An Alphabetical Stroll Through Bali and Australia-A is for: A BIG, FAT FINALE!! Link to new Africa TR (4/5)

[Steppesister]

peep

Well, look what Genie conjured up!!! My goodness it's been a long time! Did you know I'm in Kentucky? Are you still around these hollers?

 

[Steppesister]

G is for: Getting some Great Views on Kangaroo Island!

Day 2 in Flinders Chase National Park. ​

Back to our day’s itinerary after I’d back-tracked a little to the night before in the last chapter. If you’ll recall, we’d just left Cape du Coudic Lighthouse, and now are headed to Admiral’s Arch. The path down was a lovely boardwalk down to the steep coastal edge where one of the world’s largest year-round Fur Seal populations calls home. The walk was an easy stroll of perhaps ¼ mile or so and was absolutely pleasant.

(If you zoom in you might be able to read a bit)​

The seal watching did not disappoint! There were hundreds of these amazing swimmers both in the water and basking in the warm sunshine, their glossy coats shimming in the light. Seeing the pups learning important life skills alongside their mothers was endearing while watching the tussles between a few of the older ones over the most prime real estate provided quite some time of entertainment for us. We definitely weren’t in a hurry and lingered to enjoy the antics of nature’s show.

(There are hundreds of seals down there)





​

At the same location, just a short walk further on the same trail, was Admiral’s Arch. This interesting natural arch has what you might guess to be stalactites hanging down. Nope! They are fossilized tree roots that have withstood the test of time making for a really neat window photo to the crystal-blue sea beyond. Unfortunately, the viewing platform was being refurbished so the best photos were not possible. I was kinda sad about that as I’d picked this spot out specifically for our KI Tour.

More seals from this view too!




The seals in action:

​

Being a bit of a rockhound, I thought the fairly large crystals of mica and quartz were neat!

​

This one might have been gypsum or calcite?

​

Shrugging off the closed viewing deck and making the best of things, we made our way to our next destination which was only a few short kilometres away- Weirs Cove.

​

Weirs Cove was quite an interesting landmark to visit for us. As you know, there were several families that called Cape du Coudic Lighthouse home. Due to the extreme remoteness of the area these families saw other human beings only every few months, and sometimes going even up to a year without contact with the outside world and deliveries of supplies. Ideally, a supply ship would bring all the necessary goods, from wood and fuel to food, clothing, and machinery, every 3 months. Apparently, the coast where the lighthouse is was simply too rugged to use for the delivery point. Instead, they chose this spot at Weirs Cove. But even there, the cliffs were far too steep (300 feet) to easily hoist the freight up. An ingenious hauling system was built from the sea level to the top of the cliff called a “flying fox”. (I know these are super hard to read, but you might be able to make out a little of the interesting information.)

The little dock:



And a wider view of the whole "shute" that the cables ran in:

​

Here is a more detailed description of the storehouse, the old well, the remaining jetty/dock on the ocean below, and history of it all in case you are interested. Even my 22-year-old thought it was a really neat little slice of history.

https://flic.kr/p/2kfAmSB

The remainder of the well and Anara reading the interpretive signs:


​

Continued in the next post...

 

[Steppesister]

Continued from the last post....

​

Our last stop in the south of the Flinders Chase area was also very close by and possibly the most well-known of the sites on the island. The Remarkable Rocks are perfectly named because they are indeed remarkable!

(A view from Cape du Coudic from afar)



​

Here are the quick facts of the geology, but beyond the fact that they are really old and really weird, they make for a super fun photo shoot, which is what we did.

The Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island, Australia are a natural landmark that have been shaped by the forces of nature over millions of years:

• Formation
  The rocks were formed from granite that solidified from molten rock that bubbled up to the surface of the earth around 500 million years ago. At the time, Kangaroo Island was part of the supercontinent Gondwanaland, which also included Australia, South America, Africa, India, and Antarctica. The supercontinent began to break up around 150 million years ago, with Australia taking much of the granite with it.
• Erosion
  Over time, rain, wind, and sea spray have eroded the granite into a range of shapes, including sharp points and smooth edges.
• Lichen
  Some of the rocks are covered in golden orange lichen, which provides photo opportunities and makes sunrises and sunsets particularly spectacular.

Competing for “that perfect shot” with about a hundred other folks, we managed to get some fun photos of ourselves being really silly and having so much fun! Here are some of the better keepers.

​

At one point, a tour guide for a group of Europeans there struck up a conversation with us when he saw us patiently waiting for a particular spot to clear out and told us he knew of a much better place and personally walked us over to it. Indeed, it was a perfect spot to pose on one of the rocks and get a gorgeous background of the sea as well.

And the one shot EVERYONE wants. Yes, we kinda had to stand in line for it:

​

With that, we left for our next destination- Cape Borda Lighthouse, the last of the Lighthouse Trifecta on Kangaroo Island.


Storytime with Steppe:

The lighthouse is basically at the end of the earth. It’d be tough to get more remote. But the intrepid travelers that we are, we started on our way. We thought we could outsmart the 2 ½ hour, crap road there too (story to follow).

​

We tooled along with a pretty awesome playlist cranked up (see?):

The sheep took notice when we stopped for a photo:



Bird and potty stop:

​

We trucked long until we hit a manned roadblock. I cannot make this stuff up. They closed off all traffic (for like all of the 3 cars that might go that way that day?) because… a team of scientists using an infrared (FLIR) helicopter were trying to find the last 5 feral pigs from old times that were roaming loose in that area. (No, I don't know the history of this.) This caused us to have to back-track like an hour and get back on the main road adding way more time to our day than we’d hoped. My trip notes say that the last long bit of road was track and we had to go really slowly. That paragraph ended by saying the long trek there was on bad road and, in the end, probably not worth it. Before we got to the lighthouse, we turned off the road at Scott's Cove Overlook. The walk to the place where you could get this view was a bit of rough trail and one couple coming out gave us a word of warning about "this is a snake area". Duly cautioned we followed the little, rocky pathway and admired the view.

​

I handed Anara my phone with instructions to take whatever photos she wanted. And thus was born the trip's running joke. Every. Single. Time.

​

The lighthouse itself did end up being very different than the previous two. This one, in contrast to its sister beacons was built square. I got exactly three photos of this one; I’m not even sure why! The naked ladies were apparently just as intriguing as I took a few more photos of those than the main attraction. There was a self-guided little walk to each of the little buildings at this complex and we learned that apparently you can book a stay in one of them for lodging near the Flinders.

Again, impossible to read, but gives you an idea of the short and sweet informational signs around the area:



​

The stories of the various shipwrecks were a fascinating reminder of the dangers of maritime trade and transport as recently as a century ago.

​

The day was later than I’d hoped at this point, so it was time to head the 1 ½ hour long trek back.

It was NOT a fun road, but the going was a little sweeter with the audio book that Anara had downloaded for our various road trips. Are there any Terry Brooks fans here? My kids read them ad nauseum a few years ago; Michaela has his entire anthology with several signed copies. One meet and greet/book signing event that my younger two girls went to was particularly fun for them. Terry asked what their names were and went so far as to tell Anara that her name was one he was going to seriously consider using as a character name for a future book. That never materialized as far as I know, but at a subsequent meeting at another event, he literally remembered her and her name. Fast forward to our trip, Anara had brought along a couple of his audio-books from the Shanara series and we were really loving listening to the Elfstones book while we drove.

By the time we got nearer to our cottage I was super hankering for a glass (or two) of Australian wine. What’s not to love about a bold but fruity shiraz?!! Passing the turnoff to the Postmans, we turned and headed for Vivonne Bay and the little grocery there. You know that scene in the Lord of the Rings when Gollum has a temper tantrum? Yeah, that’s what it kind of looked like when we pulled up at 5:45 only to discover that it’d closed at 5:00. Noooooooooooooooooooo!


Since we were right there, we drove down to the Vivonne Bay docks and pier area where there were a few fisherfolk trying to catch some dinner. All of them were Asian speaking so I couldn’t ask them what they had in their buckets.

The couple of photos I took:

​

By then it was getting pretty chilly, Anara needed a bathroom really badly, and we were both pretty hungry. With nothing open for dinner and no wine to be had, I sat my dejected butt back in the car and drove the half hour BACK to the cottage for a quiet dinner and an early bedtime. While I wasn’t in a truly “sour” mood, the beautiful sunrays streaming through the clouds made for a nice drive back giving me the attitude adjustment that I needed.

​

After a very quick stop to use the bathroom, we both wanted to go to the Park Headquarters just for a few minutes to check our mail and do a quick social media post. (There was no Wi-Fi at the cottage.) It was then that the next day’s plans were totally destroyed…. But that’s a bit of travel drama I’ll save for another day.

I'll leave you with this random photo we took along the way. It makes me smile:

​

 

[Steppesister]

Real life update:

As you might have noticed, I've been a bit out of touch the last couple of weeks. Clinicals have started back up 5 days a week and I work one weekend day, so things are super busy and fairly stressful right now. 3 1/2 weeks of clinicals left and I am officially done with my 2 1/2 year program October 31st. Spooky scary!!! My goal is to take my Board Exams by the end of November. We'll see how I perform on my Exit Exam in a few weeks. I've spent some time updating my resume and have a couple of leads for jobs, but am willing to expand my search if I don't find something in the first couple of months. Wish me luck!!

 

[Steppesister]

And yet... no platypi.

Yes... that's correct (although not used as often as the more common "platypuses")



Leave me alone. It's 3am and I can barely see straight, yet alone think coherently.

Oh, I"m not going to argue with you there. I'd have guess that. (Like cactus and cacti.)

Mail only once every two weeks...

Ironic, though. Now, if I didn't get mail for two weeks, I don't think I'd even notice.

Me too. Like hardly ever, and if so, it's junk.

This place is massive! And... modern!
Looking at it at first glance, I pictured a rustic cot or bunkbed and an outhouse.

It was absolutely amazing. So cozy and homey!

Thanks! Now I know I can BBQ there.

Hey, I hear cow dung works really well for fires. Why not roo poo?

That's so cool. Has to be wood-burning, I'd think.

I'm certain it was! Very cool and I hope someone restores it.

For a frozen 'za... that doesn't look half bad.

I'd overcooked it a bit so was disappointed, but it filled the void.

Lie.

Are you calling me a lie-r?

You lay an object down.
A person or animal (something capable of moving on their own) lies down.

Unless it's past tense. Then it gets tricky. Past tense of lay is laid... but past tense of lie is lay!

I'm tired so will go lie down. As I lay there, I decided to sleep.
I lay the book down. Later, I realized that I had laid it down and forgotten about it.

Oy!! Hopefully I can remember this!

We must have similar phones. I know that with my older phone that wouldn't work, but the newer ones do.

They do! I bought my iPhone 15 Pro Max just for this trip!! It does amazingly well!

I have no idea either, but you got some cool star shots.

Heh, not bad for a first attempt.

Not surprising. Betting they don't move a whole lot at the best of times.

I'm betting not. Super cute and pretty, but lazy.

Nice shots. Don't know which I like better. The close up or far away shot. Catching the workers was a stroke of luck.

It really was. Gave some nice perspective of it's size and a nice piece of subject.

Small! No wonder it's just for 2.

I'm sure they were cozy

Actually... surprising. I am much more used to seeing this for diver down

But I guess they're both interchangeable.

The drunk one, though...

I guess so? Although, I think you'd have to be fairly expert and recognizing the other one.

Gotta be sea lions.

 

[Steppesister]

It looks like a very clean and roomy place to stay. The addition of a huge picture window would have been nice.

I agree! Maybe too expensive? Hard to clean? But yes, especially for wildlife viewing.

I love the night sky and I seldom have a chance to see it. It always seems as if there are lights somewhere nearby. Or there is a full moon that is too bright. The last time I saw this kind of a night sky was at my cousin's house in the middle of nowhere in the Rocky Mountains. It was awesome.

It's tough to find a dark enough place to enjoy it. That's partly why I love going to the Arizona desert so much. Sometimes, it's hard to stay up late enough too. LOL!

It is a stunning coast line. The whole island is awazing.

It really is! As I move on to other parts of Australia, you'll see how vastly different the areas are.

 

[Steppesister]

Patient has had too much alcohol I think I'd like to buy that set of flags for my cousin's bar. It's funny to think they must have a code for just about everything (though a bit terrifying about the nuclear disaster one mentioned...)

Your insomnia insprired star gazing pictures are pretty spectacular!!! Guess it's a good thing you couldn't sleep; and an even better thing you thought to step outside and look up!

LOL!!! I thought it was super funny! I mean, a flag for EVERYTHING!

I forgot to mention that I also saved Anara's clothes from blowing away too. It was pretty breezy that night and we'd put her sink-washed wet stuff out there to dry. I gathered it all up and put a rock on each piece to keep it from ending up next door!

 

[Steppesister]

Great work with the night sky photography! I'm no expert, but I *think* this may be the Southern Cross.

Oh wow!! Thanks!!! Mystery solved!

It's always a treat to see koalas in the wild, even as an Aussie.

Do you see them often?

I do like a self-guided interpretive trail. Glad to hear the horses were well cared for.

I loved all of the information about where we were so we could understand what we were seeing better.

It still would have been stunning, but in a different way. And you wouldn't have been as keen to linger

I'd believe that!!

I actually like the coffee flavour, but only if it's offset by lots of sugar and milk.

I confess, I like half and half in my morning cuppa, and lattes when I get one out somewhere. I can't drink it black at all.

Ah, is that the stuff you refer to as 'jelly'? We don't really have anything like that in Australia. Generally any jam that you get is preserves style, even at the supermarket. Jelly only refers to what you call 'jello'.

Hmm, technically (in American-speak) "jam" has bits of mashed fruit and is interchangeable with preserves, and "jelly" is made with JUST the juice/NO bits of mashed fruit.

That would make sense. Interesting that they went extinct in both Kangaroo Island and Tasmania... maybe they weren't cut out for island life!

LOL!!! Maybe you've solved the mystery of the Island Emus.

I was thinking of you as I was walking through our little bush reserve yesterday. It was a beautiful spring day, with lots of wildflowers starting to bloom and everything glowing in the golden hour light. A flock of black cockatoos seemed to be following me around, and they looked so beautiful flying in formation against the golden sky. Wish I'd had a proper camera with me, it would have made the most stunning photo! Sadly this was the best I could capture on my phone. Taking more notice than I usually do, I didn't see any yellow on these ones.

Oh wow!!! That's so amazing!! How incredibly cool to see this in the wild! Just beautiful. Thank you SO much for sharing!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Life busy here too but I promise I am reading along and loving the chat ( I just run out of time to join in much at the moment).
Good luck with the clinical and exams and the job hunting too

 

[pkondz]

one of the world’s largest year-round Fur Seal populations calls home.

Cool!

And... I'm obviously tired. All I can think of is the lonely inhabitants of the island and...


... a tight seal.

I always like these types of photos and this one's a real beaut. You should seriously consider erasing those two strangers and enlarging this. Might be a nice gift for Anara (I'm assuming that's her.)

Quite the view!

(If you zoom in you might be able to read a bit)

I did!

The seal watching did not disappoint!

You got some fun shots.

Seeing the pups learning important life skills alongside their mothers was endearing

Awww.

watching the tussles between a few of the older ones over the most prime real estate provided quite some time of entertainment for us.

I bet! And not in a zoo/aquarium, either!

I like this shot with the gull for scale.

This interesting natural arch has what you might guess to be stalactites hanging down. Nope! They are fossilized tree roots

That's so cool! Huh! I've never seen anything like that.

Unfortunately, the viewing platform was being refurbished so the best photos were not possible.

Too bad, but... this next shot is wonderful, nevertheless.

Stunning.

I thought the fairly large crystals of mica and quartz were neat!

I used to know a few different types of rocks, but now I wouldn't be able to tell an amethyst from zinc.

How big is that??

Due to the extreme remoteness of the area these families saw other human beings only every few months, and sometimes going even up to a year without contact with the outside world and deliveries of supplies.

Whoa.
You better be a bit of a loner!

the cliffs were far too steep (300 feet) to easily hoist the freight up. An ingenious hauling system was built from the sea level to the top of the cliff called a “flying fox”.

I like it... and like the name even more. Can you imagine being hoisted up the cliff with that??

So forlorn.

And a wider view of the whole "shute" that the cables ran in:

Really puts it into perspective. Long way!

Here is a more detailed description of the storehouse, the old well, the remaining jetty/dock on the ocean below, and history of it all in case you are interested.

I clicked on the picture, but it wouldn't load. But that may be a work restriction.

The Remarkable Rocks are perfectly named because they are indeed remarkable!

Remarkable!

Now that certainly is remarkable! Wow!

She's so strong! She lifted that up all by herself.

Huge!!!!
That's so cool!!

It looks like she's being eaten by a rock monster.

At one point, a tour guide for a group of Europeans there struck up a conversation with us when he saw us patiently waiting for a particular spot to clear out and told us he knew of a much better place and personally walked us over to it.

Nice of him.

What a drop dead gorgeous shot! Unfortunate that you're a bit out of focus.

And the one shot EVERYONE wants. Yes, we kinda had to stand in line for it:

So... why was this "the one shot"? I mean, it's interesting, but a couple of the previous ones you posted are better. (IMHO)

We thought we could outsmart the 2 ½ hour, crap road there too (story to follow).

We tooled along with a pretty awesome playlist cranked up (see?):

Was it hot? Then it would be appropriate.

The sheep took notice when we stopped for a photo:

Bird and potty stop:

You went potty on a bird??

We trucked long until we hit a manned roadblock. I cannot make this stuff up. They closed off all traffic (for like all of the 3 cars that might go that way that day?) because… a team of scientists using an infrared (FLIR) helicopter were trying to find the last 5 feral pigs from old times that were roaming loose in that area. (No, I don't know the history of this.) This caused us to have to back-track like an hour and get back on the main road adding way more time to our day than we’d hoped.

I fail to see how a couple of cars would wreck finding some pigs... unless they were under your car.

one couple coming out gave us a word of warning about "this is a snake area".

Knowing you, that probably made you all giddy with anticipation.
I saw one here in town, just the day before yesterday.

I handed Anara my phone with instructions to take whatever photos she wanted. And thus was born the trip's running joke. Every. Single. Time.

​

The lighthouse itself did end up being very different than the previous two. This one, in contrast to its sister beacons was built square.

Huh. Definitely different. Materials, shape, height...

The naked ladies were apparently just as intriguing as I took a few more photos of those than the main attraction.

Um... what?!?!?!?!

. Are there any Terry Brooks fans here? My kids read them ad nauseum a few years ago;

I know of the author, but tend to read more sci fi than fantasy. I may have read something by him, but not sure.

Michaela has his entire anthology with several signed copies.

Impressive! I think he's got over 40 books.

One meet and greet/book signing event that my younger two girls went to was particularly fun for them. Terry asked what their names were and went so far as to tell Anara that her name was one he was going to seriously consider using as a character name for a future book. That never materialized as far as I know, but at a subsequent meeting at another event, he literally remembered her and her name.

That's so cool! I'm sure that made an impression on her.

You know that scene in the Lord of the Rings when Gollum has a temper tantrum? Yeah, that’s what it kind of looked like when we pulled up at 5:45 only to discover that it’d closed at 5:00. Noooooooooooooooooooo!

Oh, no! I can't even imagine how disappointed you both must have been.

we drove down to the Vivonne Bay docks and pier area where there were a few fisherfolk trying to catch some dinner. All of them were Asian speaking so I couldn’t ask them what they had in their buckets.

Interesting. Were they tourists? Or is there a large immigrant population there?

Anara needed a bathroom really badly,

Where's a bird to pee on when you need one.

It was then that the next day’s plans were totally destroyed…. But that’s a bit of travel drama I’ll save for another day.

Uh, oh!

 

[pkondz]

Clinicals have started back up 5 days a week and I work one weekend day, so things are super busy and fairly stressful right now.

You certainly have your hands full!

3 1/2 weeks of clinicals left and I am officially done with my 2 1/2 year program October 31st. Spooky scary!!!

You're almost done! Woot! Hang in there!!

My goal is to take my Board Exams by the end of November.

Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire! You sure don't slow down!

I've spent some time updating my resume and have a couple of leads for jobs, but am willing to expand my search if I don't find something in the first couple of months. Wish me luck!!

Good luck!

 

[pkondz]

Me too. Like hardly ever, and if so, it's junk.

Yep.
I had to talk my mom out of paying for "mail forwarding"
That's such a scam. You pay the post office to change your address... and then if anything is addressed to your old address... it goes there anyways and you never get it.

Money well spent.

Hey, I hear cow dung works really well for fires. Why not roo poo?

Fine... but if you're going to use it in a smoker, I'm gonna pass.
"Food smells like crap!... Literally!"

Are you calling me a lie-r?

I r?

Oy!! Hopefully I can remember this!

Nah. I certainly won't.

They do! I bought my iPhone 15 Pro Max just for this trip!! It does amazingly well!

That's what I have!

It really was. Gave some nice perspective of it's size and a nice piece of subject.

 

[Wood Nymph]

At the same location, just a short walk further on the same trail, was Admiral’s Arch.

That would have been fascinating to explore. It was very unlucky to have it closed when you were there.

But even there, the cliffs were far too steep (300 feet) to easily hoist the freight up. An ingenious hauling system was built from the sea level to the top of the cliff called a “flying fox”.

I find the entire lighthouse and the families to be an interesting story.

At one point, a tour guide for a group of Europeans there struck up a conversation with us when he saw us patiently waiting for a particular spot to clear out and told us he knew of a much better place and personally walked us over to it. Indeed, it was a perfect spot to pose on one of the rocks and get a gorgeous background of the sea as well.

It was definitely worth the wait.

By then it was getting pretty chilly, Anara needed a bathroom really badly, and we were both pretty hungry. With nothing open for dinner and no wine to be had, I sat my dejected butt back in the car and drove the half hour BACK to the cottage for a quiet dinner and an early bedtime.

It sounds like the story is going to get worse.

I've spent some time updating my resume and have a couple of leads for jobs, but am willing to expand my search if I don't find something in the first couple of months. Wish me luck!!

Good luck with the job search. It can take a long time to find the right job, or at least something close to it.

 

[zanzibar138]

The path down was a lovely boardwalk down to the steep coastal edge where one of the world’s largest year-round Fur Seal populations calls home.

Oh, I do love a good boardwalk!

The seal watching did not disappoint!

And seals

OMG how cute is this photo

This interesting natural arch has what you might guess to be stalactites hanging down. Nope! They are fossilized tree roots that have withstood the test of time making for a really neat window photo to the crystal-blue sea beyond. Unfortunately, the viewing platform was being refurbished so the best photos were not possible. I was kinda sad about that as I’d picked this spot out specifically for our KI Tour.

It's always disappointing when you travel so far and look forward to seeing something then it turns out to be closed. Luckily you were still able to see it and get some nice photos despite the viewing platform being out of action.

Apparently, the coast where the lighthouse is was simply too rugged to use for the delivery point. Instead, they chose this spot at Weirs Cove. But even there, the cliffs were far too steep (300 feet) to easily hoist the freight up. An ingenious hauling system was built from the sea level to the top of the cliff called a “flying fox”.

It always amazes me how people used to manage such extreme adversity back in the day. On another note though, do you not have flying foxes in the US? They are now a playground staple over here. Maybe you just call it a zipline

Competing for “that perfect shot” with about a hundred other folks, we managed to get some fun photos of ourselves being really silly and having so much fun! Here are some of the better keepers.

The joys of touristy areas. You got some great shots though!

At one point, a tour guide for a group of Europeans there struck up a conversation with us when he saw us patiently waiting for a particular spot to clear out and told us he knew of a much better place and personally walked us over to it. Indeed, it was a perfect spot to pose on one of the rocks and get a gorgeous background of the sea as well.

Great insight!

The lighthouse is basically at the end of the earth. It’d be tough to get more remote. But the intrepid travelers that we are, we started on our way. We thought we could outsmart the 2 ½ hour, crap road there too (story to follow).

Yeah, I think I would have given up lol!

I handed Anara my phone with instructions to take whatever photos she wanted. And thus was born the trip's running joke. Every. Single. Time.

The lighthouse itself did end up being very different than the previous two. This one, in contrast to its sister beacons was built square.

Well that was interesting at least. I don't think I've ever heard of a square lighthouse before!

You know that scene in the Lord of the Rings when Gollum has a temper tantrum? Yeah, that’s what it kind of looked like when we pulled up at 5:45 only to discover that it’d closed at 5:00. Noooooooooooooooooooo!

I can just imagine!

It was then that the next day’s plans were totally destroyed…. But that’s a bit of travel drama I’ll save for another day.

I'll leave you with this random photo we took along the way. It makes me smile:

​

Love this!

Wish me luck!!

Good luck!

Do you see them often?

We don't have koalas in Western Australia. However, when I lived in a small town in South West Victoria I was lucky enough to see one on rare occasion.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I loved all the seal pictures! I think I certainly would have enjoyed hanging around to see them in action.

How gorgeous were those rocks. And how kind of the tour guide to make sure you found that perfect rock lounger with an even more perfect background.

I felt your disappointment at the shop being closed AND NO WINE!!! Not a great way to end such a beautiful day, that's for sure. And now you've left me hanging, and I'm wondering how the next day's plans fell apart!!! Hopefully all was not lost. I'm sure there was an adventure out of it anyway.

GOOD LUCK as you wrap up your clinicals and prepare to take your boards. I know you're going to crush it! All this hard work will pay off!

 

[Steppesister]

H is for: Happy Endings on Kangaroo Island

***** Warning: A lot of drivel on the front end of this chapter. But sometimes stories are a-okay.*****
​

We slept peacefully under the Southern Cross wondering if more roos would visit our little yard at the Postman’s Cottage and woke to a bright sunny morning- perfect for more touring on what would be our last full day on KI. A couple of nights before Anara had washed a good amount of her clothes and laid them out to dry. It took 2 days for most of them to dry even in the sun, but she gathered those up and she got herself packed up. I made a French press of coffee and basked in the morning sunlight soaking up the warmth and a few moments of solitude. We loaded the car with our bags and the few remaining picnic items we had left and zoomed off…

Now, remember I’d mentioned some drama? (No, you probably don't because that was like a month ago I'd mentioned it.) The evening before I’d gotten a call from the Hanson Bay Wildlife Refuge where we’d booked a guided evening walking tour. Actually, I’d booked BOTH a morning walk AND and an evening tour, but the company called me back and told me they really didn’t recommend both as it was probably going to be a lot of repeat sightings and not worth the money. After some discussion, and this was MONTHS prior to our trip, we’d decided to keep just the morning one for the morning I’m writing about, and the liaison went ahead and both cancelled the evening one and refunded my money.


Fast forward to the evening before this day, while we were at the Headquarters checking our mail:


“We have you booked for a tour right now? Where are you?”


“Ummmm, that’s tomorrow morning. The director and I talked about this, and he’d cancelled this night tour and we’re supposed to be going tomorrow morning.”


“Oh dear, that’s not what our records say and there are NO tours tomorrow at all. There is no staff scheduled.”


“But I have the emails and can show you!”


“I’m so sorry, but we really can’t do anything.”


SAY WHAT?!!! I was pretty disappointed to say the least. The sanctuary was at least half an hour away and the tour group was leaving when they actually called me, so we couldn’t make it in time even if we wanted to. There was an option to drive all the way the next night, from Penneshaw (2 hours away) but that would have us driving in the dark and since we’d seen hundreds of dead kangaroos and wallabies on the roads (no, I’m not exaggerating) I took a hard pass.

So, with some extra time in our day, we headed out and ended up back at the Headquarters for a morning WiFi connection. And thus, began small snafu #2 (#3? #4?) The really super nice car rental lady called me and informed me that the bus return ticket I’d booked was for the PM bus instead of the one we needed in the AM. Luckily, somehow, she had access to the passenger manifest for those buses and I made a quick call with the number she gave me, and it was all straightened out. I’d also booked my rental car return for the wrong day, so she got that straightened out too. She was so sweet and told me not to even worry about it, that folks from the US do that all the time because 1) the date change messes up with bookings, and 2) people change their plans because of ferry schedules all the time and besides, she added, no one is stealing a rental car off of an island served only by ferry! LOL!

The park headquarters has some really nice pit toilets, so we made sure to use those before we go on the road. These rosella birds were so beautiful, and we just couldn’t help but take some time to watch them.

​

And yes, the resident koalas were once again hanging out in the trees near the potties, but unfortunately, they weren’t very photogenic this morning.

No ifs or ands... just butts:

​

Business taken care of, we headed for the Hanson Bay Wildlife Refuge. My hope was that someone would be there in an office or such as we could ask if we could just wander around on our own. We parked in the deserted dirt lot and started to look for a building. No such luck. About that time a truck drove up and asked if he could help us. I explained who I was and that we were still hoping for a look around, but he said, “No, unfortunately, due to liabilities and such, we couldn't just walk around on the property.” I did say how disappointed I was, and hoped they’d refund my other tour as well. (They did.) Ah well.

From there we wound up stopping to take a short hike at Kelly Hill. There are some caves there that you can tour with a guide, but we opted to just take a short walk for about 45 minutes or so. Once again it was mostly on an easy dirt trail with some portions a boardwalk making it a very casual, easy stroll.

(No koalas up there)​

Our next stop was Seal Bay. You’d think you could see seals here, but instead, it is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia. They are massive and super fun to watch. There is a fee to see them and the two options are a guided tour which allows you ON to the beach where they get you within about 50 yards of the animals or a self-guided walk down the long boardwalk to an observation deck which was just fine. As it was, we each paid about $20 to see the sea lions.

​

The quarter mile or so path on the raised boardwalk was easy enough and it was definitely a tourist hotspot. There were quite a few people coming or going even in the stiff breeze and cooler morning temperature.

​

There were two highlights that made this a fun stop. The first was this gargantuan juvenile humpback skeleton. It washed up in 1984 in a storm and this is what remains. We were both fascinated at how HUGE it was.

​

While the sea lions that lounge and play on the beach and in the surf are indeed very fun to watch, the 2nd highlight was the mother and pup that were RIGHT under the observation deck at the end of the boardwalk. They seemed to be completely unbothered by the crowd above them and we stood for a good 20 minutes watching their interactions.

Video of the Mama and Baby. Sorry for the LOUD wind (I did say it was windy) but you can hear it's cute little squeals.

​

And now a montage of sea lion photos for your viewing pleasure:

​

With that, we headed to our Airbnb, the same one we’d stayed at our first night on KI at Baudin Beach. When we came across this, our day was absolutely made. Hands down one of the coolest wildlife sightings we’d gotten to see was this pair of Monitor Lizards, getting a little afternoon delight shamelessly on the road. Interrupting their little interlude, we snapped a few photos and moved on.

(Rosenberg's Monitor)​

Leaving the cavorting pair behind, we made it to the room and, quickly stashed our bags, and headed out again, this time for a little wine tasting. Anara doesn’t drink wine at all, but I was anxious to try a few of the offerings in S. Australia. The only winery that was open was the Dudley Winery about 20 minutes beyond the Airbnb. The setting was absolutely perfect. The sun was warm; the wines were delicious. Luckily, they were open and we didn’t feel rushed but it was just about closing time, and we were getting hungry anyway.

(My fave by far)​

I sipped and we chatted and after I’d delivered opinions on each one, we hit the road to find a bite of dinner.

We ended up at the Penneshaw Pub for a giant burger and it was soooo yummy. Rumors are true, beets on a burger is actually a thing in Australia. I’m a fan. Since I’d paid for Seal Bay, Anara picked up the dinner tab and even paid for a nice glass of KI wine for me.

Yes, there was ham on the hamburger too. ​

With that, it was time for showers, a movie (Night in the Museum), and bed. The alarm was set for a 6:30 wake up so we needed to get some good rest before our next full day of travelling not only back to the mainland, but also on to Tasmania! Lots more to come, Friends. Thanks for sticking with me!

 

[Steppesister]

Whelp...

I've nearly come to the culmination of my long, very difficult, 2 1/2 year Family Nurse Practitioner/Master's Program. I've turned in my last paper and only have my Exit Exam to take tomorrow and my last Clinical day on Monday to finish up. I can't hardly believe it! Words can't describe how relieved, excited, tired, and happy I am right now. It'll be nice to have some time "off" for a bit.

My hope it to get my graduation conferred by next week and then get my ATT or Authorization to Test which allows me to sit my national board exam(s). Once I get that I can schedule and take my exam then move on to the process of getting my Kentucky (?) licensure and DEA prescribing license for controlled meds. It's a lot... one step at a time. UGH.

All that to say, with some time on my hands, I might be able to turn my attention back to this TR and finish it up. Fingers crossed.

I know I am a chapter behind in replies to you. I will get to those soon. Pinky swear. Hope you are all well!!

 

[pkondz]

H is for: Happy Endings on Kangaroo Island

Will. Not. Comment. On. Title.

Will... Not...

We slept peacefully under the Southern Cross

Everyone has to bear their own cross...

It took 2 days for most of them to dry even in the sun,

I'm surprised by that. But... I guess being an island, it's not nearly as arid as central Oz.

Now, remember I’d mentioned some drama? (No, you probably don't because that was like a month ago I'd mentioned it.)

“Oh dear, that’s not what our records say and there are NO tours tomorrow at all. There is no staff scheduled.”

that would have us driving in the dark and since we’d seen hundreds of dead kangaroos and wallabies on the roads (no, I’m not exaggerating)

Yeah... Nope!!

The really super nice car rental lady called me and informed me that the bus return ticket I’d booked was for the PM bus instead of the one we needed in the AM.

She really saved your bacon!

I’d also booked my rental car return for the wrong day, so she got that straightened out too.

I'm beginning to be a bit surprised that anything went right on this portion of the trip.

besides, she added, no one is stealing a rental car off of an island served only by ferry! LOL!

The park headquarters has some really nice pit toilets, so we made sure to use those before we go on the road.

Thanks for sharing. This is the kind of TR reporting that we need more of!

Wow, those are really pretty!

No ifs or ands... just butts:

oy

I did say how disappointed I was, and hoped they’d refund my other tour as well. (They did.)

At least you got your moolah back.

(No koalas up there)

Just massive spiders.


Massive.

Our next stop was Seal Bay. You’d think you could see seals here, but instead, it is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia.

Huh. I wonder if there were seals there before, but they got displaced by the sea lions. Or they were misidentified as seals originally.

There is a fee to see them and the two options are a guided tour which allows you ON to the beach where they get you within about 50 yards of the animals or a self-guided walk down the long boardwalk to an observation deck which was just fine. As it was, we each paid about $20 to see the sea lions.

How much was the other option? Significantly more?

There were two highlights that made this a fun stop. The first was this gargantuan juvenile humpback skeleton. It washed up in 1984 in a storm and this is what remains. We were both fascinated at how HUGE it was.

Too bad there's no sense of scale. Looks pretty cool, though.

the 2nd highlight was the mother and pup that were RIGHT under the observation deck at the end of the boardwalk.

How lucky is that! You didn't pay more (I'm guessing?) to get close, but instead you got closer!

you can hear it's cute little squeals.

me

Also me X 3.

Hands down one of the coolest wildlife sightings we’d gotten to see was this pair of Monitor Lizards, getting a little afternoon delight shamelessly on the road.

Lizardous interruptus.
No happy endings here.

Interrupting their little interlude, we snapped a few photos and moved on.

Rude. Could've waited until they were done. Sheesh.

we made it to the room and, quickly stashed our bags, and headed out again, this time for a little wine tasting. Anara doesn’t drink wine at all,

So... what did she do? Sit and stare at you as you sipped?

Like this shot.

Rumors are true, beets on a burger is actually a thing in Australia. I’m a fan.

Huh! I'm not sure if I would be.

Since I’d paid for Seal Bay, Anara picked up the dinner tab and even paid for a nice glass of KI wine for me.

Nice of her.

Yes, there was ham on the hamburger too.

I was wondering what that was. I've had that and I'm definitely for it.

a movie (Night in the Museum),

Good choice.

 

[pkondz]

I've turned in my last paper and only have my Exit Exam to take tomorrow and my last Clinical day on Monday to finish up.

Wow! Congratulations! It's been a long road!

I can't hardly believe it! Words can't describe how relieved, excited, tired, and happy I am right now. It'll be nice to have some time "off" for a bit.

I bet! I'm sure it was a ton of work from what you've described/mentioned.

My hope it to get my graduation conferred by next week and then get my ATT or Authorization to Test which allows me to sit my national board exam(s). Once I get that I can schedule and take my exam then move on to the process of getting my Kentucky (?) licensure and DEA prescribing license for controlled meds. It's a lot... one step at a time. UGH.

You'll get there. Look at how far you've come already.

All that to say, with some time on my hands, I might be able to turn my attention back to this TR and finish it up. Fingers crossed.

Woot!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

A couple of nights before Anara had washed a good amount of her clothes and laid them out to dry. It took 2 days for most of them to dry even in the sun, but she gathered those up and she got herself packed up.

I thought it was a dry climate?

While the sea lions that lounge and play on the beach and in the surf are indeed very fun to watch, the 2nd highlight was the mother and pup that were RIGHT under the observation deck at the end of the boardwalk. They seemed to be completely unbothered by the crowd above them and we stood for a good 20 minutes watching their interactions.

That looks like a perfect viewing location.

We ended up at the Penneshaw Pub for a giant burger and it was soooo yummy. Rumors are true, beets on a burger is actually a thing in Australia. I’m a fan.

I like beets but it does seem like they don't belong on a burger.

I've nearly come to the culmination of my long, very difficult, 2 1/2 year Family Nurse Practitioner/Master's Program. I've turned in my last paper and only have my Exit Exam to take tomorrow and my last Clinical day on Monday to finish up. I can't hardly believe it! Words can't describe how relieved, excited, tired, and happy I am right now. It'll be nice to have some time "off" for a bit.

Congratulations! You must be thrilled to have gotten through the program. Good luck with the final steps.