$5 million will be invested to rejuvenate Cape Willoughby and create another must-see destination for the eastern end of Kangaroo Island.
The proposed redesign will include the entire precinct – and will deliver upgrades to heritage accommodation and day visitor facilities, a new café and visitor centre, new walking trails and a viewing platform overlooking ‘Devil’s Kitchen’. Creating an extended visitor precinct has also been made possible through the purchase of land surrounding the former Zest and Thyme café site.
A focus of the upgrade will be ensuring the precinct offers a contemporary heritage experience, through upgrading the accommodation in the lighthouse cottages and enhancing the opportunities for heritage interpretation at this iconic location.
The funding will also be used to kickstart a design process for a multi-day trail from Penneshaw to Cape Willoughby, which will be done in partnership with Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance, who have been leading the discussion to develop this concept, Kangaroo Island Council and other local stakeholders.
This is a welcome investment for the eastern end of the Island and supports recommendations by the Reimagine KI Community Reference Groups for the Western KI Parks and Seal Bay who highlighted to need to create additional attractions across the island to better disperse visitor numbers during peak periods.
The Australian Government is contributing $4 million to the construction of the new visitor precinct at Cape Willoughby through the Regional Recovery Partnerships initiative, with the South Australian Government committing a further $1m.