The Long Overdue Walkabout: Day 11 – The landscapes of Kangaroo Island
One minute they were sleeping by the campfire with us. The next minute the drunk German girls had rolled up their swags and gone back to the cabin. Sounds were apparently heard while Adriane was getting bit by possums and I was snoring comfortably under the stars.
I made pancakes for the ladies when we got up while Adriane was getting this intel from the Swiss girls. Apparently, the really drunk German girl didn’t stumble back to the bunks but instead to the back of the cabin where Danny was sleeping. The gossipy joys of a tour with all females.
Not a bad view to wake up to.
The girls were not pleased that we would be starting off our morning with a hike. Even less pleased when we found out the place we were going to was called Snake Lagoon.
Bleary eyed, we trudged through a trail that followed a small, rocky, river. The river carved a path through these rolling hills with a mix of boulders and wildflowers.
What stuck out for me were these bare branched bushes and trees all throughout the trail. I believe they were charred monuments of a past fire that swept through much of the island and decimated acres of greenery a few years back. Since then, new flowers and grass and bushes had sprung up among them. It provided a great contrast of fire, water, and earth.
Supposedly, the streams were home to the rare platypus, but we didn’t see any.
The best was saved for the end of the trail however, as we followed the river to its destination. We were met by giant jagged rocks, orange from algae. Waves crashed from the Southern Ocean onto the beach below. We each climbed our favorite peak and just sat and enjoyed our moments of zen. It was beautiful.
There was then a drive through rolling hills that Danny turned into a challenge of how many G's he could get accelerating our van downhill.
Again, clear evidence of the wildfires that spread across the island were seen along the way. After clinging for dear life and our breakfasts, we made it to another seaside cliff.
From a distance, we could see these enormous boulders jutting out of the ground, random and organized like an Australian version of Stonehenge. This was nature-made though. The giant slabs of granite were carved by Mother Nature.
We climbed, crawled, and posed for silly pictures all over the joint.
Not far from Remarkable Rocks was another scenic walk. We passed a seaside lighthouse and descended down the cliff via stairs.
At the bottom was Admiral's Arch, an amphitheater shaped cave looking out to the Southern Ocean. The roof was jagged and pointy, The base was flat, slanted, and filled with New Zealand fur seals lying about.
These seals were all over the rocky cliffs. We were stunned to see these seals jumping and literally climbing up these rocky edges with only their flippers.
Done with that, things kind of went hilariously downhill from there. Danny sped down the roads like a 16 year old kid who just got his license and wanted to show off to his buddies. We were en route to a local honey farm. Honey is a big deal on Kangaroo Island. It is the last remaining place on earth that one can find a pure Ligurian honeybee, a nice consequence of isolation. The wild driving finally kind of bit Danny in the ass though. With music blasting, the van was barreling down the road with me in the passenger seat admiring the scenery. Adriane was in the far back with the Swiss girls. We hit a bump. Some screaming was heard over the speakers.
“The window is cracking!”
“Oh, it’ll be fine. We’re almost there.” Danny and I gave each other the universal look men give each other when we’re thinking “Women…”
Another bump. We fly a bit.
Now the screaming is more frantic. I look back and the rear window had shattered onto Adriane and the girls. Danny finally decided it was time to slow down. The girls were pissed. Women…
We made it to the honey farm, where Danny sent us on our way to the bathrooms to pick the glass shards out of our hairs and gift shop to try some honey ice cream. I learned that pure honey doesn't go bad. The things you learn while traveling.
I remember there was some ghetto duct tape fix going on to “repair” the window. HQ was not going to be pleased with Danny when he arrived back with a tour van missing a back window, I can imagine. Good thing this happened at the last stop in our trip. We just had to drive back to the ferry port where we would transfer vans to one with fully intact windows.
But it turns out the ferry was running late. We had a lot of time to kill. What else is there to do but go to the local watering hole for some drinks. There was still more time to kill. Adriane and I walked the area and took some final photos. There was a fairy penguin center that wasn't open.
Below that was the beach, which we walked along. Danny decided it'd be a good time to go for a swim for no reason. That water looked freezing. The rest of the girls sat on their bags at the docks and kicked rocks. The Swiss girls, Adriane, and I happened upon a Fish and Chips shop close to the pier. Of course we ordered some, it was greasy and delicious. I practiced some French with Adriane and the Swisses.
Finally the boat arrived and we mostly slept our way home. Goodbye Kangaroo Island…
…Hello open seas. The ride was much less choppy this time.
On the drive back to Adelaide, the group decided we would go a the club around the corner from our hostel. It was one of the Swiss girl’s birthday. And it turns out this club, of which I no longer remember the name, is poppin’ for a Sunday night. There was much drinking and dancing with the Swiss girls and a few others from our tour group too. Danny received an invite but did not make it down. Another eventful day came to a close. Soon, Adriane and I were going to left to our own devices.