"Little Sahara" is the name given to an approximately 400 hectare area of mobile sand dunes located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island between Vivonne bay and Seal Bay.
The dune field extends up to 3 kilometres inland from the coast and is a unspoilt wilderness of immense scenic beauty.
"Little Sahara" is on private property, but public access is permitted subject to several conditions including no litter and no dune buggies.
Access is provided by a sign-posted track that leads from the South Coast Highway 8 Kilometres east of Vivonne Bay.
The dune field is dominated by four main east-west orientated longitudinal dunes that are advancing northwards from the coastline by the means of sand drift, The movement, usually caused by wind, of loose particles consisting of grains of rock or coral. .
The dunes are up to 50 metres high and have sharp well defined crests that are continually changing shape as they advance.
They are entirely composed of shell grit and quartz sand.
The mobile dune field is flanked at its extremities either by Pleistocene aeolianite over which it has encroached or by stabilised vegetated dunes.
All stages of dune stabilisation can be seen from the initial colonisation by hardy grasses to scattered shrubs, chiefly the Coastal Wattle and eventually to the climax Mallee association.
Apart from its outstanding aesthetic appeal "Little Sahara" is a natural scientific laboratory in which the processes of dune formation and migration and intricacies of dune morphology can be observed at first hand and it therefore has considerable teaching potential.
You are welcome to log a "Found it" log when you message or email the answers for the following questions. any "Found it" logs without the answers being sent will be deleted.
Q1 The sea is only visible from one direction from GZ, what is the direction according to your GPS ?
Q2 If GZ does not have you on the peak of the sand dune how far away is it when you are on the peak ?
Q3 "Little Sahara" is entirely composed of ?