Day 3 Kangaroo Island

Good news.  Jeri is back with the living!  We are off to KI.  More to come later.

We had minimal internet at our hotel on KI. Here are the catch-up postings.

Today, with Jeri on the mend, we had an early start to really begin our Australian adventure.  We were severely restricted with respect to our luggage weight  for our flight to Kangaroo Island (33 lb. luggage and 15 lb. carry on) so we had to leave our large suitcases in Adelaide.  We had planned to use public lockers, but a very nice woman from whom we asked directions  told us that  our airline would store the bags until our return 3 days later. Turns out, they will even bring the bags to the baggage carousel at our return flight.  Saved us a lot of schlepping.

The flight was no more than 30 minutes from Adelaide to the largest (I think only) town on KI, Kingscote, pop. 2,500.  We were met by two of the guides from our hotel, Allistair, and Claire (who just started 3 days ago- in the trainee phase).  Allistair has a background in environmental studies and has an amazing amount of knowledge of the flora and fauna of the island.  He’s also a keen photographer which is helpful.

The trip from the airport to Southern Ocean Lodge was about 50 min on mostly paved road  (last couple of miles were dirt).  The lodge is in the middle of nowhere, but  and pretty unassuming when you drive up, but once you set foot inside, the Wow factor is amazing.  The entire rear of the hotel is ceiling to floor glass (including all the guest rooms) with outstanding views of the Southern Ocean.  If you look real hard you can see Antarctica about 3,000 miles away.

We were greeted by the manager who showed us to our gorgeous room.  

After describing to us the amenities, he told us that there was a key to the room, but no one locks there doors.  Jeri and I looked at each other and laughed.  Where did we hear that before? BOTSWANA!  We politely informed him that our door would be locked and the safe used.  Fool me once……. After we explained our prior experience to him, he agreed that locking, for us , would be best.

After lunch, we headed out with Allistair and Claire for a hike along the cliffs near the hotel. 

The weather was very changeable and not at all seasonal, with cool temps, wind, and a bit of light rain off and on.  

                                                     

The scenery was beautiful, and we got to see a bit of wildlife including several species of birds, including an Osprey, and a goanna, a large (3-4 foot) monitor lizard.  This animal is the top of the food chain along with the Australian eagle.  The goanna eats just about anything it can get its mouth on.  It has a really cool forked tongue, which we patiently waited for it to stick out to try to get a photo.

After our hike, we met up again with our guides and several other guests for Kangaroos and Canapes (AKA Roos and Booze).  There is an old sheep farm adjacent to Southern Ocean Lodge that was turned over to conservation land when the owner passed away.  The grazing land that was cleared is perfect habitat for kangaroos.  They estimate the population of kangaroos on KI is about 200,000,  and they have become a nuisance for the farmers  because they eat crops.  100-200 make there home around this old sheep farm.  On the way to the kangaroos, we found an interesting animal by the side of the road, and Echidna.  This is a quill-covered monotreme (like the platypus, it lays eggs but has mammary glands), about the size of a woodchuck.  It has a short, thin snout that it sticks down into the ground to find insects, its source of food.  The snout has receptors that pick up electrical signals from insects to help locate them.

                       

                                                    

Next stop, kangaroo heaven.  As we drove up to the old 2 room house on the property, we spotted 50-100 kangaroos scattered around an open field.  They did not appear terribly skittish, allowing us to get within 10-15 yards  of them.  They have extremely powerful hind legs and when fighting, can balance on there tail and kick  their opponent.  There are also long sharp nails which could severe injuries as well.  We got to see a few altercations in the mob (this is the term used for a herd of roos), but no blood.

                                             

On the way back to the hotel, we spotted a couple of wallabies, which look like short stocky kangaroos, by the side of the road hiding in the bush.  We’ll probably see a lot more of both of these before our trip is through.

Tomorrow, Koalas and sea lions.