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| Frank & Lisa's Amazing Cross-Australia Adventures |
| South Australia - Kangaroo Island |
| could see. Kangaroo Island's landscape proved to be remarkably similar. This first picture is pretty indicative of what both places looked like. (pic right) |
| on to McLaren Vale & Coonawarra ...or |
| At lunch that day we were accosted by a couple of kangaroos in the picnic area. After all the ones we saw around Queensland, we were really a bit fed up kangaroos by then... Apparently there were koalas in the park as well, but we didn't hunt far enough to find them. We did seek out some of the local Kangaroo Island wines. They are apparently a fledgeling industry establishing their own region, so I was game despite the high prices (they obviously don't achieve economies of scale). My expectations were not very high and I must say that the one I tried managed to surpass them by being even worse than I had imagined! ...And that was our KI adventure! We caught the ferry that evening and headed for Adelaide and my conference the next day. |
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| The drive across the Fleurieu Penninsula was beautiful. Rolling hills of yellow pasture stretching as far as the eye |
| After we got off the ferry, I told Frank that there was only one thing I really wanted at Kangaroo Island (KI to the locals). I wanted to see a wild echidna, although the guidebooks said I'd be lucky to. So Frank was on a mission and it wasn't long before he pointed out a shrub on the side of the road in the hope that it was an echidna crossing the highway... But then about 15 minutes later |
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| there actually was a little echidna crossing the highway ahead of us! He pulled over and I jumped out in time to follow him to the other side and snap this shot (pic above right)! Our first stop was the Kelly Hill Caves. They are part of a huge limestone cave system under a section of the island. We were brought down stairs into the cool caves (a constant 14-15C) to an area that has been fitted with electric lighting and proper walkways. At one point our tour guide shut out all of the lights, lit a candle, and described what tours of the place were like when they were first discovered in the 1800s. The pictures below are a typical example of what the caves looked like (below left) and a close up of one of the few parts of the cave that is still "wet" and accumulating lime deposits (below right). |
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| After the caves we went on to Seal Bay. Strangely, the fur seals that live around the island can't be found here... Instead we were here to visit the sea lion breeding area. A guide took a small group of us down to the |
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| beach where we could observe the sea lions from as close as 10 metres away. They were amazing to watch and we soon picked up the social rituals and communication amongst the animals. Here are a few of our favourite pictures out of a rather large collection... :) The first is a particularly fat lazy male having a snooze (below top left). The second is a set of juvenile males fighting for territory on the beach (below top right). The third is a cute little baby who was playing up to the cameras (below bottom left). However, we were warned that if he approached we should walk away or ignore him totally. The last thing the rangers want is for him to grow up into an aggressive adult the size of the guy above him who makes a habit of chasing tourists! Finally, the bottom right picture is a slice of the beach to give you an idea of the size of the colony. There are over 100 of these huge animals lounging on the beach at any one time. |
| That evening we visited the Penguin Centre to see the fairy penguins come in from the ocean to return to their nests and feed their young. It was an amazing experience and we would have far more pictures had you been allowed to take flash photos, but for obviously these nocturnal little critters wouldn't appreciate it much... About 50 of the little penguins came hopping up over huge rocks to return to their burrows and their very noisy little juveniles waiting for dinner. Here are an adult fairy penguin (pic below left) and two little fluffy baby penguin bums (pic below right)! The babies can't go out to sea until all of that fluff is gone and they have a full coat of waterproof feathers. |
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| Our second day brought us out to Flinders Chase National Park on the west end of the island. The main two attractions we visited in the park were Admiral's Arch and the Remarkable rocks. Admiral's arch is a rock formation where the ocean carved an arch out of the rock and stalactites have formed inside of it. Antarctic fur seals can be found frollicking in the waves and lounging on the rocks in the area. (pics below) |
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| The remarkable rocks are a set of eroded granite stones sitting on the top of a rock hill at the edge of a cliff by the ocean. It is a truly bizarre natural wonder that gives tribute to natural form. It was insiring to photograph, but also just plain fun to play in! (pics below) |
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| Northern Territory: Red Centre , 2 / Top End , 2 NSW & ACT: Hunter Valley / Sydney / Canberra , 2 Queensland Coast: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 South Australia: Barossa Valley / Kangaroo Island / McLaren Vale & Coonawarra Victoria: Great Ocean Road , 2 , 3 / Melbourne New Zealand (North Island): Aukland / Rotorua / Tongariro / Wellington (South Island): Nelson / Westland / Queenstown / Milford / Dunedin / Mt Cook / Christchurch |