Normanville camp was recommended by one of the Big 4 Camp managers who said that the location by the Gulf and with a long jetty made it a favourite for campers. He was so right! What a beautiful place and a short walk to the safe for swimming beach. Guess I didn't tell you that one of our first curiosities when we arrived in Sydney was the sight of fences attached to very tall poles in the ocean. We saw people swimming inside these fences. Then we saw them everywhere and discovered that they protect swimmers from shark attacks. Wow! Isn't that something? I think that could become my favourite place to swim!!
The next day Jan 5, we arrived at Cape Jervis in time for the 1 pm ferry. It was only 45 minutes to Kangaroo Island and we met the nicest young couple and their two children prior to boarding. They were on their way to Kingscote for a family reunion that no one knew they would be attending. They had driven from Perth towing a caravan behind their 4 x 4. They did some off-roading and hit a bump so large that it propelled a leaf spring up through the floor of the caravan. There was no way they could get it all the way to the island so they left it 750 km west of Adelaide and stayed at hotels instead. He is a firefighter with lots of stories to tell and she is a real estate agent. What a hoot they were! We were sad when we landed and said "goodbye". They gave us great information re travelling to Perth and up to the Outback.
We visited Kingscote on the west coast and had lunch by the water then drove across the island to the east side and our camp, situation right beside the Flinders Chase National Park. We could not believe our eyes as we drove in among gum trees and saw everyone staring up into the trees. There above us were wild koala's. What a location this was! Very rustic and natural with a lagoon and a koala walk. A huge kangaroo greeted us at our campsite and we saw hundreds of wallabies while there. Parrots (Rosella's) screeched over our heads....white with pink heads as well as black with yellow crests.
Early the next morning we left the camp and drove into the park through thousands and thousands of hectares of forest. Everywhere you looked were unusual grasses in various colours, tall ferns and beautiful trees.
The highlight of our day was in seeing the Remarkable Rocks which looked as though a giant had hurled enormous boulders down with them shattering into the most unusual shapes. It was a beautiful day however the winds up on the rocks were intense. It was all we could do to keep our feet on the ground.
A few km away was Admirals Arch where there is a colony of Australian and New Zealand fur seals. The boardwalk and stairs brought us really close. The sea was wild and it was fun to watch the seals surfing on the waves.
Under Admiral's Arch
Back to the camp where we had dinner then walked through the forest to observe the koala's (like watching paint dry they appear to be hardly breathing) once more.
Jan 7 - Back to the port where we caught the ferry back to the mainland. Much rougher ride as the winds were still high as were the waves. The captain had to use ropes thrown from the ship to the pier to pivot the boat and reverse into position at Cape Jervis. We had dolphins accompanying us on our crossing. Lovely!
Arriving at Cape Jervis we drove down the east coast of the peninsula to have lunch at Victor Harbour. ....a beautiful port. A lovely restaurant was recommended to us right by the water. We watched lawn bowlers nearby and the boats on the water.
Our return to Adelaide was once again through vineyards and olive groves. Idyllic!
We will be spending a couple of days here then will be on the long trek to Perth.
Love to all!
APB! Does anyone recognize this man seen scoping us out from the ferry docks??? Mrs B.?????? If it is our friend Mr. B. he's headed the wrong way and two days behind us.
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