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Published: February 18th 2010
4th December - 5th December 2009
Kangaroo Island
Leaving Western KI Caravan Park, we headed for the very North-west tip of the Island, Cape Borda Lighthouse, still within the Flinders Chase National Park. It was 30 odd kilometres of dirt road to the lighthouse but it wasn't too bad as far as dirt roads go. We wanted to get to Cape Borda Lighthouse for the 12 o'clock tour, as this is the tour where they fire the canon! We were early so we made the stop at Harvey's Return. For many years, Cape Borda Lighthouse was inaccessible by land, therefore they had to bring all of the supplies in by boat. Harvey's Return is where they used to bring in the supplies for the lighthouse as it was the calmest and less-steepest part of the coastline nearest to the lighthouse. Even then it was still some way from the actual lighthouse so once they got all the supplies up the cliff they still had to lug them another 3 kilometres to the lighthouse. It was quite alot of work really. The walk down to Harvey's Return is really steep and I had to slide on my butt for some
Harveys Return
Flinders Chase National Park, KIparts. It was alittle too steep for Mum who waited for me to return up top.
Cape Borda Lighthouse (built in 1858) is a square stocky little lighthouse, and after the tour you just fall in love with it. Our tour guide was Ranger Mick and boy was he an absolute character. He probably made my entire stay on KI. The very first thing we learnt and to this day I will never forget, Cape Borda Lighthouse is the LAST REAL LIGHTHOUSE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA! Ok so I will try and explain. Basically what distinguishes a real lighthouse to a 'fake' lighthouse is the source of the beam of light. Cape Du Couedic and Cape Willoughby Lighthouses (the other two lighthouses on the Island) aren't real lighthouses because they have a small globe or bulb that sends the light out over the water. They do their job but it's not the way a REAL lighthouse used to be. Cape Borda Lighthouse is old school through and through. The lighthouse is still operated pretty much how it has been for over a 100 years. On the tour we got to hear stories about the life of a Lighthouse keeper, which
it turned out used to be a job filled by old retired ship Captain's. When you think about it it makes perfect sense. They were used to isolation and out of anyone they would be diligent about maintaining the lighthouse as they really knew the importance of the lighthouse for ship's.
One of the best things about this lighthouse is the canon. Still the same canon that was used back in the late 1800's, everyday at 1pm the canon is fired. This was for the ships so that when they heard the canon blast they knew that it was 1pm and they could reset their time pieces. Kind of like a nautical clock tower. Ranger Mick picked two young boys from the group to light the wick. I reckon they would have been beaming from ear to ear when they got to tell their friends what they got to do on holidays.
Cape Borda is a really beautiful area. There are no beaches or bays really, just steep cliffs that drop down to the cold roaring seas below. About 2 years ago there were some really bad fires in Flinders Chase National Park, started by some lightning strikes.
The canon
Cape Borda Lighthouse, KI A huge area of the Park was burnt and resulted in the lost of many animals as well. Ranger Mick was here fighting those fires and he told us how it was so bad that he watched dozens of kangaroos jumping off the cliffs to their deaths in the surf below. They just couldn't get away from the fires and in panic and desperation jumped off the cliffs. My eyes tear up just thinking about it. It would have been an awful thing to watch and an ugly place to have been during the fires. As you drive around the Island you can see where the fires were but the bush is regenerating and regrowth has well and truly begun. The cycle of life continues.
Heading towards Kingscote, we stopped at Stokes Bay on the North coast of the Island. Stokes Bay is a quiet little bay that has a 'secret' beach through the boulders. We saw our first KI koalas while down here. Apparantly koalas have been introduced to the Island and with the number of eucalyptus trees here it wasn't hard for them to thrive. They are actually quite common on the Island.
We spent the
night at Kingscote and went out and had a great meal at the Bella Restaurant in town. KI produces loads of great wines and we were sure to sample some with our meal. It's just not going to be possible to get around to any of the vineyards while we are here so it was nice to try some KI white wine at dinner with my King George Whiting (another thing KI is famous for). We made sure we stocked up on some KI wines at the cellar door however before we left.
Our last day on KI was a huge day. We had alot of ground to cover to be at the ferry terminal for our 7.45pm return to the mainland. First stop was the Emu Bay Lavender Farm. If at some point down the road I make the annoucement that I am going to start my own lavender farm, do not be surprised. I absolutely adore lavender farms. It's everything about them, the look, the colour, the smell.... everything. This was one of the nicest lavender farms I have visited. You can try lavender ice-cream, lavender tea (delicious) and my favourite lavender scones. Mum and I had
North-western tip coastline
Cape Borda, Flinders Chase National Park, KI tea and scones, my idea of heaven (just don't think about the calories). Just sublime! I could have stayed the entire day but pulled myself away after I attacked the gift shop and picked up a lavender dream pillow and lavender eye pac that you put in the freezer.
From lavender to bees. Not just any bees, the Ligurian bees. Ligurian bees were brought onto the Island in 1884. These bees were from Bologna, Italy and to this day are the only bees on the Island. The SA Parliament proclaimed KI a sanctuary for these unique Ligurian bees back in 1885. No other breed of bee has been introduced to KI to this day and hence all present day honeybees on the Island are descendants of those early imports. This is what makes them special and unique. Because of the importance of these bees when you travel to KI you are not permitted to bring any mainland honey products with you as this ensures that the KI Ligurian bees remain disease-free. Cliffords Honey Farm was an interesting look at the life of bees and beekeepers. They are really fascinating little creatures and boy do they give us some sweet
Scott Cove
Flinders Chase National Park, KI tasting treats. What this Honey Farm is famous for is the ice-cream. Real, fresh, honey ice-cream made right here on the farm by Jenny and my word was it mouthwatering. It actually comes with a warning: Beware - it's one of the richest, sweetest substances on the planet. Thank you Ligurian honeybees and thank you Jenny!
What a day so far. Starts with lavender tea and scones, followed up with honey ice-cream. Time to get moving and do some walking. It was a long drive to the very far lower eastern tip to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, the final of the three Lighthouses on the Island. Unfortunatley we missed the tour so we did the self-guided tour around the grounds. It was really funny visiting Cape Willoughby Lighthouse after being to Cape Borda Lighthouse. Ranger Mick refers to this Lighthouse as Cape 'Wannabe' Lighthouse because it's not a REAL lighthouse. Makes me laugh even now. It is a stunning lighthouse looking out over a picture perfect rolling coastline. There are some southern right whale bones on display from a whale that washed up on the beach. Cape Wannabe sorry sorry Cape Willoughby Lighthouse was built in 1852 making it South
Australia's first lighthouse. It is a stunning looking lighthouse and at 27 metres makes little Cape Borda Lighthouse look like a hobbit. The rivalry continues...
The countryside on KI is unique and pleasant. Most of the country roads are dirt and tree lined making a drive through the country relaxing and pretty. But not really for us, we had to book it to get back up to Kingscote again for the Island Pure Sheep Dairy Farm milking tour. I told you it was going to be full on to see and do it all. The Sheep Farm is again something totally unique being South Australia's first sheep dairy. Here they make some of the nicest tasting cheeses and yogurts. On the tour we learnt how cheese is made and then got to try some of the different varieties they make here at the farm. Haloumi, feta, Spanish and Italian styles... just yummy. You get to watch the sheep being milked (how cute). Sheep are funny animals, it's all about routine. They go to the same stall at the same time everyday. They get milked morning and afternoon. One sheep was so funny it was falling asleep in the milking
bay while all the others had their heads down in the feed trough. You can see it in the photo below.
We spent the late afternoon walking around Kingscote and taking it alittle slower after an action packed day. We still had wineries, a eucalyptus distillery, numerous galleries and plenty more beaches, bays and headlands we had to still visit but it's just more reason to come back. There is no way you can really experience the Island in 4 days, you need at least a week. I honestly loved Kangaroo Island. We saw so much wildlife (seals, kangaroos, goannas, koalas, echidnas, wallabies, penguins, birds, and one dead tiger snake), and some of the most extraordinary scenery I have ever seen. I don't know if anything else can top KI, it has set a pretty high benchmark. One of the things that stands out the most for me is the locals. Everyone we met was so interesting, friendly and happy. And I guess why wouldn't you be, when you lived on KI.
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