Wednesday, March 21 – Kangaroo Island

Today was a full day and we were ready to go! We got up early and were in the lobby before sunrise, relaxing in the chairs with lattes, anticipating a beautiful sunrise. 

The great room. Southern Ocean Lodge

Just before sunrise. Caffeine is on the way.

Latte with a view of Antarctica

It was a little cloudy, but still pretty. Breakfast followed, then we got ready for our full-day tour of the “highlights” of the island. 

The day started with a visit to Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, where we saw lots of koalas, including some close to ground level.

It was a little tough to get photos, as they were really good at looking away from you. Patience, and a digital camera, were key.

The kangaroos wanted to be sure that we noticed them as well. This guy went by in a blur.

Kangaroo on the move!

From there we went deeper into Flinders Chase National Park to see some different rock formations. 

My new hairdo, by Admirals Arch

Admirals Arch was really impressive, but the wind down there was amazing too! 

The Arch and the surf beyond

The cold doesn't seem to bother this mom and baby. There were many here.

Just above Admirals Arch. In the distance are the two Casuarina Islets. Eventually the Arch will collapse, creating a third islet. The rock looks tough, so probably not too soon. But the waves are powerful! I'm not making any bets.

Cape Couedic Lighthouse. With all these rocks, that's a pretty good idea.

Somehow we managed not to freeze down here. Good thing we brought some warm layers!

Then off to see the Remarkable Rocks, which lived up the their name. This formation is a pile of smaller rocks on the bedrock. They look like they were casually tossed there by someone or something. But the rocks are huge, so it was no easy feat to assemble the formation there.

This looks like some kind of animal in side profile. Maybe a bat, with its wings folded in front?

This looks like a human face in side profile. 

Chris, playing Atlas

Some perspective. These rocks are huge!

My own private cocoon

At least there were places to get some shelter from the wind.




The red lichens added a splash of color to the landscape. We will see more of this red color later in the trip.





We spent some time climbing among the rocks and admiring the view of the coast and the Southern Ocean.

After the visit, some of the group decided to hike back to the lodge. We didn’t really have time for that, though a few miles of hiking probably would have been good for us!

We headed back to the lodge for lunch, before part two of our tour this afternoon!

After lunch we set out for Seal Harbor. Unlike this morning, just the two of us were on this tour. The drive took about 45 minutes, but the sightings were worth the trip. 

This guy, however, did not seem particularly excited to see us. We treaded lightly, so as to not disturb his nap.

Lots of seals on the beach, frolicking in the surf, and plenty of pups too. 

Going in for a cold-water bath

The seals get pretty much covered in sand from lounging on the beach.

Nothing like an invigorating cold swim!

The sun is starting to come out this afternoon

Mom and pup, meeting up after a swim.

One of the more curious ones. We could only go down on the beach if the seals weren't too close. Often they were parked right at the end of the boardwalk, so we couldn't approach.

Whale skeleton on the beach.

After a good hour of watching seals, we started back to the lodge. We saw a tiger snake cross the road on the way back – luckily, we were in the car as these are venomous. Not the kind of wildlife we were looking for!

A little relaxing in the suite before an early dinner, because we had part three tonight – a nocturnal wildlife viewing tour. This was an optional tour which we’d signed up for when we arrived. All of the other excursions had been included in the regular rate.

Well worth it – we saw koalas again, kangaroos, and opossums, but no echidna sightings.

But the best part of the night tour may have been the sky. It had cleared up, and the stars were incredible! 

We finally got to see the Southern Cross. I hadn’t seen that many stars in the night sky since I was a kid living in the country.

We got back to the Lodge around 10PM, just in time for a nightcap from the wine cellar before bed. It has been a great day here on Kangaroo Island! Maybe another day here would have been nice and less rushed, but this pace was fine with us. And an extra day here would mean that we would have had to cut another day from the itinerary elsewhere.

Tomorrow, we go back to the mainland, and start our drive to Melbourne.