SAND-BOARDING THE LITTLE SAHARA SAND DUNES ON KANGAROO ISLAND Painting

PAINTING OF SAND DUNES I produced this painting of sand dunes after visiting the Little Sahara dune system in South Australia. It is located on Kangaroo Island at Vivonne Bay. It is naturally occurring sand dune system roughly covering two square kilometres. The dunes vary in size with plenty of small dunes and the highest dune is approximately 70 metres above sea level. Little Sahara is a system of naturally occurring coastal blow out dunes. It is an area of spectacular vivid white sand dunes, surrounded by natural bush vegetation. HOW THE SAND DUNES ARE FORMED Formed relatively recently (in the last 7000 years), the coastal dunes that formed as sand dunes have been stabilized with vegetation. Probably as a result of storms or erosion after a major fire, some of the vegetation has been destroyed allowing the sand to start moving as it is driven by the wind. The sand continues to move in the direction of the prevailing wind until such time as the dune becomes revegetated. Little Sahara was heritage listed in the 1970’s to ensure its preservation for future generations. Little Sahara is one of twenty geological features on Kangaroo Island that have been listed as a geological monument by the Geological Society of Australia. SANDBOARDING AND TOBOGGANING ON LITTLE SAHARA Though the property is privately owned, it is open to the public who can marvel at the great swathes of dunes, as well as get stuck into a range of incredibly fun activities. Sandboarding and Tobogganing are two of the more popular activities in Little Sahara. These adrenalin-packed adventures give visitors the chance to explore the dunes from a different perspective than those of us who simply observe from below. I was inspired to produce this painting of sand dunes by the terrifying sight of these three people way up on top of the dune with their sandboards, preparing to make a rapid desc