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| Erin's new baby or beer loving Kanga!!! |
| Erin's South Australia Journal 12-09-02 For our last day in Kangaroo Island, we headed out to Seal Bay first thing. This was back on the other side of the island, but the drive was pretty quick. The seals here are Australian sea lions, which are very rare and reproduce on an 18 month cycle. So the rangers who took tour groups onto the beach were very careful that we stay far away from the sea lions and not disturb them. Our guide had plenty of good information for us, and it was fun to see the huge beasts sprawled out like big lumps on the sand, or zipping in and out of the waves like acrobats - total contrasts! The tour was short though, and after only about 15 minutes we were headed back to the boardwalks farther from the seals and water. Our next trek was down to a lookout point further down the beach, and from there we chanced to see a mother and her baby passed out under the boardwalk. The pup was suckling loudly, while the mother was just dead to the world! The sea lions go out to feed for about 3 days at a time, swimming really far out and back in before having a rest, so when they're on land they look like zombies - cuz they basically are, by then! Seal Bay was gorgeous, though. The water was a couple of shades of lovely blue-green, and the waves rolled in pretty violently and impressively. We drove further up the coast to Vivonne Bay for a picnic lunch, which was even more beautiful. The strand was deserted, and we only had a sea gull for an audience while we ate. Then we took a few photos as the sun went in and out, and finally took off toward the ferry docks for the return trip to the mainland that afternoon. The drive took less time than expected, so we even stopped in to the local internet spot to say hi to family before getting in line for the car ferry. The trip back across was short and sweet - no problems, and soon we were driving on toward our first night's stop in Strathalbyn en route to Melbourne. The drive was scenic with farmland and rolling hills near the coast, then bigger hills with pine forests that were clearly planted for the logging industry. Symmetrical lines of trees, stretching into the distance... We arrived in Strathalbyn near dark, and drove around a little trying to find the caravan park before discovering that a road construction project seemed to have blocked the place off completely! So we went on to our 2nd choice, a small hotel in town, which turned out to be just fine. The town was unexpectedly pretty, especially the parkland in the town center, with the antique Victoria Hotel across the way and the spires of a local Lutheran church topping the trees. A good find that we'd never have found without having such a late start on the road to Melbourne. We picked up a pizza at a spot right across the street and brought it back to the common room at the hotel, where we watched some cricket for a bit with some locals, then I got to tune in to the Dead Zone (a show from home that I've rarely gotten to see) before heading off to sleep. |