Kangaroo Island or should that be Adventure Island

We made our revenge on the party goers of the previous evening and broke camp from Rapid Bay in quick time.  We were back on the main road by 7am, heading down towards Cape Jervis, with Kangaroo Island looming across Backstairs Passage.

Descending down the hill to Cape Jervis with Kangaroo Island in the background

We had breakfast overlooking the ferry terminal and Cape Jervis light, before heading down and taking our seats on the Sealink service to Kangaroo Island.  The crossing took about 45 minutes.  I was the first one to drive on the ferry as I was the only trailer, they put me on first so I could turn around and drive straight off.  Most considerate of them.

It was a glorious day, with a fresh south westerly blowing

As soon as we were off the ferry, we called at the visitor information centre and decided that Vivonne Bay would be our best campsite for the next three or four nights.  centrally located on the south coast, it seemed like the ideal place to base ourselves - and it was.

All set up at Vivonne Bay

We hired kayaks and explored the Harriot River.  It was a very pleasant way to settle into our new camp.  The kids had such a great time, they jumped in a couple of times - just to check that their life jackets worked!

Kayaking like the pros!

Vivonne Bay is the only safe anchorage on the southern side of the island - and is a small collection of beach shacks and a campground.  Apparently some academics from Sydney University thought the beach was one of the best in the world.

Vivonne Bay

I don't know what criteria the academics used, but the beach is indeed beautiful.  It was littered with many different types of seaweed, some I had never seen before, and is a nesting site for the endangered Hooded Plover, which we were fortunate to glimpse one evening we were here.

For the boys though - the action was across the road.

We succumbed to temptation and booked all four of us in for a quad bike tour - which was heaps of fun.  The boys had never really forgiven me for selling our quad bike just before we set off on our trip.  They loved every minute of the ride.

On the quad bikes...  hoons!

The boys all eager to go.

Australian Sea Lions

After our tour on the quad bikes, it was time to get up close an personal with the Australian Sea Lions at Seal Bay.  We decided on a whim to join a guided tour on the beach, and were incredibly lucky to have our guide all to ourselves.  Yes - we missed all the buses and enjoyed our own private tour of the beach.

Sea Lions at Seal Bay

Our guide Naomi, patiently answered all our questions, and we all learnt a great deal about the Australian Sea Lions.  The bulls can get as big as 350kg, about double the size of the fur seals.  The Sea Lions have hair, not fur and spend about half their time out of the water, unlike seals which spend the majority of their time in the water.  

One thing that amazed us about the Sea Lions was that they actually walk and canter like any other four legged mammal.  Their agility surprised us, and whilst not as active as seals, they won our hearts.  This was truly a special experience and not to be missed.

Sand Boarding at Little Sahara

The next morning it was time to hit the slopes - and we decided to give sand-boarding a go on the dunes at Little Sahara.  The boys eagerly made their first climb to the top of the dune and gave it their best shot!  It was a huge amount of fun - but hard work getting back to the top for another go.

Little Fisherman made it all the way down on his second attempt.... bastard

Little Helper was happier and just as fast on his toboggan

Mum shows what happens when you come off!

And stack of the day goes to... me!

Unfortunately we discovered very quickly that sand is quite unlike snow.  It simply gets everywhere.  Sticks really well to sunscreen and fills up pockets and any other orifice.  Yes, we felt like we took half of the sand dune back to camp for the first of many showers and shakes in attempt to rid ourselves of the stuff.

Flinders Chase National Park

After several attempts to rid ourselves of sand, we made our way west to the Flinders Chase National Park. It was simply fantastic, and we spent the whole afternoon exploring just one small part of the park.

Our first stop was Weirs Cove, where supplies where landed (by flying fox) for the Cape Du Couedic lighthouse.  Standing on top of the cliff, looking down at the ruins of the jetty it is an inspiring site, but the ride to the top must of been absolutely terrifying, until the road to the light opened in the late 1930s.

The store room ruins

The view from the top - with the Jetty far below

Looking east towards Remarkable Rocks

We then visited the Admiral's Arch below the Cape Du Couedic Light, and whilst in awe of the forces that made the arch, we were entertained by the New Zealand Fur Seals that played in the waters surrounding it.  This is a part of the coast where the sheer power of the ocean is apparent, scouring the softer limestone capping off the underlying bedrock some 500 million years in the making.  It is beautiful and humbling.

Admiral's Arch - with some New Zealand Fur Seals lying in the sun on the rocks.

Cape Du Couedic Lighthouse

Of course if you have come this far, you must visit the Remarkable Rocks, so we too headed along the tourist path to see the granite boulders that thousands of years, no, millions of years of rain, wind and sea have done to them.  

They blew us away.

On the path down to the Remarkable Rocks


Exploring between the boulders

These ancient rocks have so many hidden secrets to reveal and share.  We wandered around them for almost two hours, captivated by their spell.   The boys found some massive boulders to squeeze under, only to find a large cavern inside as if the rock had been hollowed out. The entire weight of the rock was supported on three small points.  It was simply one part of the island that you have to make time to visit.  

Simply mind boggling


The boy's loved this formation, named by them as 'Eagles Beak'  I love the photo

It was a long day - and between the sand boarding and walking around the rocks, seals and lighthouses, we all slept like logs.  It was a hard day to top, but the next morning we broke camp and headed north.

Stokes Bay
We visited Stokes Bay, and discovered the adventure was all in the walk to the beach.  Old limestone cliffs and collapsed and you had to weave and duck through a narrow path just to make it to the beach.  It was simply beautiful - and a delightful sheltered rock pool made it all the more interesting to explore. In fact the boys loved finding new areas to explore and new tracks to make.  Thanks Dean for the excellent tip!

Plenty of little nooks to explore

It was in a word stunning

The boys loved the adventure

On the road to Kingscote we saw another salt lake, this one with salt from the lake for sale.  It was impressive - but under the salt was thick oozy mud.  Thankfully no one fell in, but I was intrigued by the salt harvesting equipment.

Salt harvesting equipment

Kingscote, the 'capital of Kangaroo Island' seems a shadow of its former self, with the main jetty no longer in regular use (the main ferry heading to Penneshaw) - but I was amused by the holding yards near the wharf for livestock.  We had seen a few trucks of stock use the Sealink ferry service - so I can assume these yards are now disused too.

Kangaroo Island had been an amazing adventure.  The kids figured it had been the best ever - but I think the quad biking might have weighted their vote somewhat.  We had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were really glad we had come and visited - but somehow I am not sure we will hurry back. 

I am not sure why.  It is a place I have been meaning to explore for many years - having only really stopped on the beaches of Emu Bay and American River in previous visits. I am really glad we came here, and recommend it as a place to visit, but having seen the highlights of the island, we are ready to move on.

As yet our next destination is undecided.  We will have a couple of nights in Adelaide to restock and make some repairs, before checking the weather forecast and heading north and perhaps west.  We want to get to Coober Pedy, the Flinders Ranges and the Eyre Peninsula over the next three weeks or so.  Our path and the order we do them in (if at all) will be in the hands of the Weather Witch!