Tuesday, March 20 – Arriving at Kangaroo Island

We were awake early, but managed to rest a little longer before getting up and moving. We had a  breakfast snack – coffee from our room, and the rest of Caryn’s birthday cake. Then we packed up, retrieved the car, and loaded it up for the short hop back to the airport.

The long-term parking was easy to find, but I couldn’t figure out how to get an entry ticket from the machine at the gate. Finally I gave up and swiped my credit card into the reader, which opened the gate. Cool! Now I just have to swipe it again to exit, I hope?

On Board! REX 4753 to KGC

We walked from the lot to the airport terminal and checked in, at which point they asked us if we were willing to change seats and sit in the exit row. Sure, why not? Then we went through security and waited at the gate. Right on time, we walked out to the plane. It was a tiny little prop job with the seats in a 1-2 configuration.

We had the two seats together.

We were off and across the channel quickly, then down shortly at Kingscote Airport. It was just a 30 minute flight, which was barely enough to reach cruising altitude. We landed at the tiny airport, walked in, and then almost immediately outside where the Southern Ocean Lodge van was waiting for us. They delivered the luggage curbside in a wagon, and we were off.

Welcome to the Lobby. Southern Ocean Lodge

The drive took a little over an hour and we kept a close eye out for wildlife near the road. The last road before the actual lodge is a pretty bumpy dirt road which slowed us down some, but soon that was forgotten when we arrived. Absolutely gorgeous! We walked into a soaring two-story great room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and settled in with a glass of bubbly and a snack while we waited for our room to be ready.

And shortly after noon, the staff found us and took us to the suite. It was a beautiful room!


The sunken indoor seating area (foreground) looked out through floor-to-ceiling windows, with a view of the ocean. The bed also faced the windows so you could see the ocean from there as well.

There was also an outdoor sitting area, in front of the bathtub, with wide-open views of the Southern Ocean and the untamed, rocky coast.

The view from our back porch. Next stop, Antarctica!

Lamingtons!

A few treats to be had in the room as well.






Then it was time for lunch before our first activity of the day.

Appetizer. Summer Brassicas with curry aioli

The dining room was just off the great room and it shared the same gorgeous views. Lunch was fresh and tasty, with lots of wine poured freely. You were encouraged to visit the huge wine cooler, or the wine cellar, to pick a white or red of your choice if you wanted to. For now, we went with their wine choices, and had a very enjoyable lunch with a great view.

Main. Smokehouse salmon with Japanese Mustard Greens

This afternoon we were signed up for the cliff walk, which was a slow amble along the coast to watch the surf pound against the base of the sea cliffs. It was a good chance to get our bearings.

An overview of the coastal cliffs where we walked

The surf and the wind were quite intense!

The lodge blends into the landscape nicely. Only one story high, earth tones, and unintrusive.

The waves are powerful, and relentless.

It was almost chilly at times, and our jackets felt nice. If this is summer, glad we're here now!

The views were awesome.











Back to the lodge to warm up and relax a bit before our next activity. Here's a kangaroo statue made out of scrap metal, in the hotel lobby.

Kangaroo watching. They were not very interested in us.

Our pre-dinner activity was called Kangas and Kanapes (intentionally misspelled). We went to a wildlife reserve next door which had been a farmstead in the recent past. Lots of kangaroos roamed there, and we watched them while sipping wine, and snacking on more food which we really didn’t need after that big lunch.

Once in a while, we got a look, but not much else.

The kangaroos seemed disinterested but I knew they were keeping an eye on us. If we got too close they would move. Good think we have zoom lenses.

There were remnants of the old farmstead scattered around. This is a ground-driven sicklebar mower used for harvesting grass to make hay. We had a powered version of this on our farm back in the 1970s. This piece is a veritable antique! I texted a picture to my Dad, who was excited to see it too.

Appetizer. Kangaroo Island "Marron" with chive aioli

After we'd had our fill of the grazing kangaroos, we headed back to the lodge for dinner. This was another tasty affair with plenty of wine. I could get used to this, but my clothes wouldn't fit much longer.

Dessert. Dark Chocolate pave, with cherry gelato

The sound of the crashing surf is very soothing. Between that and the wine, we should really sleep well tonight!