After the beautiful dry weather we experienced in Kangaroo Island we were confronted with our first bit of rain of the trip once we got back into Adelaide. And rain it did – 90mm over a couple of days, which is a lot for this dry state. Areas to north that were affected by bushfires were now in flood – ‘you gotta love this country’. We packed up pretty quickly and recommenced our journey west to the Eyre peninsular. Of course one last stop had to be made to satisfy our love of the vines – the Adelaide hills region. Here we visited some more wineries, microbreweries, cideries….etc., as well as staying a couple of nights in the Germanic village of Hahndorf. Wendy got a chance to take in some of her heritage while Chris attacked the pork knuckle and sour kraut with great gusto!!. Aimee loved the traditional German cuckoo clocks and candle sculptures, while Dylan liked the lollies and apple strudel. This was one last taste of city living before getting out of Adelaide and back on the road.

 

On the way up to Port Augusta we checked the weather and noticed the temperatures were going to be in the low to mid 20s for the next five days. This was a perfect excuse to head into the normally scorching Flinders Ranges and spend a couple of days hiking. On the way up we visited a small village called Melrose to ride a few of their mountain bike trails. Next stop was Wilpena Pound, which we had originally thought was the site of a meteorite explosion (so we told the kids anyway to get them up the mountain) only to find out it was due to valley erosion.

The first hike we did was straight up to the top of the pound. The kids surprised us with their stamina and agility to scramble up the rocks – it will be hard to keep up with them in a few years. The views of the pound were spectacular and we were lucky the temperatures were so mild at this time of year. The next day we did an easier walk into the pound to stretch out our weary legs. We camped in the national park, which had great facilities and many walks on offer. The surrounding vistas were stunning and a special place only hours north of Adelaide. We saw more emus, kangaroos, lizards and birds of prey in three days than the two weeks we had just spent on Kangaroo Island.

Afternoons were spent either relaxing by the caravan or going for a drive. In this type of country it is a pleasure to be just behind the wheel. Places visited included the nearby old mining towns of Blinman and Parachilna that were connected by a magnificent gorge. We were so glad we had the opportunity to get back up here again. Some times you need to get away from the coast and experience these beautiful areas.

A couple of more trips to the beach and a few wineries on the Fleurieu Peninsular and we were ready to ditch the van and head across to Kangaroo Island (‘KI’ as the locals call it). The plan was to spend about two weeks on the island camping in the council and national parks. This would compensate for the $450 it costs for all of us (including the car) to travel on the ferry from Cape Jervis to the island. When we got there it was like stepping back in time, as the shops and street-scape where the boat landed (Penneshaw) looked like something out of the 1970s. The first thing we noticed was, that since the school holidays were over, this place was deserted !!!. There was no need to book camp-sites, and most of the time we were the only people in them.

First stop was Emu Bay on the north side of the island and wow was it stunning – 4km beautiful white sand and clear turquoise water. Best of all, at all phases of the tide you could drive up and down the beach and not have to let the tyres down. Days were spent fossicking around the beach and at night it was catching ‘calamari’ squid off the jetty. Even though the north side is protected against the prevailing south-east winds, it still blows fairly regularly here and at night. I think we managed to lose a couple of buckets and a filleting knife over the side of the jetty, and Dad got ‘inked’ on several occasions trying to land the beasts without a net. On the real calm day Chris met a couple of locals early morning down the wharf and headed out the local reef for some fishing. Well this was a real day of fishing with over sixty fish landed including blue fin tuna, snapper and the bag limit of King George Whiting (very much larger than the NSW species). So combined with the squid it was definitely “we’re having fish for dinner” – fridge and esky completely chock a block.

Then the real wind came and it was time to move on and do some sight seeing until the weather was calmer. We headed down to the south-west to the Flinders Chase National park which was surrounded by rugged coastline. The weather was windy and cool so we got out the walking shoes and dragged the kids along.  Aimee and Dylan are now at the age where we can do a couple of hours hike without having to carry them. We plan to do a lot of walking when we can on the trip so now was the time to get them in training.  The south coast was rugged but gorgeous. Not many people apart from tourism operators, abalone and cray fisherman live here. How they put up with the wind is anyones guess. The colder days really worked out well as we got to do the touristy things and finally come across some of the wildlife the island is famous for.

Once the weather warmed up again it was back across to the north side of the island. The national park and council camp-sites on the island all had very good facilities including clean toilets, barbeques and tables  - and we really enjoyed the car camping. The protected beaches on the north side were great for the kids and a good chance to just hang out in the warm weather, swim, fish and watch the sun go down. We decided for the last few nights that we would like to live it up a bit and maybe even grab a shower. The Driscolls who we met up with in Mildura were kind enough to let us stay in their beach house at Baudin Bay and we jumped at the opportunity. We had a special time there as we got all the creature comforts and we were blessed with great weather, more great beaches and yes more opportunities to go fishing. We had almost become sick of eating Tuna and Whiting (I said almost) and hired a small tinny for the last couple of days to chase some more ocean friends and catch up with a dolphin or two.

Snellings beach

Baudin Bay beach house

At least someone knows how to drive

 

Folks this is one destination that must be put on any family travelling bucket list. Kangaroo Island ‘ya gotta go’.