“We have cancellations and they're always last minute. So it has a huge impact on us as a small business,” Simon Thornalley tells SBS Small Business Secrets.
Simon grew up on Kabi Kabi country, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and descends from the Kaurareg people of Horn Island (Ngurupai) in the Torres Strait.
Simon’s Indigenous heritage is central to this tourism business, Saltwater Eco Tours.
“I've definitely come from the saltwater, it runs in my blood, with my family heritage from the Torres Strait,” he says.
“And I feel a strong sense of nostalgia when I'm at the wheel. I definitely feel that connection with my culture and with my family.” 
Simon’s river cruise introduces visitors to the Indigenous heritage of the Mooloolah River waterways.
Simon has restored a century old timber boat. Source: Matthew Guest
“We collaborate with a range of local Traditional Owners, to give an immersive experience. [Tourists] are taken back in time to learn about the people who lived on this coastline, this bountiful coastline.’
The Mooloolah River was the lifeblood of local Kabi Kabi communities.
“Mooloolaba means fishing net and [there were] many fishing nets at the mouth of the river,” local Indigenous tour guide Bridgette Chilly Davis tells a group of visitors on a sunset river cruise.
“The mouth of the river is significant to Aboriginal people. It’s about identity. My children my grand children were born on this river and so we still have that strong connection to country.”
Simon and his team of local guides proudly point out local wildlife, including ospreys and eagles, perhaps even dolphins and sea turtles.
Local Indigenous guide Bridgette Chilly Davis. Source: Matthew Guest
The Loggerhead and Green turtle nest on the Sunshine Coast. As Australia's eastern population of nesting Loggerheads is estimated at around 500 females, the Sunshine Coast population remains a small but important sub-population.
Simon’s 113-year-old timber sailing boat also helps make this experience unique.
“The Spray of the Coral Coast was originally built in 1908, from Tasmanian huon pine. It is a sought-after boat building material, which is very dense with a natural oil, which preserves it in the salt water,” Simon explains.
However, he admits it was an ambitious plan to start a cruise business with an old timber vessel, and re-fitting it to modern standards wasn’t easy.
“One hundred years ago, they hadn't planned for it to be a commercial passenger vessel in 2021. So, we’ve had to make a lot of modifications whilst trying to retain an authentic look.”
Simon's boat as been extensively refitted to modern standards. Source: Matthew Guest
It wasn’t the only financial challenge Simon faced last year.
“The date that we set to launch the business was right at the start of COVID-19. So everything was stopped.
“As we couldn't prove income prior to coronavirus, as a new business, we didn't qualify for any [government] support.”
Simon put the venture on hold, while he returned to deep sea diving for income and his wife Jenna continued to teach at a local school.
“We’d spent a huge outlay and had high overheads and then we had to shut down completely, with no business revenue at all. So that was as tough as it gets.”
Simon had started Saltwater Eco Tours with funding from Indigenous Business Australia so when international borders closed, he turned to IBA advisors once again for support.
Simon Thornalley with Gemma Lloyd from IBA. Source: Tara Toohill
“He had just drawn down his startup finance package to begin operations when COVID-19 hit. So, we were extremely nervous as to how it was going to pan out,” says IBA’s Senior Business Development officer Gemma Lloyd.
Part of IBA’s support was to link Simon to with key tourism contacts to help promote the new business, preparing for Australian coronavirus restrictions to ease.
“We introduced him to Sunshine Coast [tourism agencies] and then Queensland tourism and then Australian tourism,” Gemma Lloyd says.
“Because of his relationships with the traditional owner groups here on the Sunshine Coast, the Kabi Kabi people, and to his own family groups up in the Torres Strait, Simon’s business extremely unique.”
IBA's Gemma Lloyd works closely wth Saltwater Eco Tours. Source: SBS Sandra Fulloon
As domestic travel picks up again, Simon has plenty of local bookings and expects a winter boom as southern state visitors escape the colder weather.
“[2020] was very stressful, it was tough. But we got through it.
“We stuck together and we could all see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I can't express our appreciation as a family business, for all of the support we received. And I think this year is going to be really positive, so we can't wait to share it.”
