Kangaroo Island, South Australia
When we’re young we witness certain images (preferably inspiring and above all healthy) that stick around in the back of our minds for good. Some might single out the bridge in Sydney or Uluru, but for me it just so happened to be a massive rock that I came to call the parrot’s beak. Learning years later that this was one of the unique Remarkable Rocks standing on Kangaroo Island, I had another destination added to the bucket list. Eventually, when it was time to bring in my quarter century, I asked my cousin if she wanted to go somewhere with me. Originally opting for Cambodia, we realised we didn’t know if we were going to love or hate each other by the end so we chose somewhere a little more domestic.
When we’re young we witness certain images (preferably inspiring and above all healthy) that stick around in the back of our minds for good. Some might single out the bridge in Sydney or Uluru, but for me it just so happened to be a massive rock that I came to call the parrot’s beak. Learning years later that this was one of the unique Remarkable Rocks standing on Kangaroo Island, I had another destination added to the bucket list. Eventually, when it was time to bring in my quarter century, I asked my cousin if she wanted to go somewhere with me. Originally opting for Cambodia, we realised we didn’t know if we were going to love or hate each other by the end so we chose somewhere a little more domestic.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
Located about 210km south west of Adelaide, Australia’s third largest island after Tasmania and Melville is a promising destination for lovers of nature, history and most importantly, trying new things. In the past Indigenous Australians were known to have lived on the island, but up until 2000 years ago the population mysteriously disappeared. Upon its discovery by Matthew Flinders, Europeans have maintained a presence since the early 1800s.
Originally a place of renegade gangs and sealers, Kangaroo Island now specialises in agriculture (producing mostly wine, honey, wool and caught rock lobsters) with the town of Kingscote acting as the main business and commercial hub. The cousin and I were only there for two days but we found this was more than enough time to take everything in.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
In getting there, we travelled with SeaLink which included a bus ride from Adelaide. The ferry crossing wasn’t long but you should brace yourselves for the odd big wave though; the kiosk on board was selling fresh pastries from a mainland bakery that were pretty good. Alternatively, if you’re not one for boat rides there’s also an air service available. Upon docking at the Penneshaw jetty, we were ready to try something new and took up our places as the only travelling Aussies (there are a surprisingly large number of Swiss in South Australia) with Kangaroo Island Adventure Tours, which can be booked via SeaLink.
The tour company provided comfortable accommodation, good food one might describe as gourmet BBQ (I’m not big on gourmet anything so that’s saying a lot) and a variety of activities for its customers, notably the scenery, wildlife and how the locals make their living (for example we visited a farm and saw a sheep get sheared). Aside from that, we as a group connected well and were pretty friendly by the first afternoon. Thanks to some talkative Danes, those good people were nice enough to stick a candle in a slice of carrot cake and sing happy birthday to me which I both appreciated and repaid with a German ‘hello’ instead of ‘thank you.'
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
As for the other tour highlights, there’s plenty to keep one engaged and wanting more when it’s done and dusted. Second biggest highlight for me was Little Sahara, a collective of towering dunes anyone can sand board down. There’s a fee to hire a board but it won’t upset your budget. The walk from the parking lot isn’t long and the first glimpse of the dunes themselves will make you think you’ve stumbled upon North Africa. Despite being a little hard and sweaty to walk up, the sand boarding was wicked for those who got it right (cousin did, I didn’t); the view from the top is amazing.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
Onto the topic of wildlife, Kangaroo Island boasts an abundance of Aussie icons one could expect to drop their jaw at. Be ready to turn your head a lot because they grace both land, sky and sea; we found no shortage whatsoever or kangaroos, koalas and seals. One memorable resident is a single pet emu named ‘Psycho’ who woke up one day and decided she’d rather be a widow. Wildlife lovers are guaranteed time to observe the native fauna on their own turf; you need only stop on the side of the road to take in a grazing mob of roos and you’re there, but for some animals a guided walk is the only way to go, especially when seeing the sea lions of Seal Bay.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
And then there was the Remarkable Rocks. Without any completely describable form (the exception being the parrot’s beak), these massive formations of granite are certainly a product of nature to behold. We spent an hour or so exploring and taking the all important Kodak moments. Surprisingly enough, some of the walkways were warm. As for the rest, the sea wind was picking up so my only regret was wearing my CEREAL KILLER top, shorts and thongs (flip flops to you Brits and Kiwis), but knowing that I was fulfilling a childhood dream of standing under the parrot’s beak provided the feeling of bliss anyone could want. But onto the topic of safety now, there are rules that must be followed when walking around Remarkable Rocks (they’re up for everyone to see at the entrance), and you’re better to follow them closely. There have been accidents in the past and this is only being reiterated for the wellbeing of travellers.
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
Kangaroo Island, South Australia (taken 2014)
Next to seeing some of the most picturesque sights in Australia and meeting an interesting line-up of people (a Brit screaming at a massive huntsman, a Swiss belting out Adele’s Someone Like You and a German who told us our country was amazing, just to name a few), this short visit to Kangaroo Island stands somewhere at the top of my list. The feeling one has when they’ve lived a dream, with a travelling companion they hold dear also, is special in every sense.
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