Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island

We sleep well, even though the blankets provided are more than sufficient. For breakfast, we prepare tea in the hostel kitchen, accompanied by two biscuits, and at 7:45 am, we are ready to explore KANGAROO ISLAND. On a day that appears very beautiful from the start, we head towards Emu Bay. It's nice, but nothing particularly special. We continue on a dirt road towards Stokes Bay. The natural tunnel in the rocks leading to another tropical beach, which is wider and more secluded, is interesting. Also here, it's nice, but not unforgettable. We go to Paul Farm (a semi-wild animal reserve), but it is closed and opens at 1 pm. We continue on the unpaved roads We take a bright red bus to go to the Flinders Chase National Park, and pay $9.5 for the ticket. We visit the Fur Seal Lookout at Cape du Couedic, a popular spot where... New Zealand seals, once at risk of extinction, now more than 11,000 throughout. They enjoy swimming in the natural pools. It really gives the impression that we are having fun. Afterwards, we visit Admiral's Arch, a natural arch where seals play with their young.

Towards Kangaroo Island

We are moving on. yes Remarkable Rocks, features rock formations that rest on the rocks adjacent to the coast. According to local lore, these are rocks with different textures that have broken and been shaped over the ages. The sky sometimes clouds over, dimming the light around us, but then the sun reappears, forcing us to take all our photos again. We return to the park headquarters for a disappointing quarter-hour walk: we had hoped to see some exotic animals, but instead we must be content with the lush forest. We take the road towards Hanson Bay Sanctuary, where we should be able to admire koalas in their natural habitat. In reality, we only see some beautiful specimens of kangaroo that graze alongside the cows. Let's go to the Little Sahara, climbing on foot over various dunes. A fascinating experience: a few steps and you find yourself immersed in the sandy desert, rippled by the wind. The small crowd makes it even more appealing. Continuing onwards, we encounter a echidna...a small, light-colored hedgehog, searching for food and a tiger snake, the typical island snake that ended up under the wheels of a car and moving with its remaining strength. We later learn that it can reach a length of two meters when it is 80 years old. We are very surprised by the accidents involving animals that occur mainly on the island. Moreover, they are not removed, so we see a sad collection of kangaroos, wallabies, and generally all the animals that inhabit the local forests, spread along the roadside. They range from those just killed to only bones still arranged to form a skeleton. The locals tell us that it is not worth removing them, as accidents are frequent, but this is an unconvincing opinion. It certainly costs less to leave them where they are, as a warning for other drivers and for the abundant feast of all kinds of crows. This is definitely not a pleasant sight. We skip the seals at Seal Bay, which we have already seen frequently, but go to take some photos of the beautiful beach of Vivonne Bay. Let's go to the Prospect Hill... which costs a climb of 500 steps to reach the top of a hill in a prominent location. From here we enjoy a wonderful sunset that sees us say goodbye to this marvelous island. In fact, our final farewell is taken at a restaurant in Penneshaw, where, while waiting for boarding time, we have dinner with Whiting Fish and a nice steak by a lit fireplace. We set sail at 19:30 h. to arrive at the destination at 20:15 h. We meet up with the guys from Genoa, and spend the time until docking. We didn't see any olive trees, but we observed a few vineyards, and the shops are full of bottles of oil and wine marketed as specialties of Kangaroo Island. We go to our clever grandfather at Cape Jervis Station, where for $80 we enjoy a very nice cottage, where nothing is overlooked. There is even a bottle of cherries left there for guests: we toast to its health.