Flinders Island isn’t just a spectacular kayaking destination, it’s often journey’s end for those seeking a more laidback lifestyle with plenty of adventure options. Jo and Tom Youl are two of the latter and are now working on making their farm sustainable and their forever home.
Jo is the founder of A Taste of Flinders, showcasing Flinders Island's fresh and amazing produce and was recently named the Tourism Minister's 2018 Young Achiever. Jo supplies produce for our kayaking guests and is passionate about her island home and sharing all that it offers with visitors.
1. What drew you into moving to Flinders Island seven years ago?
Tom did! After becoming a qualified landscaper, he finished off a building apprenticeship on Flinders eight years ago. He fell in love with the lifestyle and convinced me to move. We married in 2013 and took on The Quoin Farm, on Killecrankie Bay. My great-grandfather bought The Quoin in the 1930s and it’s been in our family ever since. Tom and I both grew up on farms as well so farming is entrenched in the genes!
2. What inspired you to start A Taste of Flinders?
I’m passionate about continually improving the visitor experience. Taste specialises in sourcing our incredible local produce and offering great food and drink options for visitors and our island community. It’s currently based at a café in Whitemark but we’re in the process of developing a new, world-class visitor hub on the waterfront to house a restaurant, bar, providore as well as Furneaux Distillery.
3 What produce is Flinders Island most famous for?
We have so many standout producers on our island, it’s hard to choose just one! Here’s some of the freshest you can get locally: crayfish, abalone, lamb, mutton birds, beef, garlic, wasabi, garlic, honey and much more.
4. What do you enjoy about living on Flinders?
We love the lifestyle that Flinders Island offers. A lot of weekends are spent exploring, fishing, beach-combing, bush picnics or checking the stock on the farm. The people we’ve met and experiences we have whilst living on Flinders simply couldn’t be replicated anywhere else.
It can be challenging at times but so many good things definitely make it worth it. Improved phone, internet and airline access have made it far less remote than it once was. We’re raising our children to be well rounded adventurers and this island is perfect for that!
5. What’s in future for you and for the island??
Well in the immediate future we’re adding to our family with a baby brother or sister for our 4yo Alice and 1yo Billy on the way!
We’re busy developing Flinders Island Wharf into a new food and beverage destination where islanders and visitors can enjoy the best of our local products.
On the home front, we have 900ha of arable land and Tom’s working hard on improving the pasture and infrastructure each year as we’re looking to increase our 500 Angus breeding cows to 1,000. Ahead, we’re also looking to plant 1,000 avocado trees and diversify into visitor accommodation.
As for the island, with the cost of access and limited bed numbers, our island will never be overwhelmed with visitors. Flinders is a place to be enjoyed by those who love the environment and want to experience something authentic and off the beaten track.
