LOCAL SECRETS
Speed Shearing
The Parndana Hotel is home to the annual Speed Shearing Competition. Watch while the professionals go head-to-head to determine who is the fastest sheep shearing team on Kangaroo Island. There are prizes to be won and bragging rights to be enjoyed. This event is a great community event with live music and great food.
Geology around Parndana
The characteristic outback-red colour of the land surfaces throughout the Parndana region is caused by the weathering of laterite, an iron-rich rock and soil type that forms in humid tropical environments.
The widespread distribution of laterite in central and western Kangaroo Island suggests the island had a tropical climate in its ancient geological past, most likely during the Pliocene Epoch ca. 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago. Laterite is full of marble-shaped iron concentrations called 'pisoliths', which can make roads quiet slippery - so drive carefully!
Bushfires of 2020
In January 2020 bushfires impacted the heartland of Kangaroo Island. Many businesses and farms were lost, and countless numbers of livestock, habitat and wildlife perished. Due to the remarkable work from locals, CFS, DEW, MFS and farmer firefighting units, the township of Parndana remained standing, an amaxing story of resilience, which lives on through the people who live and work in this region. The recovery will be long, but the 'heartland' of Kangaroo Island remains strong.
