Fleurieu & Kangaroo Island Sound Map recordings (2011-present)

A FLEURIEU SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link: 
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GWA006.html

During 2012 I made a lot of recordings at the Goolwa Barrages - located about 2km south of the Goolwa township. It was a fairly miserable afternoon, with a light drizzle being blown about erratically by strong winds. There was a steady current in the Murray River and this was particularly evident at the Barrage gates, with a steady cascade of water coursing through.

As I've mentioned in my notes accompanying a recording near Milang from the same year, I'd been experimenting with DIY hydrophones constructed from a variety of materials. This one (called 'Bob', pictured in the audio embed below) was made from a cheap bento box with a piezo transducer stuck inside. Whilst the hydrophone 'Nancy' was the superior hydrophone (used at Milang), its only disadvantage was that it didn't have a great deal of weight and wouldn't sink very well. 'Bob' had some plasticine moulded into the bento box and it sunk perfectly, which was ideal for an environment like the Barrages where there's a continuous flow of water. However, it was unfortunately partial to leaking and this trip to Goolwa was Bob's last excursion before being retired. * You can hear a slight twinge of electrical hum at the beginning of this recording as a result of the leak.

However, this hydrophone had an excellent response to underwater environments and this is especially evident on this short recording of the Barrages flow. Aside from the constant flow of water occupying the mid range, there's a striking low-end rumble which I suspect is a combination of the river's current combined with the booming resonance of the Barrages.

FKISM: Goolwa Barrages current flow (underwater recording with home made hydrophones)- August 2012

Underwater recording made with JrF C-series hydrophones. Full track notes below.

A FLEURIEU SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link: http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA006.html

This hydrophone recording was made by positioning a stereo pair of hydrophones on either side of the sandy estuary where Carrickalinga Creek meets the ocean on the western side of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The hydrophones were positioned in soft substrate adjacent to shallow sand banks on either side; so as to capture the flow of water, particle drift of sand, as well as the gentle (and later abrupt) movement of the sand banks.

FKISM: Carrickalinga Creek estuary, Carrickalinga Beach (underwater recording) - May 2015

A FLEURIEU SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link: http://tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/COX001-swamp.html

The Gum Tree Swamp in Cox Scrub Conservation Park is located near the main car park. The recent winter rains have left the swamp swollen with water that extends deep into the scrub and spills over a fire track. In the late afternoon the swamp is teeming with life - Eastern Banjo Frogs, Common Froglets and a variety of birds.

Fleurieu Sound Map

FKISM: Cox Scrub Conservation Park, 'Gum Tree Swamp' - August 2012

A FLEURIEU SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link: www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CPJ001.html

I'm outside the Cape Jervis ferry terminal on an overcast morning in mid-October. In the distance, the ferry from Penneshaw can be heard approaching. A couple of honks sound out as the vessel slowly pulls into the dock. The relative ambience of the terminal is overwhelmed by the ferry’s initial approach, followed by the continuous drone of its engines as it waits for the dock to be cleared. Platforms, gates and latches are manoeuvred before the ferry pulls into the dock and is secured. Eventually, cars drive off the ferry and passengers make their way along the landing.

FKISM: Cape Jervis Ferry Terminal - October 2019

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/FCH004.html

This is one of several field recordings made during a trip to Western Kangaroo Island in October 2019. These recordings are regarded as significant documents of the environment given that this area (and over 60% of the island) was burnt as the result of devastating bushfires occurring in December 2019 and January 2020.

The idyll of Hanson Bay is part of the third stage of the KI Wilderness Trail. We first visited this location following our first day of hiking through the northern parts of Flinders Chase.

How did we accomplish that? Well, there are two options for hiking the KI Wilderness Trail: the first option is to camp along the way, staying at the designated campsites at the end of each stage; the second option (which we opted for) was to camp at the Western KI Caravan Park and pay for daily bus transfers to each of the trail stage starts and finishes. From the caravan park, Hanson Bay is a short drive south along Hanson Bay Road.

The bay is sheltered from the ferocity of the southern ocean, with its whitecaps and tumult seen and heard from the shore. In the foreground, the tides ebb and occasionally crash gently. With my mic rig of a Sound Devices recorder and pair of condensers I made a couple of recordings: the first at where the South Western River empties into the ocean towards the middle of the bay; the second at the western end of the bay, amongst rock pools and craggy outcrops.

These two locations are presented as seperate recordings.

FKISM: Hanson Bay (Kangaroo Island) - October 2019

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA001-dunesandfinch.html

In the dimming light of a cold afternoon, the recorder is set up at the entrance of a walking path which leads through the dunes to the southern end of Carrickalinga Beach. From this position, the muted pulse and roar of the ocean can be heard, whilst a small finch sounds in the distance.

FKISM: Carrickalinga Beach dunes - May 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link: http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA002-creek.html

A still afternoon on the banks of Carrickalinga Creek. In distance, the afternoon songs of birds and the discreet stir of the ocean and distant traffic from the main road.

FKISM: Carrickalinga Creek, Carrickalinga - May 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link: http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA003-goatbaycave.html

This small cave is located at the northern end of a remote bay at the end of the Carrickalinga 'Goat Track'.

WARNING: the path to this location can be particularly dangerous to those unfamiliar with the area. It is advised that you should not make this trip unaccompanied in case of emergency. Avoid windy days, wear sturdy footwear and closely monitor tides.

FKISM: "Goat Track Bay" shallow cave recording, Carrickalinga - May 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA004-carrickalingabeach.html

A desolate stretch of Carrickalinga Beach as a rainshower approaches the coastline from the ocean. The faint call of finches in the nearby sand dunes can be heard amongst the gentle roar of the crashing waves.

FKISM: Carrickalinga Beach - May 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA005-rainshowershack.html

This is a recording made beneath the verandah of the shack that I stayed at over a weekend in May 2015.

FKISM: Late night rainshower at shack, Carrickalinga - May 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CKA007.html

Piezo-electric transducers (i.e. contact microphones) are incredibly versatile and inexpensive devices. Because they convert sound waves in a dense medium (such as wood or metal) into an audio signal, they are capable of revealing frequencies and complex sounds which would be otherwise inaudible to the human ear.

This recording was made at Carrickalinga Beach in the late afternoon as winds were strengthening and a rain band approached. I clamped a couple of contact mics to sections of a long fence line to listen in on the wire's response to the blustery conditions.

As the fence line was facing the brunt of the winds, a consistent low resonance from the wind shear can be heard throughout this recording. Occasionally, increases of wind intensity elicited pronounced whistles from the fence wire. Rattles, scrapes and pulses are heard throughout: the wire is pushed and pulled by the force of the wind; is brushed by encroaching vegetation; and is struck by grains of sand and a fine mist of rain blowing through the air.

FKISM: Fencewire in the wind, Carrickalinga - May 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GRA001_graniteislandcauseway.html

The tide is gradually coming in around Granite Island at 7am on a calm Saturday morning. I sit beneath the causeway that connects the island to the mainland and the small coastal town of Victor Harbor. In the distance I can hear the drone of the nearby urban landscape, which occasionally becomes indistinguishable from the distant swell of the ocean reverberating from Encounter Bay along the coast to Victor Harbor and beyond. Aside from the gentle lapping of the water and the sibilant crackle of seaweed, birds occasionally punctuate the tidal ambience along with a sole jogger who comes thundering overhead. His arrival coincides with a sudden swell of water and the loud chirp of a nearby bird. An unexpected, though appropriate harmony.

FKISM: Beneath the causeway, Granite Island - June 2012

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:http://tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GRA002_sealrocks.html

In stark contrast to the quiet, tranquil setting of the island's northern side (which faces the mainland), the southern side is left open to the greater ocean and the elements - violent waves, fierce roils and winds from the south. At 6am it is still virtually dark on the island as I find a position to record, only a lonesome flashing beacon on the eastern fringe of the island offers any illumination. I locate a 'safe' semi-sheltered precipice that overlooks Seal Rocks - a small bay of clustered granite rocks; that in the daylight are attractively coloured by orange Lichen. Though it is relatively calm on the island, waves make their way towards the island and enter this bay with relentless ferocity. Impressive bursts of sea spray erupt from the rocks and low resonances boom around me.

FKISM: Seal rocks, from Granite Island - June 2012

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GWA001_barrage.html

It is a calm overcast morning on the Goolwa Barrages, a structure constructed in 1940 to regulate the flow of fresh water from the Murray River into the salt water inlet (and vice-versa.) The barrages are currently closed and a gentle lapping of water can be heard whilst the sound of a distant jetski permeates the periphery along with the calls of resident water birds. Beyond the narrow dunes to the west (to the right of the audio field) the surf thunders across Sir Richard's Peninsula, which extends along the coastline from Goolwa Beach to the Murray Mouth, and forms the beginning of the Coorong National Park.

FKISM: Goolwa Barrages, Goolwa - April 2012

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GWA002-boatfest.html

A day of stifling Summer heat on the Goolwa Wharf where a large crowd has amassed around a couple of large historic paddle steamers which are about to depart. As this recording begins, a boat race is coming to an end as various announcements are made over the P.A, sails ripple in the air and a bell occasionally chimes. As the larger of the paddle steamers begins to leave the dock, a group of bagpipers and a sole drummer (positioned on the rear upper deck) start to play, as the paddle steamer crosses the audible field and gradually fades into the distance.

FKISM: South Australian Wooden Boat Festival, Goolwa Wharf - February 2015

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GWA003-soundwalk-1.html

A walk around the Goolwa town centre on a quiet weekday afternoon.

FKISM: Goolwa Town Centre soundwalk 1 - August 2012

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GWA004-soundwalk-2.html

The second of two walks in Goolwa, from a backroad in the town centre towards the Goolwa Pier.

FKISM: Goolwa Town Centre soundwalk 2 - August 2012

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/GWA005-bango_frogs.html

This recording was made along the Barrage Road in Goolwa. On this particular day I was taking my bike down to the Barrages to make several recordings. As I came around a bend I heard the distinctive sound of Banjo Frogs croaking away in the reeds.

One of the benefits of being on a bike with ears trained on the surrounding environment!

FKISM: Banjo frogs off Barrage Road, Goolwa - October 2012

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
http://www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/MUL001-creek_at_midnight.html

This recording was made just after midnight on a footbridge that joins the properties of Mulberry Farm and Middle Farm.

Fleurieu Sound Map Recordings

FKISM: Carrickalinga Creek at night, Mulberry Farm - September 2014

A FLEURIEU & KI SOUND MAP SITE. www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/

Further details regarding this site can be found via this link:
www.tristanlouthrobins.com/fleurieu_soundmap/sites/CPJ002.html

Fishery Beach is located about 5km to the south east of the Cape Jervis township. The beach was the former site of the Cape Jervis Whale Fishery, which only operated for a few years (c. 1843-1851) and the extant ruins of the whaling station can be located here. The site now is popular with local fishermen and a power station supplies a relay for the huge underwater cable which supplies Kangaroo Island with its primary power supply.

Speaking of Kangaroo Island, the eastern section of Dudley Peninsula and the remote southern coastline could be observed clearly. Bands of rain could be seen sweeping across the island and tentatively moving out over the rough, volatile waters of Backstairs Passage.

I’d parked the car by the power station and made my way down to the a position overlooking the beach. Waves appeared to be concentrated on three particular areas within my vicinity: to a shallow bay ahead of me, a rocky outcrop to the left, and a narrow head of boulders to the right. To the left I saw about half a dozen cormorants positioned on the rocks.  

I thought I would make a couple of recordings here in different positions relative to the water’s edge, so as to emphasise the encompassing presence of the waves.    

The audio here is presented here as a composite of two sites in close proximity to each other. It begins with a recording close to the central bay and then transitions to a recording made at a higher position further back. The first six minutes features the recording made closer to the water’s edge, and this recording emphasises a spatial drift of waves forming and crashing around the bay area. The rough sibilance of the surf - apprehended as dense blocks of noise - appear to whoosh and phase into each other, appearing at times to recede into the distance. At the six-minute mark, the audio crossfades gently into the recording made further back. This recording presents a vaguer, somewhat calmer, and altogether more homogenous impression of oceanic textures. The wave activity appearing to continuously blend across the stereo field, accompanied by vaporous murmurs, hushed roars and tumult.

FKISM: Fishery Beach, Cape Jervis - August 2020

Tristan Louth-Robins is a South Australian artist working principally in the medium of sound art and field recording. Ideas of sound and its signification are key elements in Louth-Robins' practice, traversing the space between the visual and aural his work is realised through the mediums of recordings, installation, visual art and performance. He is interested in sound and its associative implications - including its relationship to objects, technology, urban space, memory and the natural world. 


Since 2005, Louth-Robins has presented work in Australia and internationally as a solo artist, whilst also collaborating with artists, writers, researchers, musicians and performers. 

Working across a vast array of activities encompassing composition, sound design, installation art, field recording and workshops, his work has been featured in events such as the Adelaide Festival of Arts (2006), The National Regional Arts Festival (2012), Mildura-Wentworth Arts Festival (2013), Fairfax Festival (2013) and Adelaide Fringe Festival (2014); and selected works exhibited at galleries including The Australian Experimental Art Foundation (2009), SASA Gallery (2012, 2015), Light Square Gallery (2012) and FELT Space (2015). His audio works have been broadcast on radio including Radio National, Classic FM, The BBC (UK), Acoustic Frontiers (USA) and RBB (Germany).