McCulloch Family Giant Leap: Hopping mad about Kangaroo Island

The next morning we had planned to get up and do some serious sightseeing starting with an early walk in the Flinders Chase National Park to see if we could spot some Platypus and then onto Cape Borda Lighthouse for the tour and cannon firing that they only do at 12:30pm. Well I woke up to a wonderful message from my sister saying she had given birth to a little boy the night before. So of course I had to call and congratulate them on the arrival of Wylie Arthur. We also hung around a bit longer to say goodbye to Wayne and Tanya.

We finally got going and pulled into the Information Centre as that is where the Platypus walk started. It was only a 4.5km return trip so we thought we had plenty of time to complete it and even fit in morning tea before heading off to the lighthouse. However after what felt like forever we questioned if we had taken the right path as surely it would not take us this long to walk 2.25 km. Jason ran ahead to see if it wasn’t far off but after what felt like forever he came back and said he still hadn’t come across it. So we turned back before we pushed our luck with the kids but we also wanted to make the cannon firing. The walk was still worth it though as it was pretty and we spotted two koalas, two goannas and a kangaroo.

Fast asleep.

One of the lizards on our walk.

An evening walk around the park led us to these little fellows.

Back at the Information Centre we ordered some morning tea to rejuvenate before heading off to the lighthouse. Here we found out you could pretty much nearly drive right up to the platypus area but worst of all, that it was a two hour drive from there to the Cape Borda Lighthouse. That was certainly not what I was expecting as it was only just under 60km from where we were and of that 27 km was bitumen, so I am guessing the dirt road might have been a really bad one. Who knows as by then we were not going to make it for the cannon firing and I said I was happy for Jason to go on his own. I wasn’t going to put the kids through a four hour return trip in the car for it. Jason decided he wasn’t that keen either.

Digging for fossils at the information centre.

I then browsed the gift shop to see if there was something I could get my nephew, but every little outfit had Kangaroos on it, which would have been fine if it stated Kangaroo Island but they didn’t. So knowing what everyone in western Queensland thinks of kangaroos I passed on buying something for him from there.

We then did a quick trip into Hansen Bay which was another beautiful beach but it was a bit too windy to go for a swim and really enjoy it, so we returned to the van for some lunch and Kayla to have a sleep. We didn’t end up going out again in the car; instead we did one of the walks from the caravan park. We spotted lots of wallabies and three koalas which was nice and special.

Another beautiful little find - pitty about the cold weather.

Check out the blue water - our photos don't do justice.

The Western Kangaroo Island Caravan Park is not fancy in the sense it has no playgrounds, jumping pillows or even a pool. What they do have is huge open spaces and lots of wildlife (i.e. Cape Barron Geese, wallabies, koalas, galahs etc) which is a way better entertainment for the kids in my opinion. That evening we had new neighbours roll in late with a camper trailer. We wanted to see how long it would take them to set it all up. After one and a half hours we gave up checking if they were done yet as they were still putting up part of the awning area. With two adults and a teenage daughter all helping, this one didn’t seem that quick to do. Though it made us wonder how long it really takes us to set up.

Tuesday saw it time to move onto our last caravan park here on Kangaroo Island. Packing up was quick and before we left Jason just asked me to double check the fridge again and expecting it not to work, told me to turn it off. I was just about to step in and switch it off when it suddenly clicked over to battery. I was amazed and wondered why it was suddenly working again. We have all different theories, but the main one is if we still have the power cord plugged in when we start the car. Who really knows but we are over the moon to have it back working again.

Some of the local residents.

We haven’t done much free camping on this trip as we thought we would. Along the Queensland coastline it was easy as there were heaps of free camps and the weather was favourable. Through the red centre we needed the aircon so were happy to the pay for the caravan parks. Now in South Australia, they don’t seem to have many free camps at all. See to me free camps cost you nothing, but most here charge at least $14 a night. It isn’t that bad really, but the National Parks can cost up to $34 a night and at the moment being school holidays, good luck getting a decent site, let alone one big enough for our van. So anyway back on track, we moved down to Penneshaw which is right where the ferry departs from. This way we will have a very short drive on Thursday to get the ferry.

As it is only a very small park with no one onsite manager managing it, we had already been told our site number so we just had to pull up and unhook. We had a nice, big and easy site to get into under some beautiful big trees for shade. We had wanted to time ourselves setting up but forgot to note our start time and we weren’t putting everything out. We might have to try another day as it would be interesting to see how long it takes us from the moment we are parked to the moment we sit down and relax. As it was nearly midday I took Hamish down to the skate park whilst Jason took Kayla for a drive to get her to sleep.

When Jason was back I went and paid for the caravan park site and also grabbed something for lunch. I decided that we just had to try ‘fish’ at the local fish and chip shop. Better still I had to wait eight minutes for them so got to sit back in silence and enjoy the stunning coastline with the water as blue as blue can be. The fish shop came with fantastic reviews, and whilst they weren’t the cheapest chips I have had they were just beautiful and worth every cent. It was tempting not to share with the kids but I did, as they would have been totally unbearable in the afternoon if I had eaten all the fish and chips on them. Mind you we kept the prawns to ourselves.

As soon as Kayla was awake we set off for the lighthouse at Cape Willboughby for their guided tour (again included in our parks pass). The view from up there is amazing of the rugged clifftops and ocean below and I wasn’t surprised in the least to read about the number of ships that had come to grief around Kangaroo Island. Unfortunately Kayla was too young to climb the lighthouse stairs and ladder. We could have gone on the tour if she was in a carrier but we didn’t have one. So whilst we could do some of the tour, as soon as it came to the lighthouse I had to convince her to come with me. I failed miserably at that and ended up just carrying her kicking a screaming away. Poor thing, the lighthouse did look like fun.

Driving up to the lighthouse.

The view from the lighthouse.

The averages for a year at the lighthouse - rainfall was very down last year.

At least Jason and Hamish got to do it and said it was really worth it. Eventually Kayla calmed down and was happy to sit out on the front patio with me taking in the view. She also had a lolly that she was happy to suck on and took a million photos on my phone of everything and anything around that area. Once the boys were back we went and checked out the Chapman River and Antechamber Bay. There are so many little places that aren’t far yet aren’t packed out with people so you can easily feel like you have the place to yourself.

Hamish in front of an old display light.

About to climb the lighthouse.

The view from the lighthouse.

The afternoon was spent back at the van and then we walked down to the local beach so the kids could have a play in the sand and a paddle in the water. I didn’t bother putting the kids in their togs as whilst it was warm, it wasn’t really warm enough to swim. That didn’t stop the kids though; they had heaps of fun and got quite a bit wet. No big deal as we just walked them home chucked them straight in the shower and added the wet clothes to the washing pile. The caravan park had one washing machine and it was free, so I did make the most of that as it could hold more than ours so did the washing in half the time.

We had heaps of fun - yes me too.

Watching the ferry come in as they paddle about.

During the evening the wind started to pick up so we pulled in the awning and we started to worry about the massive big tree we were parked under. A little prayer that none of the branches would break off and fall. That is the thing about caravan parks. You can’t really pick where you go. Not long after we had put it down of course the wind died down, phew. It didn’t last long and it actually got worse as the night wore on. I woke at 2am but couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to turn the television on to drown out the noise of the wind. It worked as I fell straight back to sleep and didn’t wake up again until morning and by then it was back down to a nice sea breeze.

Our last full day on the island and we really wanted to make the most of it. We set off to check out the American River area more and with the intention to do some fishing. We ended up stopping first to do the Prospect Hill climb before it got too hot. Smartly we chose to do this one at a time as we deemed it wasn’t worth dragging the kids up there. Good decision as it 511 rickety old steps up there and you wondered when was the last time their safety was checked. Oh and yes I counted all the steps on my way down! Next we realised we were low on fuel so went straight back to Kingscote to fuel up and for a picnic morning tea. I had prepared some of our cake and biscuits we had cooked and found a lovely playground right near the jetty to enjoy it.

That is a lot of steps - can you spot the car?

The view from the top.

Having fun in the playground.

After morning tea we tried our luck fishing on the jetty but were not successful. We didn’t actually try for long as one of the locals had been trying for a while and said it was useless due to the divers below and the seal hanging around nearby. So we decided to change locations, but before we left town I ducked into a local shop as Kayla had lost her hat so needed another one. When it comes to hats I am a bit fussy as I want the string to help hold it to her head and a wide brim the whole way around. Luckily they actually had a wide selection so I just had to choose a style I liked. I also managed to find a nice gift for my newest nephew Wylie and of course something for his big sister Jean.

The divers below the jetty.

Trying their luck.

Beautiful clear water.

So off we headed to American River to see if they had a better fishing spot but as it was coming on low tide it wasn’t really suitable with the kids. It just meant long walks out in the sun to the water and today, even though it was predicted to be 28 degrees was warming up to be quite a bit hotter according to the car. In the end it got up to 41 degrees! There is nothing like going from 24 degrees one day to 41 degrees the next. How we haven’t gotten sick amazes me. In the end we decided to stop at the oyster shop for lunch and enjoyed a delicious mixture of chilled oysters and local fish. Of course the kids had pizza. So daring to try new food they are! I can’t blame them; oysters aren’t the most appealing looking food.

Our lunch destination.

Don't ask me to tell you what each one was.

Another beautiful cove.

By now it was really getting hot so we retreated to the van and turned on the air conditioner. I am assuming all the people who were camping in the tents must have been hanging out in their air conditioned cars or the local pub. We even cooked some shortbread biscuits (on the webber outside) using the native animal cookie cutters that we had bought. So we had our own bit of wild animal without harming any animals!

My two penguins.

Our own take on the aussie animal feed.

I can’t say our last night on the island was a good night sleep. It started out great but then during the night Kayla cried out at about midnight so I went to calm her but then of course I couldn’t get back to sleep as low and behold there was lightning and thunder around. Naturally I checked the radar and yep there was some rain heading our way. As we had packed the awning up I thought I should pack away our outdoor furniture so it didn’t get wet and would have to be packed away in the car all soaked the next day.

So I slowly started bringing things in like our towels and folding everything up ready to go in the car. Even the caravan across the road from us was also awake as their lights were on and I could hear one of their kids was upset. It is funny how you get some sort of comfort out of knowing you aren’t the only one suffering. By now I heard Kayla get upset again so I went in to settle her and told Jason some rain was coming and showed him the radar, so he went outside and packed up the remaining items and put them in the car. He said the neighbours also came out and were checking out the big tree near them with a torch as it was creaking a lot.

By now Hamish had also woken up so Kayla, Hamish and I all then watched a movie to drown out the noise whilst Jason slept on Kayla’s bunk bed. I was happy to deal with the kids as Jason had the drive the next day. The wind definitely did pick up but the rain was a no show. Well it did rain but not as much as what I thought it would. At least it made packing up the next day very easy.