A Gem of an Island

Kangaroo Island is not the place that comes to mind when most Australians consider planning an island vacation, or at least that is what my guidebook tells me.  Instead they head off to any one of a number of beautiful tropical islands near the Great Barrier Reef, and for that I cannot blame them in the slightest.  We, however, as have many of our fellow overseas tourists, found the very name of Kangaroo Island intriguing, and a little bit of research only heightened our desire to visit.  So visit we did this past weekend, and I am happy to report that it more than lived up to our expectations.  With the exception of a stormy return trip on the ferry, the weather was all we hoped it would be as well.  It more than made of for the three days of rain we experienced last year on this same weekend at Ayers Rock.

We packed numerous activities into our three days, perhaps too many for a family with four children, including two nocturnal hikes to see fairy penguins, koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, possums, and echidnas, an hour's stroll along Pennington Bay, two visits to Remarkable Rocks, an excursion to Admirals Arch to examine the New Zealand Fur Seals, an underground tour of Kellys Hill Caves, and a nature walk on the beach to view the rare Australian sea lions.While our kids did truly appreciate each activity, they would have preferred to spread them out over a week's time with some rest periods in between.  I reminded them that they would likely never return to this particular place, however, and that we needed to make the most of our time.  For the most part they acquiesced with grace and good humor, indulging both their father's interest in wildlife and their mother's in photography.  

I have not entirely decided which parts of our trip to cover in greater detail in future posts.  I thought I would share my top twenty photos with you and give you the chance to tell me which ones you would like to know more about.  I have more than 400 photos that I could share, so don't by shy in letting me know if there is a particular animal or part of Kangaroo Island that you woud like me to describe further. 

Here is our happy crew at Remarkable Rocks, the hands-down favorite spot of our kids on Kangaroo Island:

Approaching the ferry wharf in Penneshaw:

Beautiful waves and beach at Pennington Bay, located near American River:

The Australian Pelican with various cormorants for companions:

A gigantic ant we found by the side of the road when we were searching for goannas:

This koala is holding a five-month-old joey.  He peeked out at us a few times, but only briefly and I didn't manage to get his face on camera.

Remarkable Rocks:

New Zealand Fur Seals:

Cameron finally got a close up view of a goanna, something he was desperately hoping to see.  Much to his dismay, we never did come across one of the numerous, deadly tiger snakes that live on Kangaroo Island.

Second Trip to Remarkable Rocks:

The sub-species of wallaby on Kangaroo Island is called the Tammar Wallaby.  Island residents assured us that it is much cuter than its mainland cousins.

This shy echidna kept its face hidden from us when we spotted him by the side of the road.

Plunging down into the coolness of Kelly Hill Caves felt wonderful, and our kids were absolutely amazed at the stunning display of stalactites and stalagmites.  What does this stalactite one remind you of?

Our last stop before heading back to Adelaide was Seal Bay, where we were led down onto the beach by a nature guide that kept us a safe distance from the magnificent sea lions.  Storm clouds were gathering in the west, adding to the drama, and making for a most memorable afternoon.

If you enjoy stunning coastal scenery, appreciate viewing wildlife in its natural habitat, and don't mind a break from wifi and mobile phone reception, then I can highly recommend Kangaroo Island for your next vacation.  

 

Comments

[Suzanne]

The rocks are beautiful and I love the koalas. How in the world did you get that photo of the ant?!I don't care for the ant but the photography is fantastic!
I'd like to learn more about the caves. That's a really cool d=shot of the one that looks like a ballarina foot. Did you come up with that one on your own or was there like one of those plaques that say - Great photo shot of a stalagmite that looks like a ballerina's slipper!

[Christie Wilkin]

Thanks Suzanne! I don't know how I managed to capture the ant. He must have stopped for a second or two. I wish I had been able to use my macro lens for it.
And no, I didn't notice the ballerina foot on my own. Our nature guide pointed it out to us.

[Shanda]

Such beautiful pictures, I love how that bird has it's wings out in that one.
xoxo