Our first day of discovery took us to Flinders Chase National Park which covers the majority of the western end of the Island. Our first stop was at the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse built in 1906 and the nearby Admiralty Arch where the limestone cliff face has been eroded to form a natural arch. The area beneath the Arch houses a large colony of New Zealand fur seals and we spent quite some time watching their antics above and beneath the crystal clear water. A nearby rock pool which was built for enjoyment by the lighthouse builders is still used today – by the seals! Then we visited Weirs Cove where a flying fox/railway had been built by the lighthouse keepers in order to transfer stores and equipment up the steep cliffs from the jetty. The goods were then stored in a small stone building at the top of the cliffs and these supplies needed to last three months until the arrival of the next supply vessel – no chance of popping down to the local shops in those days! Our next stop was at Remarkable Rocks – a formation of large granite boulders on the water’s edge which are visible from some distance away and which have been worn into weird shapes by the effects of wind and water.
In the afternoon we walked a trail which skirted Snake Lagoon before dropping down into Rocky River Valley finally bringing us to a beach on the Southern Ocean. Although the trail was only 3km long it was quite steep in places involving some rock hopping eventually taking us 1.5hrs for the return trip. The scenery was dramatic though and well worth the effort. Leaving Snake Lagoon we continued west along another 13km of corrugated dirt road to West Bay and Vennachar Point which is the most westerly point on the Island. West Bay turned out to be a lovely long white sandy beach obviously good for surfing and beach fishing and almost deserted. The nearby point was named for the sailing ship “Loch Vennachar” which sailed from Glasgow to Adelaide in 1899 and came to grief when it ran into the cliffs in stormy weather. One of more than 70 recorded shipwrecks around the Island coast.
To complete our exploration of the western end of the Island the following day we visited Cape Borda Lighthouse where a National Parks guide gave us an incredibly entertaining tour of a “real” lighthouse ie still uses a revolving light as opposed to the beacons now in use at the other lighthouses on the Island. We then took in the lovely views above nearby Scott Cove towards Cape Torrens and Cape Forbin which are the highest coastal cliffs in South Australia. A little further down the road we came to Harvey’s Return which was used as a landing point for the lighthouse keepers’ stores similar to that at Weirs Cove. We tried to follow the path down to the beach but it became far too steep for safety – incredible to think of the lighthouse keepers dragging all their stores up this steep incline with only one horse to help carry the heavy loads. The story goes that they had two horses but one of them called “Harvey” always disappeared into thick bush whenever he heard the ship’s horn which signalled its arrival in the cove – only returning once all the work was done hence the name “Harvey’s Return”! There was also a Lighthouse Keepers Cemetery nearby which contained over a dozen graves of former lighthouse keepers and their families including a couple of seamen who drowned in nearby shipwrecks. On the return journey we visited Roo Lagoon Gallery where the owner turns local red gum timber into furniture, clocks, barometers. salt & pepper shakers etc. A little further down the road we called into Andermel Marron Café & Two Wheeler Creek Wines where we enjoyed a marron lunch (freshwater crayfish) accompanied by a couple of glasses of the excellent wine produced on the property. Returning to the south coast we drove out to picturesque Vivonne Bay at the mouth of the Harriet River before checking out the good quality craft and artworks at the Rustic Blue Gallery.
On our last day at the western end of the Island we visited the beautiful beach at Hanson Bay, one of the Island’s finest. The luxurious Southern Ocean Lodge is located nearby. We then visited Seal Bay where a National Parks ranger conducted a tour which allowed us access to the beach for a close-up view of the resident seal lions. It was an incredible experience being so close to these wonderful mammals at play in the water and on land, suckling their young and resting on the beach after their feeding forays out to sea which often last up to three days. Excellent boardwalks and viewing platforms high above the beach also gave great views of the beach and nearby dunes where the sea lions come to rest and mate. That afternoon we visited Kelly Hill Conservation Park where we took a guided tour down into the Show Cave and nearby chambers which are part of a vast underground network of limestone caves and formations.
Feeling like we had explored most of what western KI had to offer we drove to the main town of Kingscote on the eastern side of the Island. After setting up camp we drove out to Reeves Point which is the site of the first European settlement not only on Kangaroo Island but in South Australia. We also visited Hope House, an historic home built in the 1850s now owned by the National Trust. The home is now a museum with comprehensive exhibits depicting the pioneering history of the Island. As a change of pace we drove a short way out of town to Shep’s Studio, a gallery attached to the mud-brick home of local artist Neil Sheppard. His works are bright and colourful and displayed at various restaurants and galleries all over the Island. We were quite taken with his work and may consider purchasing one of his paintings once we’ve had a chance to review his whole collection online at Sheps Studio. We also visited the Kangaroo Island Gallery and the Fine Art Kangaroo Island Gallery back in Kingscote where we saw other excellent works by local artists. Finally we enjoyed a coffee break at the Island Beehive, one of Australia’s largest organic honey producers. Kangaroo Island is proudly home to the Ligurian bee first introduced to the Island in the 1800s and now the only place in the world where this pure strain of bee still survives.
The next morning we drove to the north coast to investigate Emu Bay, Smith Bay and Stokes Bay. Emu Bay is a beautiful 4km long beach with vehicular access onto the sand and is a popular swimming and surfing spot. There didn’t appear to be any direct access to Smith Bay itself but KI Abalone had established an enormous complex there to breed abalone for the export market – unfortunately the company wasn’t successful. After a lovely drive along the coast – apart from the corrugated roads – we finally arrived at Stokes Bay which on first impression appeared to be a small rocky cove. However we followed a sign directing us to the beach which took us through a narrow tunnel amongst the rocks until we emerged onto another stunning white sandy beach with its own large natural rockpool. After a stroll along the beach we checked out the menu at the Rockpool Café before driving up the hill to Stokes Bar & Grill where we enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch sitting outside on the deck of the restaurant which had the most incredible views back over the Bay.
After lunch we continued our drive westwards along the coast until we reached King George Beach which wasn’t really as grand as its name being just a small rocky inlet but picturesque all the same. We drove on for a few more kilometres until we reached Snelling Beach at the mouth of Middle River another very popular beach for swimming and fishing. Leaving Snelling Beach we drove up to Constitution Hill which provided stunning views back over Snelling Beach and the coast. Heading inland a short distance from the coast through rolling farmlands we drove down into another valley which followed a winding riverbank to a small sandy cove called Western River Cove. As well as being a lovely surfing and fishing spot it is also popular for snorkelling and diving. That evening we shared a delicious meal of freshly caught calamari and whiting fillets courtesy of a couple from Pambula NSW who were camped next to us – how lucky are we!
Our final day touring out of Kingscote took us to the Emu Ridge Distillery which is the only remaining commercial eucalyptus oil distillery in South Australia. During the 1930s there were 48 eucalyptus stills in operation on the Island employing over 600 people. The whole operation is quite rustic and simple to say the least but very effective. They also had a wine tasting counter for the nearby Rookery Wines vineyard so we ended up purchasing another bottle of wine as well as some eucalyptus products. Our next stop was at Clifford’s Honey Farm where we viewed an informative video on the collection and extraction process of honey and beehive by-products before sampling some yummy honey ice-cream! We then drove south a short distance to check out the secluded Flour Cask Bay on the Southern Ocean which can only be reached by a short walk through the sand dunes. In the afternoon we drove to American River, a small fishing village south-east of Kingscote. It is neither American nor does it have a river – it was named after a group of American sealers who landed there in 1803 and camped alongside a narrow inlet from the sea – at the time mistaken for a river.
On 20 April we left Kingscote for the short drive east to Penneshaw on the Dudley Peninsula which is the ferry port for Kangaroo Island where we had arrived one week earlier. Our caravan park site provided panoramic views over Hog Bay towards the Fleurieu Peninsula on the mainland – a lovely location for our last few days on KI. After relaxing in the sunshine enjoying the views in the afternoon we dined at the nearby Penneshaw Hotel that evening where the seafood meal and local wine lived up to all expectations.
The following morning we drove a short distance west of Penneshaw to Prospect Hill which was first climbed by Matthew Flinders when surveying the Island in 1802. We admired his stamina as we counted 512 steps to the lookout – however the view was well worth the effort or so we kept telling ourselves! We then drove a few kms off the highway to Pennington Bay – another superb surfing and fishing beach. We also checked out the quieter Browns Beach and Baudin Beach to the north before returning to Penneshaw where we visited Dudleys Wines cellar door for more samples of the local produce – needless to say we didn’t leave empty handed!
Our last day of sightseeing took us out to the most eastern point of the Island at Cape Willoughby where we joined another guided lighthouse tour. The views from the top of the lighthouse over the Backstairs Passage between the Island and the mainland were quite spectacular if somewhat windy! We were also surprised to see a live peacock wander out of the shrub on the side of the road – surely not a native! We then drove back to Antechamber Bay at the mouth of the Chapman River which is a favourite spot for canoeists and campers. A few kms down the road we diverted to visit Chapman River Wines which had been highly recommended to us especially for its savoury antipasto platter. We spent a very enjoyable hour or so over lunch and found their wines to be some of the best reds we’ve tasted so of course we had to purchase a few samples to take away! Another seafood dinner at the Penneshaw Hotel nicely rounded out our stay on KI. After dinner we walked down to the beach to see the fairy penguins come ashore however we were running a little late and only managed to spot two penguins waddling up the beach but the cries of many others could clearly be heard coming from their burrows in the sandhills all along the beach.
We sadly said our goodbyes to Kangaroo Island the following morning when we caught the 11.30pm ferry from Penneshaw to Cape Jervis where we stopped to have lunch before following the road into Adelaide. The highway proved to be very hilly and bumpy in places and the traffic was a jolt to our systems after the slower pace of Kangaroo Island.
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