A farm of a different kind at Kangaroo Island pairs nicely with the local wine

This is the second in a series of articles by Gillian Johnston as she travels with AAT Kings.The first article was The Puffing Billy Train

One of the outstanding niche markets on Kangaroo Island was that of the Andermel Marron and Two Wheeler Creek Wines.

Down a long dirt road, which seemed in the middle of nowhere, here was a thriving new enterprise offering something really different. When we went along for a wine tasting we were invited to dine on their homegrown marron, which was just like having a small tasty lobster and was ideal for the lunch party. Having not heard of marron before we took time to investigate a little further.

The marron actually comes from Western Australia and is a name given to two closely related species of crayfish or yabbies.

Originally it was a single species, it is now recognised as two species: Cherax tenuimanus and Cherax cainii (the first being highly endangered). Marron are considered a luxury product and a developing aquaculture industry. Although the marron have been farmed on Kangaroo Island in South Australia for the past 50 years, they have also established feral populations in local waterways.

Marron can range in colour from jet black to bright blue, some pink, some red and some brown. The word marron comes from the French meaning ‘brown’.

Marron breeds once a year generally in September and hatches approximately late-December. The mum may have up to 600 sprats at one time. Growing to a miniature version of marron while under the tail to 10mm long, these marron babies hatch as juveniles and need a refuge such as mesh material put in their tank.

Once hatched they are removed from the main pond as they make a good meal for their mother. The marron can grow to more than 1kg and may live for up to 20 years, but most of them are sold at around 100g to 250g at two years old.

Although they are a slow grower, they have the best meat to shell ratio of any crustacean in the world at around 43 per cent.

Marron farming is a very new industry with an annual production of around 70 tonnes in Australia.

At Andermel Marron there were numerous tubs of small juveniles that had just been removed from their mother. Some of the larger marron were also in the tubs inside. When you looked outside there were 52 grow out ponds each with a surface area of 1,000 square-metres and all of them sitting on natural clay bases.

There was no activity in the business to sell the marron product other than in their own restaurant, however they did indicate the marron sold internally at approximately $37 per kilogram.

A nice addition to a meal of marron, but housed in a separate area, are the local wines from the Two Wheeler Creek vineyard.

Although associated with Andermel Marron the wine growing business seemed more established, boasting 12 acres (4.85 hectares) of red grapes — 8 acres (3.23ha) of Shiraz and 4 acres (1.61ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as 3 acres (1.21ha) of Sauvignon Blanc and 5 acres (2.02ha) of Chardonnay.

This business was named Two Wheeler Creek Wines after an accident 100 years ago when a two wheeled cart full of survey equipment fell into the creek.

The marron was served in its shell in a white wine and garlic sauce accompanied by a Two Wheeler Creek Sauvignon Blanc.

We discovered you can boil, steam, pickle, stir fry, bake and barbecue the marron.

The taste was sweet, subtle and delicate. There did not seem to be any competition to this nourishing crustacean food.

What a sensational new market we have discovered on Kangaroo Island, South Australia on our AAT Kings tour.

Originally coming from Western Australia, this marron opens up new worlds to entrepreneurs, tourists, and fine diners.

Being able to combine two successful business to complement each other is also an extra bonus. Ideal for the lunch menu, travellers, and business meals, I look forward to watching this niche market expand further.

Have you eaten marron? How would you describe the experience? Have you been to Kangaroo Island? Or is it on your bucket list? Share your travel stories with us.