Kangaroo Island

Posted On November 18, 2012

We heard a lot about Kangaroo Island (KI) and therefore wanted to have a look at it in person. After a 120 km drive to Cape Jervis we (including our little beat-up car) took the 45 minutes ferry ride to Pennneshaw on KI. Immediately we started to see why so many people like KI. It’s really a gem of an island.

First stop was the lighthouse at Cape Willoughby at the western peninsula. On our one hour walk around the lighthouse we could see some ruins of the former lighthouse keeper’s house but were even more impressed by the very very blue and crystal clear water. However we also found out that there were as many flies on KI as on the mainland (I hate flies…).

At Kingscote we watched the daily pelican feeding (frenzy) hosted by a very funny and charming older man. Have a look at the pics to see battle for food. A very relaxed evening was followed by a warmer night.

The second day on the island started with a stop (funny that something can “start” with a “stop”…, anyway,…) at the Island Beehive where a tour showed us how the local honey was produced (you guessed correctly, a lot of bees were involved) and some tasting was offered.

At seal bay a walkway led us pretty close to a colony of seals (that was obvious) and one seal even came extra close to pose for a photograph. Impressive to see them so near. After we killed a few of them for dinner we continued our island tour (just kidding).

Nearby Vivonne Bay greeted us with a super long and lonely beach. A few kilometers down road we reached Western KI Caravan Park, our home for the next two nights. The campground was heavily frequented by kangaroos, wallabies, birds and we even had 2 koalas very near by. We were very surprised when we heard them roaring for the first time as it sounded more like a boar or even a bear rather than the sound of a small fluffy animal. It was fantastic and was one of that moments when one feels the beauty of traveling.

There were super strong winds during the night and we were already afraid that we would wake up with no tent above our head. However our little masterpiece of architecture survived it and so have we.

Flinders Chase National Park was our designated destination for today. Cape du Couedic offered another lighthouse and some heavy winds. The walkway to the nearby Admirals Arch offered superb views of more seals playing and relaxing.

Indeed quite remarkable were the “Remarkable Rocks” a bizarre rock formation with similar geological attributes as the Ayers Rock (in case you haven’t known).

It was again time to get a bit more active and so a nice hike along the Snake Lagoon (we didn’t spot any) led us to a very remote beach and river mouth. Have a look at the pics for an impression. The evening was spent with more animal watching at the campground.

After a relatively storm-free night we had a last look at our two friendly koalas again which happily slept in a nearby tree. The rest of the day was devoted exploring the north coast of KI.

Snelling Beach and Stokes Bay both offered excellent wild beaches. On the way back to Kingscote we stopped at an animal shelter at Parndana. Here we could hand-feed kangaroos, watching more koalas and they even had wombats. A good opportunity for more pictures. Dinner was a nice fish and chips platter at local petrol station.

Kangaroo Island really had to offer a lot. From remote beaches to yellow wheat fields to a abundance of wildlife. It was really one highlight after the other and worthwhile the trip. Just fantastic!