Kangaroo Island

Before leaving Adelaide, there was a final bucket list item to tick and just like when I was in Perth, it involved an island. This time, it was the aptly named Kangaroo Island which is acknowledged to be one of the best places in Australia to enjoy rugged coastal scenery and some untamed wilderness that is home to a virtual zoo of wildlife.

Most of the first day of my three-day tour was spent on the fertile Fleurieu Peninsula which is patterned with vineyards, olive groves and almond plantations. We visited a couple of wineries in what is known as the McLaren Vale Wine Region and I reacquainted myself with the divine tasting mead. Other wines, especially some of the reds are reputed to be superior to anything produced in the Barossa Valley. We shared a bottle over lunch at Victor Harbor (yes, that is the correct spelling) on what is known as the Encounter Coast.

Loaded up and ready to go!

Just off-shore at Victor Harbor is the boulder-strewn Granite Island which is connected to the mainland by a causeway built in 1875. A popular tourist attraction is to ride the old horse-drawn tram out to the island where there is a penguin colony. Tours to see the penguins start at about the same time we were boarding the ferry from Cape Jervis. The 13km journey across Backstairs Passage took about 30 minutes so the sun was setting as we arrived at the town of Penneshaw on the island.

The second day took us to Seal Bay where we got up close and personal with some sea lions.  We were under the close watch of a ranger but still allowed within about 15 metres of them.  In the afternoon we climbed Prospect Hill which offered great views of Pelican Lagoon and out over Pennington Bay to the south. We finished our day a place called Little Sahara on the southern coast.  As the name suggests, the huge sand dunes here that we surfed down on special boards offered some great fun.

Sea Lion pups at Seal Bay

The third day was the best because we explored the Flinders Chase National Park at the western end of the island.  The highlight and most photographed place on the island is the Remarkable Rocks.  Out on an exposed promontory, these amazing rocks have been uniquely shaped by sea and wind.  We also went to the impressive rock archway called Admiral's Arch near the remote lighthouse on Cape du Couedic. From the boardwalk we could see a colony of New Zealand fur seals lazing on the rocks below us.

The aptly named Remarkable Rocks

We had lunch at nearby Hansons Bay where I did a lovely bush walk before returning for our ferry. Near the picnic area here we watched as a koala descended one tree and then climbed another in front of us. It was exciting because they sleep about 19 hours a day! Apart from that, we saw at different times on the tour penguins, kangaroos, wallabies and an echidna all in their natural habitat. There were also various birds such as the wedge tail eagle and Cape Baron goose.

Kangaroos at Hansons Bay

Because it was the winter season, our accommodation for the two nights was a hut and little farmhouse.  During summer it's the more basic camping and sleeping in swags.  We still had a big camp fire outside for cooking, making billy tea and roasting marshmallows. Telling stories and having a laugh around the campfire is always a memorable part of such as tour. The guide kept us amused with all kinds of tales and his stew was delicious. Good times and happy memories that I’d soon be taking with me to the warmer climes Queensland.

Barossa Valley

Adelaide is overlooked in the east by the Mount Lofty Ranges that are often referred to as simply the Adelaide Hills. This is the gateway to the Barossa Valley that is Australia's premium wine growing area. Many of the top wineries such as Jacobs Creek, Penfolds and Wolf Blass are located there.  The vineyards aside, the idyllic towns and beautiful scenery of the valley make for a great day trip that I did with my friend and his wife.

View from Mount Lofty

The summit of Mount Lofty (727m) is generally the first stop on such a trip because if offers and had spectacular views over Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula and Gulf St Vincent. Although it was a sunny day, it was a cold wind at the top so we were soon back in the car and heading to the historic town of Hahndorf. It is undeniably pretty with German flags hanging from sandstone buildings and colourful flowers growing in half wine barrels. That aside, it has an interesting past and the distinction of being the oldest surviving German settlement (1839) in Australia.

The quaint German town of Hahndorf

A scenic drive north through the Torrens River Gorge leads to Gumeracha. This hardy little hillside town attracts tourists in the area because it is home to the largest rocking horse in the world.  It should just be called the largest horse because it doesn’t rock but it is impressive and part of a toy factory selling handmade wooden toys (and big rocking horse souvenirs!).  For the record, it stands 18.3m tall, has a length of 10.5m, weighs 25 tonnes and yes, we climbed to the top of it.

The world's largest rocking horse in Gumeracha

Into the Barossa Valley, we stopped at Menglers Hill Lookout for lunch.  This offered a lovely panoramic view over the floor dotted with vineyards.  We visited a few wineries including the famous Penfolds and another one called Chateau Dorrien.  It's one of the few places that make the honey wine called mead and I bought a bottle there. There are a few different varieties and a couple are best to drink warm.  Ideal in winter but either way, it is oh so good!

One of the stone sculptures on Menglers Hill

My mother's great-grandparents were German and settled in the valley many years ago.  I took some time out to find the road that they named and see where their farm was.  I also found the small Lutheran cemetery where they are buried together with a few other relatives from that side of the family.  Unfortunately after doing all that it was nearly dark and we were a bit late to visit Jacobs Creek winery but we'd had an excellent day anyway.

Adelaide

And then there were two. We still had some 1,300km to travel but our initial stop would be the Great Australian Bight. The marine park here is the second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef and is home to migratory whales from July to August. Although it was too early for whale watching it was worth stopping just for the great views of the Southern Ocean, sand dunes and the towering Bunda Cliffs. We then pushed on to the raggedy fishing town of Ceduna which in the local Aboriginal language means ‘a place to sit down and rest’.

The Great Australian Bight

We did exactly that for a while before pushing on to Port Augusta which on the map at least, appears to be at the biggest crossroad in Australia. From this town at the head of the Spencer Gulf, you can treat it as the gateway to the vast outback, Flinders Ranges or Eyre Peninsula. Highways and railways roll out toward Kalgoorlie in the west, Alice Springs and Darwin in the north, Sydney and Melbourne in the east and our destination of Adelaide in the south. Not a bad position!

Arriving in Port Augusta

As we passed various road signs I thought for a moment about Lou trying to catch a final ride to catch his flight. I’ll never know but I somehow doubted that he made it. We stayed a final night in Port Augusta and took a walk around the old town centre the next morning. It has some elegant buildings and a pleasant waterfront where some locals were fishing. From there, it was just a four hour drive to the South Australia state capital. It had been a strange trip but I’d made it and ‘all’s well that ends well’ as they say.

Adelaide has a culture and sophistication that you’d expect from the 'City of Churches'. The largest of these is St Peters Cathedral which majestically overlooks the Adelaide Oval. This famous old sports arena is used for cricket in summer and Australian Rules football in the winter.  I took time to visit the excellent museum housing personal items of cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman. Just across the pretty River Torrens is the lush botanic gardens and city zoo. The river also meanders past the Adelaide Golf Course on its scenic route out to Gulf St Vincent.

River Torrens

Most of the tourist sights are within walking distance of the Rundle St shopping mall and many are strung along North Terrace just one block away.  Aside from the Botanical Gardens, the South Australia University, Art Gallery, Museum and Library are all here. Both the art gallery and museum offer free tours twice a day. These are an excellent way of taking in the highlights (including an enormous giant squid) but I was also glad I had more time to enjoy the exhibition on whales and renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson.

Central Adelaide has several attractive squares named after people who were significant to the city's history.  In the large Victoria Square there is an impressive fountain that represents the three rivers Adelaide sources its water from.  I did a tour of the Town Hall and the enthusiastic guide had so many stories to tell it lasted nearly two hours. Amid the European colonial architecture of this area are several alluring markets selling food, art, craft, clothes and jewellery. A couple are Sunday markets but the superb Central Market offer about 250 stalls from Tuesday to Saturday.

 

The pleasant North Terrace

I stayed with a friend out in the suburbs was had to rely on buses every day to get to the city.  The unique transport system here makes commuter life simple.  Outside the central city area, the buses run on specially designed tracks which essentially make them like trains.  The driver told me it's a German system called the O-Bahn. The buses are adapted with small guide wheels at the front that enable them to run smoothly at up to 100kmh. As he was chatting to me he sat happily with arms folded while the bus steered itself.

Across the Nullabor

My road trip from Perth to Adelaide was somewhat bizarre in that three of us departed and only two arrived. There was no tragic accident or out of control argument and no-one was murdered. It was basically a lack of communication that led to weird misunderstanding. It’s funny the way it goes sometimes...

The car belonged to Jamie and we wanted to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. But our other travel buddy Lou was only focused in Adelaide and seemed in a big hurry to get there. He was a nice guy but wasn’t interested in the stark beauty of the southern outback that we’d pass through along the way. He occupied the back seat either sleeping or reading his book.

Typical scenery near Kalgoorlie

After a long day on the arrived we arrived in the brash mining town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. It was dusk but I could sense Lou was agitated when we decided to stay for the night. If it was up to him we’d be driving in three shifts, day and night. I dared not suggest that we play the world’s longest golf course on our way east. The extraordinary Nullarbor Links stretches 1,362km south to Norseman and all the way across to the town of Ceduna in South Australia. The holes are scattered along the route and the only water hazard is the risk of running out of it!

That would have been a lot of fun but no, it wasn’t going to be that kind of trip. We were up early the next morning and on the road to the crossroads township of Norseman. It was here we began the long haul east across the mighty Nullabor Plain. This is one of the iconic Australian road trips where you simply sit back, relax and enjoy the big empty skies and long horizons. This truly is about the journey as much as the destination.

A great Australian road trip: the Nullabor Plain

Translated, the word ‘Nullarbor’ means treeless and that’s exactly what the plain is. The mighty Eyre Highway runs parallel with the Trans-Australia Railway line across the southern edge of the Nullabor Plain. It includes Australia’s longest stretch of dead straight road - 145km, the so called Ninety Mile Straight. The plain is low shrubs and tussock grass for as far as the eye can see. It’s as vast as the outback but greener and prettier. There are roadside campsites every 250km but we pushed on to Border Town, so called for obvious reasons.

The beginning of 'Ninety Mile Straight'

The following day we’d set our watches forward 90 minutes and enter South Australia. But Lou’s discontent over our lack of progress grew to genuine anxiety and the reason emerged. Apparently he had to be in Adelaide by the following afternoon for a flight to Sydney! I don’t know what he was thinking not speaking up or travelling with us at all. The 2,700km journey across the country is similar to going from London to Moscow!

On the Western Australian state border

Did he really imagine that it would only take a couple of days? We were a little bewildered by his lack of planning and awareness. Maybe he was too shy or embarrassed to speak up earlier and I felt bad that we’d held him up. There were no hard feelings though. He apologised for causing problems, left us some money for fuel and jumped on a truck that night heading for Port Augusta. I wished him luck and had my fingers crossed he’d make it.

Rottnest Island

My time in Western Australia was almost up but there was a final item on the bucket list that hadn’t yet been ticked off: Rottnest Island which lies about 19km off the coast from Fremantle. It’s a popular weekend escape for Perth families and it’s easy to see why. Cars are prohibited and the sandy island is fringed with secluded beaches and bays. There is also the wildlife of fur seals, sea birds and native quokkas. Yes, ‘Rotto’ as it’s known to the locals is a great place!

The ferry arrives at the marina in Thompson Bay on the eastern end of the island. Rottnest is relatively small - about 11km long and 5km at its widest point. My plan was to hike the cycle pathways around the southern coast to camp the night at Eagle Bay on the western peninsula.  In the morning I’d return via the string of little sandy bays and rocky inlets along the northern coast. Inland there’d be unique landscapes and historic sites to enjoy along the way.

Quiet roads past the lighthouse

Rottnest Island has an interesting history and was used as an Aboriginal prison from 1838. An octagonal building built in 1864 was once part of the prison block but now forms part of a hotel. In a wooded area nearby there are hundreds of prisoners buried in unmarked graves. In a 19^th century building around the corner is a photo exhibition that focuses on another chapter of local history: between 1838 and 1950 the island’s salt lakes provided all of Western Australia’s salt.

Pink algae around one of the salt lakes

Just out of the Thompson Bay settlement I visited the old Army Barracks. Rottnest Island was used as a strategic defensive post to protect the Port of Fremantle during World War II. A few kilometres further along the coastline, I stopped to do some snorkelling in the clear, sheltered waters of Salmon Bay. In the middle of the island I detoured inland and walked up to the lighthouse on Wadjemup Hill. Being the highest point of the island, I was rewarded with nice views in all directions.

While having lunch, I met one of the friendly resident quokkas.  These small marsupials were originally mistaken for rodents and that's how the island was named.  (Rottnest is Dutch for 'rats nest')  Anyway, these adorable little creatures were mostly quite tame and were happy to come right up to me.  They were mostly found around the populated areas but there was evidence of them all over the island.  I found this to be (forgive me...) 'a quokk-a shit'.

A tame and very cute quokka

After a beautiful sunset and night on the beach, I realised I had a problem in the morning. I had a long hike back and virtually no water. I didn’t stop to remember that the island is ‘dry’ with no streams, rivers or lakes. I was surrounded by water everywhere but couldn’t drink any of it. I suddenly had to put myself on very strict rations until I found a water fountain somewhere.

The snorkelling on the north coast of the island wasn't as good as Salmon Bay and the best part of the day was hiking up to the historic gun battery on Oliver Hill.  This 9.2 inch canon had the capacity to fire armour piercing shells up to 28km but was never required during the war. The top of the hill provided interesting views of the saline lakes that fill some of the island’s interior. It’s both a unique and pretty landscape that contrasts from the rocky coastline.

Cape Vlamingh where I camped on the beach

I was relieved to find water on the road around one of the northern bays and by mid afternoon I was back on the northeast point of the island. I had an hour to spare before my ferry departed for Perth so I visited Bathurst Lighthouse which was built after a ship wrecked off the coast. Over the years, more than a dozen boats have been wrecked on the reefs of Rottnest Island. While hiking around the island I found several marker plaques that tell the tales of how and when the ships sank.

‘Rotto’ was a great way to finish the western part of my Australian journey. Within a few days, I’d be heading across the vast expanses of the country to the South Australian capital of Adelaide and is if to complete the circle, eventually to back to the east coast of Queensland.

Cape to Cape

At the sleepy little town of Pemberton we stopped at the Bicentenial Tree which was quite amazing.  Originally used as a fire lookout, it has 130 steps attached to it that spiral up around the truck to a viewing platform some 70 metres above the ground!  I have to admit the palms were a little sweaty but I made it safely and enjoyed the great view from the top.  The Gloucester Tree offered a similar experience but was slightly lower with a 60-metre elevation. 

About to climb the 60 metre Gloucester Tree

Our destination that afternoon should have been Augusta which is the most south-westerly town in Australia. Unfortunately we made a navigation error and ended up in a little place called Nannup.  So we decided just to go on to Margaret River and return to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin the following morning.  The historic lighthouse at the south end of the cape is one of the few places in the world where you can see where two oceans meet. Looking out from the windswept point the Indian Ocean is on the right and the Southern Ocean to the left.

Cape Leeuwin where two oceans meet

The lighthouse is also the start (or finish depending on which way you do it) of the Cape to Cape walking track.  The other end is 135km north at the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse.  I walked about 40 minutes up the track but didn't feel very inspired by it.  It didn't seem very well maintained and the scenery would probably be similar all the way up the coast.

The next day was one for the girls.  We went first to the Margaret River Chocolate factory and then wine tasting around the seemingly endless choice of wineries.  I couldn't participate too much because I was driving but I had the privilege of tasting a 1981 port that sells for $250 a bottle.  We made a quick stop in Dunsborough and then headed out to the lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste.  Unfortunately it was only accessible by a tour which we didn’t have time to wait for. So we did a walk around the rugged point and enjoyed some nice ocean views instead.

Kangaroos on a Margaret River vineyard

On our way north we stopped in at Busselton to admire the famous timber-piled jetty. Built in 1856 and stretching 1,841 metres out into the ocean, it has the distinction of being the longest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Our destination for the final night of our tour was Bunbury, which is the only city in the southwest region. It doesn’t have a lot to recommend it but it’s pleasant and we visited the art gallery housed in an old restored convent before making our way to the local campground.

The famous Busselton jetty

The reason we wanted to camp in Bunbury was the bottle-nosed dolphins.  About 60 of them live in the bay year-round and their number increase to about 260 over summer. In a similar way to Monkey Mia, they come in almost every morning and check out who is checking them out.  It was an interesting experience because the dolphin centre is run by friendly volunteers and it's not as tourist oriented as Monkey Mia.  A couple of dolphins came in and swam around as we stood knee deep in the rather cold water.

And has we dried our feet and returned to the car, our tour was complete. Ten days had disappeared quickly but we’d packed as much as we could into the time. It’d been a great little adventure but it was time to return to the relative comfort of a Perth hostel bed, hot meal and a cold beer.

The great Southwest

From our campsite at Lucky Bay and I attempted a bushwalk the next morning over to Rossiter Bay.  Unfortunately the weather closed in on me and I didn't make it all the way.  I couldn't avoid the rain and arrived back rather wet.  Back in Esperance we drove the 30km Ocean Drive which goes along the coast, past a wind farm and circles back around what is known as the Pink Lake.  The pink tinge it is attributed to high concentrations of salt-tolerant algae called dunalella salina. Unfortunately a storm a few years ago has since flushed the algae out and the phenomenon no longer exists.

 

Pink Lake

We camped that night in the Fitzgerald River National Park, which is just out of Hopetoun on the southern coast between Esperance and Albany. Unfortunately we had to leave early in the morning after a short walk along Barren Beach.  Driving west we went through the Stirling Range National Park and stopped at 'The Lily'.  This delightful and fully operational Dutch windmill built almost single-handed out of largely recycled materials by one man over six years.  An amazing achievement that today is a relaxed café.

Dutch windmill, 'The Lily'

The highest peak in the park is Bluff Knoll at 1073m.  We drove up to the car park which would have been about 200m.  Initially when I looked at the mountain I didn't think I'd have time to climb it.  The time on the sign indicated that it would take about 3.5 hours return.  But I love a challenge and decided that I'd at least give it a go!  So, I grabbed the running shoes and hit the trail. Less than 40 minutes later I felt like I was standing on top of the world.  The views of the park were magnificent and enhanced by the beautiful sunny day.  And coming down was so much fun!

On the top of Bluff Knoll (1,073m)

Our eventual destination that day was the historic town of Albany.  Established just before Perth in 1826, it’s the oldest European settlement in WA. We visited a couple of city lookouts before driving down to the Torndirrup National Park.  Our first stop was the Albany Wind Farm - 12 huge wind turbines that produce about 75% of the town's power requirements.  We also went to natural coastal rock formations of The Gap, Natural Bridge and Blowholes.  Although it’s a windswept coast, the ocean swell wasn't quite sufficient for the blowholes to work while we were there.

View of Albany from city lookout

In the afternoon we headed north to the Porongurup National Park which features imposing granite outcrops that rise above a rich forest. It also has some towering karri trees that the southwest of Australia is renowned for. I dropped the girls at a vineyard/art gallery and went bush walking up to the landmarks of Castle Rock and Balancing Rock.  Castle Rock offered great panoramic views and Balancing Rock is a massive boulder weighing about 180 tons that sits delicately on a flat rock which is little more than a metre across!

Castle Rock, Porongurup National Park

We drove south again to Denmark and camped at Parry Beach in the William Bay National Park. Before leaving we did one of the walking tracks to the beautiful Greens Pool and appropriately named Elephant Rocks. We then headed into tall trees of the Walpole-Nornalup National Park. At popular and aptly named Valley of the Giants, the girls did the Tree Top Walk while I hiked some of the Bibbulmun Track. This is one of the world's epic hikes, stretching 963km from the foothills of Perth all the way down to Albany. In less than a year I’d return to hike the entire length.