Bates Landing - SA

Ephraim Bates and his family came to Australia aboard the Melbourne on 6 December 1858. The family moved to Cygnet River for 12 months where they cut sleepers for the Gawler Railway. The family then tried their luck in the goldfields of Victoria but were unsuccessful. In 1861, Ephraim purchased part of the property, which is now Baudin Conservation Park, and moved his family to Penneshaw.
Joseph (Harry) Bates, the son of Ephraim, was awarded a mail contract in 1870 to bring mail from Cape Jervis to Cygnet River. He used Ironstone Creek Cove as a landing place on Kangaroo Island.
When pastoral leases were cancelled on the property, Harry applied for an area of land near the coast in 1876 near to his boat landing place. Harry could also gauge the weather conditions from this point. The area was taken up on credit agreement but Harry did not own the lease until 1904. Today, this parcel of land is part of Baudin Conservation Park.
Barley was grown on the property in the early 1900s. The soil was relatively fertile, with reports of about six bags of barley per acre being harvested annually from the property. During this period the threshing floors were built and used extensively.
In later years, potatoes and cabbages were grown at Ironstone Hill. Turkeys were also raised on the property, but the principal produce was sheep, barley, oats and wheat. The cereal crops were mostly grown for fodder, not grain.
Vincent Bates owned the property that made up the park up until his death in 1995. As Bates did not make a will the property remained intestate. The Penneshaw community successfully lobbied National Parks and Wildlife SA to purchase the property which occurred in 2000.
Baudin Conservation Park was officially dedicated on 3 April 2002.