This year , descendants of one of the first arrivals on Kangaroo Island and the Gilfillan family at Antechamber bay will celebrate 200 years since Nat Thomas an English sailor and his partner and mother of his four children Betty ,a full blood Tasmanian Aboriginal, built their home over looking back stairs passage on the North Eastern coast of the island. This arrival predated the settlement at Kingscote in 1836, which was unsuccessful and later the official settlement in Adelaide.

Andy Gilfillan says “ It appears that Nat and Betty had a significant , committed relationship and there are well documented articles on their lives together, Betty used the skill from Tasmania to hunt and snare wallabies and care for her young family, she made clothing for Nat and her children, from the skins, Nat was involved in Lighthouse construction and worked as light house keeper, as well as sealing,, whaling, piloting vessels, goat and sheep farming”

Saturday March the 14th 2026, the original National trust listed homestead and the farm will be open for the general public , where the original two rooms built by Nat and Betty date back to 1826. The oldest fig tree planted by one of Nat and Betty’s daughter, Hannah Simpson in 1854 and two ruins and various farm implements from the 1800’s as well as the shearing shed built in the late 1800’s by Nat Simpson, Nats grandson, will be available for visitors to see. 

Andy says, “ The fact that Kangaroo island had been uninhabited for thousands of years. and there was no displacement of indigenous people would have been very appealing for new settlers and the opportunity for Betty to escape this on Tasmania would have been significant, there is good evidence that their relationship was not unlike those of today and the descendants should feel very proud to be connected with such an enterprising and fascinating couple” 

Michael Golder says 

“As a direct descendant of Nat and Betty, I’m delighted that the current landowners are keeping both the history and the artefacts of those times alive. I look forward to seeing these buildings open for all to view thanks to Andy & Kate’s generous and thoughtful gesture”