A
Aust alia
family
who
o ce
built
thei
life
a ou d
sheep
fa mi g
o
a
emote
isla d
a e
ow
helpi g
give
the
same
place
a
completely
diffe e t
futu e.
Pete
a d
Pamela
Woolfo d
took
ove
Fli de s
Isla d
off
South
Aust alia’s
Ey e
Pe i sula
a d
aised
thei
family
the e
while
u i g
a
Me i o
sheep
statio .
Nea ly
five
decades
late ,
the
isla d
is
at
the
ce t e
of
a
$4.8
millio
co se vatio
p oject
backed
by
the
Aust alia
a d
South
Aust alia
gove me ts.
The
p oject
is
emovi g
livestock
a d
ta geti g
i vasive
cats,
ats
a d
mice
to
p epa e
the
isla d
fo
th eate ed
wildlife.
The
Woolfo ds
a e
wo ki g
alo gside
gove me t
age cies
a d
co se vatio
expe ts
while
etai i g
ow e ship
of
the
isla d.
If
the
e adicatio
effo t
is
fo mally
co fi med
i
2027,
e da ge ed
mammals
could
eve tually
be
ei t oduced
to
the
isla d,
c eati g
a
lo g-te m
wildlife
efuge.
How
a
Aust alia
couple
tu ed
a
isla d
i to
a
safe
have
fo
e da ge ed
wildlife
Pete
a d
his
fi st
wife,
Pamela
Woolfo d,
took
o
Fli de s
Isla d
almost
five
decades
ago
a d
moved
the e
with
thei
you g
so s,
Jo as
a d
Tobi .
Jo as
was
about
o e
yea
old
while
Tobi
was
o ly
six
weeks
old
whe
the
family
bega
thei
isolated
life
o
the
isla d.
The
p ope ty
cove s
about
3,854
hecta es
a d
lies
oughly
30
to
35km
off
the
Ey e
Pe i sula.
The
family
a
it
as
a
Me i o
sheep
statio
a d
eve tually
co ve ted
the
isla d
to
f eehold
i
the
mid-1980s.
Jo as
a d
Tobi
g ew
up
su fi g,
fishi g
a d
explo i g
the
isla d
while
eceivi g
School
of
the
Ai
lesso s
th ough
the
adio.
Sheep
fa mi g
co ti ued
fo
decades,
but
the
challe ges
of
u i g
a
isolated
pasto al
ope atio
eve tually
pushed
the
family
to
co side
a
diffe e t
futu e
fo
the
p ope ty.The
move
towa ds
co se vatio
developed
g adually.
Discussio s
about
Fli de s
Isla d’s
pote tial
bega
i
2019,
but
the
pla s
we e
tempo a ily
put
o
hold
du i g
the
COVID-19
pa demic.
The
pa demic
late
b ought
Jo as
a d
Tobi
back
to
the
isla d
with
thei
ow
families.
They
spe t
mo ths
the e
a d
bega
thi ki g
about
how
the
p ope ty
could
move
beyo d
fa mi g.
The
family
developed
a
visio
built
a ou d
family,
legacy,
sustai ability
a d
low-level
ecotou ism.
Thei
pla s
eve tually
led
to
Fli de s
Isla d
Eco
Escape
while
the
family
co ti ued
its
abalo e
busi ess.
Sheep
fa mi g
had
al eady
wou d
dow
i
the
ea ly
2000s,
a d
the
isla d’s
fi al
livestock
we e
emoved
du i g
the
co se vatio
ope atio
i
2025.
