He was playing... Abba's "Dancing Queen"!
I took the 25 minute flight to Kangaroo Island on a SAAB propeller-job. Seats about 20 but there were just 6 of us, including the air Stewardess. I picked up my rental car (more about that later) and headed off. The island is actually quite large (maybe 200km across) and they have a small network of main, Tarmac roads with the rest being dirt/gravel roads. It was raining the day I arrived and just around the corner from a "roadworks" sign, I met this...
They were laying more gravel as the uphill section became mud When wet and it was wet! I watched a 4 wheel drive Pick Up go past to the right in the photo, slipping and sliding and then spent a couple of minutes contemplating a 125km detour back or attempting to get past. Two things were on my mind, namely 1. I had a bunch of burly road workers watching me and 2. I was driving this...
Yep, a PINK Nissan Micra!
I decided that fortune favours the brave and took a good run up at the muddy ruts. How the car made it to the top I will never know, wheel spinning and sliding around in the mud but it did and I was greeted at the top with cheers and claps from the boys! Hilarious.
Turns out this car has a bit of a celebrity status on the island, being the only pink car (not to mention that 90% of cars are 4 wheel drive). The island has about 4400 people living there, lots involved with farming, and they all without fail wave to each other as they pass on the road. A really nice thing that adds to the great community feel here but it did also heighten my self-awareness in this silly car!
Onto the reasons for coming here... Wildlife and great country. Both were fantastic and I could easily write pages about my few days here but the highlights came from two fantastic walks, a visit with a guide to a seal colony and a day in their largest National Reserve.
Walk one was through bush but along the coast. I saw three schools (?) of dolphins go by, very close to the shore, cruising along and then playing/fighting. Very special to see. Then a short shower came over and whilst sheltering under a tree I was suddenly aware of being watched by the Tammar Wallaby sheltering under the next tree!
The Australian seal and sea lion colonies on the south of the island are some of Oz's biggest and only survived the relentless hunting of the 1800 and 1900's because of a well placed reef just off the coast. Amazing creatures, spending 3 days at sea and then the next 3 lazing on the beach.
The colony has been based there for a very long time and have tolerated these well run, respectful visits by us for the last 25 years.
A day in the Flinders Chase reserve was full of surprises. More seals, koalas, KI Kangaroos, Echidnas and Goannas.
Here are the aptly named "Remarkable Rocks", formed from the weathering of a granite intrusion right on the coast...
And one with the only other guy there, to add some scale...
The day ended with a 4 hour round trek to Snakes Lagoon, on the recommendation of a ranger. It started in thick bushland, then followed a riverbed, finally arriving at the lagoon, or bay. I didn't see another person and had the lagoon to myself. It was stunning...
A beautiful cove with thunderous barrel waves coming in, totally isolated and very, very special.
On the way back I sat next to the river for a while to try to see an elusive platypus. No luck but after a while this chap turned up to fish...
Kangaroo Island... Sad to be leaving and could spend many more days here.
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Location:Kingscote Aerodrome, KI
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