Kangaroo Island
After an early start we arrived on Kangaroo Island tired (and in my case a little seasick) but the scenery and the immediate relax feel made us instantly pleased that we had decided to come here.
We made a brief stop on the hours bus journey across the island as the bus driver had to drop off the mail that had come on the ferry from the mainland. Sometimes you forget that there are really places that run like that.
After booking ourselves on a bus tour the following day we headed out on a short walk around Kingscote, taking in the site of the first European settlement in South Australia. At 5pm we headed down to the wharf for the absolutely unmissable sight of the local pelicans receiving their daily feed. They are truly fascinating birds and it was great to see them up close with some interesting commentary from the 'pelican man.'
That evening we went on a nocturnal tour of the beach to see the local Little Penguins. While it was good to be able to see them in their natural setting (albeit with the aide of red lights - apparently penguins are colour-blind so this wouldn't bother them), some of the behaviour of our fellow tourists in not turning off the flash on their cameras was quite frustrating - especially as we had already been told that a flash of light can stun the penguins for up to 2 hours. This, along with the 4 large groups that were out at the same time made it hard not to think that there must be a better way to deal with the visitors who want to see the penguins than by harassing them on their nightly journey back across the beach to their waiting chicks. Anyway, rant over.
The next day we headed off on our bus tour of the island which would take in all the main sights in the short time that we had. It really showed us how big the island is. Our fist stop at Seal Bay saw us able to go right onto the beach with the Sealion colony who, unlike the penguins the night before, seemed completely unbothered by our presence.
After lunch we were 'treated' to a birds of prey show which was interesting, though a little half hearted at times. Next up were the impressive 'Remarkable Rocks' which were formed through volcanic movements and made for some good photo opportunities. We then headed to Admirals Arch which was good for two reasons - the impressive arch formed by sea erosion and the seal colony who rest at its bottom.
The final stop of the day was to see Koalas in their natural habitat which nicely rounded off a wildlife extravaganza of a day.
Next stop is back to Adelaide to pick up a hire car before heading off along the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne and Christmas…