For our last few days in South Australia we arranged a trip with Surf n' Sand tour company that runs bus tours from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island. It was, in many ways, saving the best for last. The weather was sunny and hot and the trip was laid back. By coincidence we could not swing the flight times for the three day trip so we joined the two day trip and met up with a group of Canadian ex pats, a Swiss couple, a Brit, an American and a few Aussies for a 'wild ride' over to Kangaroo Island. This island is about 45 minutes by high speed ferry across the south sea to a strip of land about 135 kilometers long and many 5-10 wide. Despite Mike's initial reservations about the trip, we had a great time with the laid back pace and our informative guide, Brandon, on Surf n'Sun. When the scenery was not captivating us, the Canadian ex pats were keeping us entertained. Now we did do some partying in the 1970's but I can't say it was as 'hardy' as the Canadian girls on our tour bus. Never a dull moment!
The trip started early from Adelaide and the entire city was out most of the previous night for the parade and the opening night of the Fringe Festival. The girls didn't come to life until we hit dry land on the island. The day started with a visit to the shops for our supplies for the weekend and that was the start of 'slapping the goon' (a goon is a five liter bag of wine that comes in a box with a spout). By the end of the weekend the girls went through five goons (with a little help from the rest of the bus). However, what happens on the bus stays on the bus and what happens on the island stays on the island!!!!
I will tell you about the beautiful Kangaroo Island that was once part of the mainland of Australia until a separation took place a so long ago and was so complete that many of the species of animals found in Australia did not exist on the island. They introduced the koala bear and it has become so prolific that they had to neuter the animals to keep the population down. The island has a few industries beside tourism, but the most of the island is beautiful beaches, spectacular rock formations (magma and limestone), plentiful wildlife reserves and rolling hills.
We were able to see a colony of unique Australian Sea Lions with their pups lolling on the beach at Seal Bay, a colony of New Zealand brown fur seals frolicking in the surf at the 'Admirals Arch', and wild kangaroos in abundance everywhere (you have to be very careful at dusk not to hit them). We went for a night viewing to see the penguins pass out on shore at night after a day of fishing and an amazing flock pelicans (they are the largest in the world) feeding at Kingscote. Lots and lots of wallaby and koala roaming freely in and around the trees. Despite the fact that almost a third of the wildlife and forest was lost to a severe bush fire last year.
The 'Remarkable Rocks' also stand out as an amazing Australian version of Stonehenge (albeit natural rather than man made) that was stunning to see in the brilliant sun with the blue south sea ocean to offset the scene. The water is a clear crystal blue, but there are lot's of warnings for 'rips' so you have to know the waters.
While there is little by way of industry on the island they still have a great eucalyptus distillery and island beehive with great honey.
We lived large on the island with our 'quad bike' trip at dusk to see wild life. This was up and down rocky trails that I really didn't think anything but a tank should traverse. I have admit I was one of those who were wiping up the rear (it must be my experience in claims that slows me down). We had a great campfire at our sheep shearing shed (our accommodation) and enjoyed two days of thrill rides all over the island. I was having more than a few deja vu moments (must have been 'the goon').
We arrived back in Adelaide all in one piece and spent our very last day at the beach in Adelaide. It was a wonderful trip!
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