Off to Oz… And back again.!
September 29, 2007
Argh! 5am. Ick! Store my luggage – all except camera, toiletries, and a change of undies. Check out of the hotel – Kangaroo Island is going to be a two day tour. Bus to the ferry – lots of countryside, naked (and not so naked) sheep, kangaroos, cockatiels, other colourful birds.
Off the bus. Onto the ferry – cross to Penneshaw, and onto another bus. This is a busy couple of days!
http://bestofkangarooisland.com.au/penneshaw.html ; http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/
- here’s a link to a map:
http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/lib/docs/mf674.pdf
Below are photos from Pennington Bay.
Parndana Wildlife Park http://www.parndanawildlifepark.com/
This is where the following pictures of local fauna are taken…
This is a kookaburra http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Kookaburra-information.html
More of my pictures from this part of the trip can be found here:
Kangaroo Island & Adelaide http://www.flickr.com/photos/36013650@N00/sets/72157603001370261
These are Kangaroo Island kangaroos…
Cheeky little buggers – eat and then stick their tongues out at me!
This guy posed for the picture… So, had to oblige.
Also got to see some wombats while at the park (but they were in a dark enclosure, so… pictures on the web:
http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Wombat-information.html http://images.google.ca/images?q=wombat&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-
8&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title , http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Wombat-information.html , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wombat
as well as
http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Emu-information.html
cassowaries. While driving around Kangaroo Island, we also saw an echidnae (odd little critters) http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Echidna-information.html
And
And in the gift shop, got to hold a joey… He was surprisingly light!
http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/sealbay/index.htm?ssSourceSiteId=Parks
Seal Bay Conservation Park – lots of photos of the seals, the water did not look inviting in the least! The next landmass south is Antarctica – about 4000 or so miles away. The seals hunting grounds are a three day round trip away, so they sleep lots on when on shore. The young are essentially left to fend for themselves when their mothers are off hunting.
We also visited Clifford’s Honey Farm – bought some honey, and some honey ice-cream, and some honey beverage, and lip balm, and a solar etching of a little penguin. All in all, a good visit! http://www.southaustralia.com/9006816.aspx ,
http://www.goodfoodkangarooisland.com/midsoutheast/cliffords/index.asp , http://www.kangarooislandshop.com.au/html/honey_products.html
Our next stop is off to watch the pelican feeding in Kingscote. Unlike western brown pelicans (that you would find on the southwestern coast of North America) who dive bomb in to catch food, the Australian pelicans have porous bones and are unable to sink below the surface of the water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Pelican
http://www.seafront.com.au/accommodation/oceanview.aspx Kangaroo Island Seafront Resort. This is where I stayed on my one night on Kangaroo Island. Such a nice big bed… Was kinda like sleeping on a football field! Nice shower, good breakfast – just strolled down the street to grab a bite for dinner – then off (in the cold rain) to see the fairy penguins (couldn’t get any photos – as flash scares them), so found some online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin
but, big surprise, here is a link - Penneshaw Penguin Centre
http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/search/results.aspx?dw_op=gp&dw_pid=9005545&dw_tid. Was a long day, not up for much
other than a quiet night, head back to the hotel with one of the other passengers from the bus (we almost got lost, but not quite), then head up to bed. Another busy day tomorrow…
September 30, 2007
Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery – http://www.emuridge.com.au/; http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/search/results.aspx?dw_op=gp&dw_pid=9003391&dw_tid
Saw how they make eucalyptus oil, found out what it can be used for, and bought some to bring home. Also, got a lesson in why you shouldn’t let a joey suck your finger too far into its mouth – especially if your fingers taste like eucalyptus leaves (which are apparently tastier than pellets if you’re a kangaroo!). OUCH! The grinding teeth at the back are sharp (when I later relay this story, I get little sympathy – thanks Chris!, have to admit, felt a bit dumb when got bitten). Oh, yeah, there were Emus too…
Kelly Hill Caves – These were cool! My pictures are below (and link to sites)
http://www.showcaves.com/english/au/showcaves/KellyHill.html
http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/search/results.aspx?dw_op=gp&dw_pid=9000958&dw_tid ,
Next we’re off lunch at Beckwith’s Farm for a BB-Q and a bushwalk – pictures of wildlife in the wild – koala & a Tamar Wallaby http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/tammar.html
Now we’re off to Flinders Chase National Park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Chase_National_Park including Remarkable Rocks– there was an attempt at a controlled burn a few months earlier (they lost control in the high
winds off Remarkable Rocks).
Admiral’s Arch http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/search/results.aspx?dw_op=gp&dw_pid=9000967&dw_tid
Admirals Arch and Cape du Couedic lighthouse.
Adelaide again – it’s about 1130pm by the time I get back to the hotel. Head off to grab a snack, and check my email. Then to bed – actually, first there is a change of rooms. The Australian Rules Football Championships are on – not sure the exact dates, but I think the herds of fans in the hotel the prior weekend are why I am now changing rooms. Not to be picky, but … There are ants swarming all over one of the walls (looks like someone sprayed coke on the wall – happy ants=unhappy Penny). Oh, and the tv doesn’t work – I’ve got a couple days here and I’m a bit ‘toured
out’ so I’d like the option of hanging out in my room (in the evenings if nothing else) – the number of hotel rooms is almost catching up to the number of airplanes.
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