By Ian Williams
After struggling through university with dyslexia for two years eco-student Brenton Carle loved escaping to the Coorong.
Even though the internationally-acclaimed wildlife park was on its knees after more than a decade of brutal drought, Brenton still found it spectacularly beautiful.
It was a union that was meant to happen. The national park provided the inspiration for a final year project during Brenton’s Bachelor of Environmental Tourism degree at Flinders University.
With a couple of student friends he established a mock South Australian tourism company called Canoe the Coorong.
Fast forward eight years and the university project is now a thriving ecotourism business that reveals the delights of the Coorong to about 3,000 visitors and students every year.
“Being dyslexic, university was a huge struggle for me and I never got good marks until we did this third-year project,” says Brenton.
“Then for the first time I started getting high distinctions and we won the best project award and a small business planning award for our faculty.”
Brenton’s friends decided against the opportunity of turning mock into real so he gained the necessary permits and launched the Goolwa-based business himself with four kayaks.
He turned over $10,000 in his first year and last summer he had a fleet of 40 kayaks and pulled in well over $100,000. In the process he attracted more than 130 five-star reviews in TripAdvisor and earned a certificate of excellence.
Canoe The Coorong offers a range of experiences from fully-catered sunset and full-day tours to four-day camping adventures to show people environmentally sensitive areas they wouldn’t normally see.
The business is increasingly popular among primary and high schools with Brenton providing tailored educational tours to suit the different abilities of students. He’s also a guest lecturer back at Flinders for first-year students doing eco-tourism.
Caring for the unique Coorong environment is another priority.
“A major part of eco-tourism is making sure we leave the place in better shape than how we found it for the next generation,” says Brenton.
“I work closely with Landcare Australia and on some trips collect seeds for replanting. They are more likely to be hardier and survive than seeds taken farther away in more accessible areas where they haven’t adapted to the local environment.”
In his spare time Brenton also helps Birdlife Australia with its annual count of migratory wader birds which flock to the 145-kilometre long park every year.
And when he’s not paddling the Coorong Brenton can also be found supporting Dyslexia Australia. His message to sufferers: “Don’t let the condition be a barrier to success.”
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