Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is located off the mainland of South Australia, northwest of Adelaide. Over a third of the island is a nature reserve and home to native wildlife such as sea lions, koalas and various species of birds. To the west, Flinders Chase National Park is known for penguin colonies, the stalactite-studded Admirals Arch, and a coastline with striking rock formations, including the Remarkable Rocks.

After leaving Portland, we were able to drop anchor off Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island about 60 hours later. Justus, our guest on board, not only proved to be a very pleasant companion, but also gave us active support, especially during the night trips.
We could just see Stew leaving the bay with his P38 catamaran; he and his brother were making their way through the great Australian bay. His partner Mel flies back; this part of the trip is too rough for her.

We were in a beautiful bay on a fantastic beach. The next day we rented a car to explore the island.
After a honey farm we drove on to Seal Bay. There is one of the largest sea lion populations in Australia. Up to 8,000 animals have their home here on this magnificent beach. Footbridges lead through the dunes. Close but far enough away that the animals are undisturbed.
After a coffee break, we continued along the dusty red gravel roads, always keeping an eye on the eucalyptus trees on our way.
And we actually found a koala. Just like that, he sat on a tree. We stopped and took photos. However, he didn't seem to be happy with us because he retreated higher into the tree and so we left him alone.

On the way to what is supposedly the most beautiful beach in Australia, we also met a kangaroo after I had already declared several flocks of sheep to be kangaroos because I didn't have glasses. But also the blind chicken...

As I said, the most beautiful beach in Australia actually turned out to be a breathtakingly beautiful place. Dazzling white beach, turquoise water. The path there leads through large rocks. A journey that was definitely worth it.

We could have saved ourselves the detour to Kingscote afterwards, another sleepy place. As usual, all shops closed from 5 p.m. Except bottle shops, supermarkets and bars.

In Kingscote we were at least able to fill our rear tire with air, which obviously didn't survive the gravel roads completely unscathed. It was enough to get back to Penshaw and the car rental company was informed. He acknowledged it very calmly, which is probably usual.

When we were back at our dinghy to go back to the ship, I spontaneously decided to swim. The distance was about 200m. Good to do, even though it was already dusk and getting cold at 7:30 p.m.

Said and done. Clothes stowed in the dinghi, the men follow. Unfortunately, a ferry was just coming in, which made swimming a little more difficult due to its swell.

Then I reached into something gooey, a jellyfish. While I was still wondering whether it would be immediately noticeable if it was a dangerous species, I remembered that a fisherman had just hauled in his nets in the bay. What if he used fish waste to attract sharks?

A quick look back to see if the dinghi was near me in case of an emergency didn't really provide any reassurance. I was halfway there and the men had decided to wait for the ferry to swell before they set off. They were still on land.

It's amazing how fast you can swim.