You have to dig to find the treasures on Kangaroo Island at times. Vivonne Bay on the south coast, for example, is renowned as one of Australia's prettiest beaches, however the campground there is essentially a gravel car-park. We opted to search around for smaller patches of paradise. (See below.) Also, the great food for which the island wants to be known is hard to find amongst a lot of average offerings. Choose carefully.
If you're heading to Kangaroo Island, be warned that supplies are few and rather far between: if supermarkets (of which there are only a couple) haven't yet had their deliveries their shelves will be almost empty - and what they do have is very expensive. So come prepared with your basics, but support the island by spending on attractions and some extras that are unique to this spot, like local seafood.
All those learnings aside, what's important about a trip with your family is the memories. And our trip to K.I. - as the locals call it - set the scene for stories to be told in our family for years to come...
Remember the time we camped by that beach (Wheatons Beach on the south coast) and had the whole place to ourselves?
Remember when I sent you on an 80 kilometre trip to buy nappies? (I get quite disorganised when I'm relaxed!) And you found that brilliant seafood place - Ferguson's - and came back with the fresh lobster we christened 'Barry' before cracking him open for dinner?
Remember the time we saw wild dolphins lazily cruising in... where was that again? Oh, that's right - it was during that walk we did near Penneshaw!
That was the walk along the coast to Ironstone Hill where we saw those amazing old ruins of the cottage, grain threshing floor and farm equipment - Abbey was enthralled by it all, remember?
Remember when we were just standing there chatting and some lady asked us, "Are you the people waiting to see the koala?" And we shrugged and nodded and she walked us over - complete with questions like, "What country are you from?" - and pointed out that gorgeous fluffy creature, the only thing that could make a tree branch look like a comfy bed?
Those massive rocks along the ocean cliff were quite, well, Remarkable too!
Remember when we patted a wild echidna? You guys had done it before but it was the first time I'd felt those surprisingly spongy spikes!
Remember that awesome beach? The one we thought was just rocks but we climbed through a cave and found the most magical aqua lagoon? What was it called again... Stokes Bay, that's right!
Oh yeah, that was when Iris was a rolling baby and we couldn't keep her on the rug - she was covered in sand!
Remember when Abbey was seasick? And then we drove for eleven hours to get home after that? Yep, we were a bit crazy! (No photo here. You're welcome.)
But I think the best part of that trip to K.I. was the walk at Snake Lagoon. (Pretty good camping spot there, too.) Four kilometres of rock scrambling, rewarded with the most pristine beach. Just our family's footprints. Pure peace.
Have you ever been to Kangaroo Island? Want to go? What would you like to see there?
I knew KI was emptier than the mainland, but that looks really almost uninhabited. If a person was to go across without a car to get around, where would she go and what would she do?
ReplyDeleteIt's really difficult without a car unfortunately though there are some great tour companies if that's a way you'd like to go.
DeleteCertainly the most real review I have read of KI. I certainly expected something else!
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right Megan about the needing to search it out stuff about KI. That said, I think there's a magic to it that I've experienced few other places and you've discovered that. What a wonderful set of memories you're creating. Xxx ps. Iris is so, so, so cute!
ReplyDeleteCan you believe that I'm from South Australia and have never, ever been to Kangaroo Island? I've heard so much about it, but you've shared a real picture of it. I still want to go ;) xx
ReplyDelete