Monday 28 March, 2011 Kangaroo Island, South Australia

G'day,

Early bus pickup and transfer at the ferry to Kangaroo Island.  Different terrain, lower with reddish soil, and shorter vegetation.  Once on the island we were on a traditional tour bus, with average age .... etc. etc.  We had about six target stops, the first a fur seal colony (don’t anyone ever suggest to Den that “we go to see seals”), which was interesting and close up (a wilderness beach with many pups and seniors basking about, close by!).  For the grandsons: seals go to sea every three days, mainly to dive and eat bottom crayfish, squid (much of what you would find by just going to a Red Lobster) and other stuff.  They can dive very deep, and stay under water 9-12 minutes.  Being agile, and fast, they can usually avoid the next tier on the food chain, great whites, hammerheads, bull and other types of sharks, and the orcas.  When the pups are small they play with the other pups and practice swimming in pup pools (made that up) waiting for mom to return.  Once seals return from these three day food forays they sleep, digest and largely recover...getting ready for the next cycle of three days eating, three days off.

Next stop: a raptor demonstration, with koukaberras (sp) thrown in for their raucous laughs.  I sang the koukaberra song but got the stink eye.  

Other stops were for rock formations, wildlife (yep, saw roos and koalas close up, aided by our tour group’s forest skills (and fences just out of sight, and feed trays).  Mimi’s pictures should give a feel for our day, but we liked it a lot in total, and were back at our hotel late late.

Breakfast with Trevor, pick up a rental car then on to the Clare Valley wine country (two days planned). Weather expected to be warm and sunny.

Out of Adelaide and into the country

Sealink to Kangaroo Island

First glimpse of the island...beautiful sunny day

Pup waiting for mama to get back to shore

I like this sequence... mother comes to shore, looking for pup who is to her right, in surf...

awwwww......

And now off to shore to rest

The long and winding road

Great raptor show  A vestral (type of falcon)

Owl

Wedge tailed eagle

Rabbit...yummmm

Oh look, the long and winding road again!

Remarkable Rocks.. cluster of granite boulders, sculptured by weather and perched on granite dome

Admirals Arch  - natural arch formed by erosion from pounding sea

Oops...back to boulders

Arch again

Lighthouse on the Cape du Couedic (named after a Frenchman) 1906

Kangaroos..

Koala bear

On the way to Penneshaw to catch ferry

Very cool place...had nice glass of wine and some calamari as ferry was a good 30 minutes late