Over our 11-day road trip we covered just short of 2500 kilometers, so we were happy to return the car in Adelaide. Although Jeff has gotten comfortable driving on the left side of the road, one thing we did not enjoy was the bit of nighttime driving we had to do -- two-lane roads with no streetlights. We are happy to report that we did not hit any wildlife along the way. Phew!
On our way to Kangaroo Island we stopped in Victor Harbor, a cute coastal town with a causeway you can walk across to Granite Island. If you don’t want to walk you can ride on an old trolley car pulled by a horse.
Oddly, on our walk back across the causway, we saw people taking camel rides on the beach in Victor Harbor. Yes, we said camels and we have the photo to prove it:
We were excited to board the ferry to Kangaroo Island. They pack the cars in so tightly that passengers must walk on. Jeff could barely get out to join me up top. There are less than 5,000 residents on the island, which is the size of Bali or Long Island. Like other places we’ve visited, there are more sheep than people. More kangaroos as well – an estimated 65,000 (about 14 per human resident) – but we didn’t see many of them as they know how to hide.
We found our sweet spot on KI – between the wildlife and wineries we were very happy souls. We stayed on Emu Bay on the north side and had a beautiful view from our porch where we spent the afternoons sipping wine.
We toured Seal Bay Conservation Park with a ranger, which allowed us to be on the beach with the sea lions. This is the third largest Australian sea lion colony with an estimated population of 800. There were plenty of pups nursing or awaiting mom’s return. Watching the seal lions surf the waves, play in the water, and laze in the sunshine was marvelous.
We spent the afternoon kayaking on the Harriet River and then enjoyed a wine tasting at The Islander Estates Vineyards. Jeff was worried about showing up slightly damp from our river adventure, but KI is super casual. No worries, mate.
We ventured out to Stokes Bay, which has a beach that is reached by going through a narrow passage through rocks. What a great beach to walk along, but not swim – there’s a nasty rip current and the water wasn’t very warm.
Springs Road Wines was another treat, especially meeting Buddy the dog. Afterwards we stopped at Emu Bay Beach, where you can drive and park your car – very odd!
Our third day was a wildlife bonanza. While at Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery, we met, and I fed, Angie and Benji, two rescue kangaroos (17 and 11 months old respectively). They are such sweet creatures:
Back at our place I went looking for the koalas and sighted a total of six, including a mom and baby. They were low enough that I got some good photos -- the baby is in the upper right hand corner of the second photo:
I spent an hour watching them eat, climb, and sleep. We did hear them at night, including some mating activity. It’s a good thing our aboriginal guide had warned us about this noise!
After leaving KI we stopped in the McLaren Vale wine region – so many wineries, so little time. Our tasting at Oliver’s Taranga was amazing. We also stopped at Down the Rabbit Hole, a winery with a true hippie vibe, where we had a fabulous platter for lunch.
Our first impressions of Adelaide weren’t great. The traffic was something awful and it didn’t seem too scenic, even though the center is surrounded by fabulous park areas. A walkabout through the city changed our minds. We stayed in North Adelaide and the late 1800’s Victorian style houses are gorgeous and classy.
We love to visit markets and Adelaide’s Central Market is top notch. It was as enjoyable as the market in Lyon. We also enjoyed the Botanic Garden and even made a brief stop at the Australian Space Discovery Center. The Town Hall and other locations are already sporting holiday decorations, which considering the warm spring weather seems strange, but Christmas is a summer holiday here.
We are already plotting a return to KI, which could allow us to enjoy the other wine regions in the Adelaide area (the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills). For now, onward to the eastern coast and the Great Barrier Reef.
Ciao,
Shana & Jeff
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