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| The sunset at Kingscote |
| Erin's South Australia Journal 12-07-02 Saturday on the island dawned a sunny but cold day. We had both been cold during the night, so waking up was hard, but we got up around 7:30 to shower before breakfast and found none of the lights working. I was also dismayed to find no hot water, and opted to wash my face only. Glenn did the same, and when we joined our hostess for breakfast found out that the whole island and much of the nearby mainland was having a blackout. So we were lucky to have the wood-burning stove for hot coffee and toast, as well as cereal. After breakfast, we cleared out after thanking our hosts and signing their guest book (we'd seen Glenn's parents entry from '99 and our hosts said to tell them hi!). First chore for the day was to find gas and an ATM for cash, as the B&B didn't accept credit. Apparently there was only one ATM on the island, and it was in Kingscote on the other side from where we were. So we drove down to Flinders Chase National Park near the B&B in hopes of finding a gas station that would take credit. We didn't see any on the way to the park, but upon stopping at the visitor center were advised to return to the entry and seek out the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Resort for gas (they were too pricey to stay with). We were lucky there and managed to charge not only the gas but also some deli sandwiches & chips for lunch. We then headed back into the park, to see a couple of the island's most famous sights. We took the paved road down to the Admiral's Arch parking lot, where we also so a gorgeous old lighthouse (still functioning and used), and along with the beautiful natural arch, saw a colony of New Zealand fur seals. They were sunning themselves, playing in the natural pools along the rocks, and diving around in the rough pounding surf, so we watched them for quite a while. Finally the smell drove us off, though, and I voiced the opinion that if they'd been gifted with a better sense of smell, the fur seals would have evolved not to go to the toilet in the same spots they use as beds! Whew! Very whiffy! Next was the Remarkable Rocks, a very interesting bunch of huge granite boulders perched on a hillside over the surf. Andrew had shown us some fun photos of him and a friend in and amongst these boulders, but we didn't take the typical 'tourist' shots, as he put it. Well, maybe one! We hung out in the sun on the boulders after a walk around, but the flies drove me crazy - they were as bad in this spot as in western Australia!!! They attack you like they're kamikaze fliers! We drove on next to the Rocky River, where we hoped to see some koalas and perhaps the elusive platypus. The only difficulty here was that we had to drive on a gravel road again (like out to the B&B), and our little car doesn't like that much. But we drove about 3 km in and stopped, then hiked a trail through the forest in search of the Platypus Holes. This was supposedly a 7 1/2 km round trip hike, but each time we got to another sign, it would say 'Platypus Holes - 1.5km', even when we'd gone past the exact same sign a half kilometer ago! Check yer measurements, boys! We did eventually get to some platypus viewing areas, but couldn't see one even after a half hour of sitting totally still and watching the circles of bubbles that indicated a platypus moving around the water. We also were very disappointed not to see a single koala on the way in or out, although there are supposedly so many on the island that they're killing off the trees they feed on! The only animals we'd seen today were the fur seals and a single goanna (iguana), and, tired from our hike, we decided to head on toward Kingscote to find a place to stay and an ATM. It was late afternoon, and by the time we arrived at the caravan park in nearby Brownlow, we were ready to stop and rest for the night. We'd booked a couple of nights over the phone from the Flinders Chase National Park (and called Glenn's brother to wish him a happy birthday), but when we arrived, the caravan park owners had accidentally booked someone else in the cabin we wanted and had only a camper van to offer us. We accepted, a little disappointed but not wanting to pay the nearly double amount for the luxury cabins that were our only other option. After settling in there, we drove to Kingscote, got cash, and had dinner at the Ozone Hotel. The food wasn't bad and we had a great view of the harbor, so that was a good pick. I even stole a couple of pieces of bread as we were leaving to feed the voracious and highly competitive gulls across the street at the beach! They'd swoop down and steal it from one another as you chucked a piece - it was fun to watch. Then we returned to the caravan park, stopping for some breakfast supplies at a small store nearby, and called it an early night. |