially free of invasive predators, wildlife officials plan to reintroduce several rare Australian mammals. Targeted species include the Shark Bay mouse, the greater stick-nest rat, the southern brown bandicoot and the banded hare-wallaby.
Early signs of ecological recovery are already visible across the island. Researchers have recorded little penguins returning to nest at two distinct coastal locations, while native orchids are blooming in large numbers.
The removal of grazing sheep has also allowed seedlings of the drooping sheoak tree to sprout. The drooping sheoak, or Allocasuarina verticillata, is a critically endangered tree species that provides essential habitat and food sources for native wildlife.
Despite the substantial government investment, the Woolford family will retain private ownership of Flinders Island and handle daily management duties. Legally binding conservation covenants will protect the sanctuary, and the family will enforce strict biosecurity measures to prevent invasive species from returning.
