The ferry to Kangaroo Island – leaving from Cape Jervis operated by SeaLink – takes about 45 min to pass the 20 km. On the ferry we spotted about three trucks transporting sheep grown on the island back to mainland on four levels. Our first destination on the island was Cape Willoughby and its lighthouse. To reach out there, we had to drive about 20 km on an unsealed road with our caravan, trying to escape all holes, not that easy in the end. However, the view over there was amazing and the coffee in Zest and Thyme delicious. Thereafter, we drove back to Penneshaw and then to Seal Bay, where we took a guided tour to the beach to see the New Zealand Sea Lions resting here on the beach and preparing for the upcoming breeding season. These sea lions are usually out in the ocean for about three days and eat about one third of their body weight. The following three days they rest and warm up on the beach. The sand bank in front of the bay contributes to the creation of a safe area of shelter without letting enemies such as sharks or killer whales in. The males can get up to 400 kg, while the females are pregnant for 18 months. On our first night we stayed at Vivonne Bay right next to the beach.

On the following day we reached out to the Remarkable Rocks, a collection of huge eroded and piled rocks at sunrise and what a sunrise it was (see picture)! Thereafter, we saw sea lions again at the Admirals Arch, a natural bridge, where the waves were so strong that the water got a fully white due to the foam. In the Flinders Chase National Park we took the Heritage Walk and saw koala bears and local kangaroos, however, no platypus. Kangaroo Island kangaroos are much smaller than the ones on the mainland, however, more resistant thanks to their thick grey fur. Furthermore, we drove north to the Stokes Bay and walked on a narrow trail to a very peaceful sandy beach. In Kingscote we took an aperitif to cheer on this wonderful day.

On Saturday, it got even warmer again, around 25 degrees and we visited the local Kingscote Show, a mixture of a market and a fair going on this weekend. It was quite fun to see how locals amuse themselves. A walk to the peer, where we spotted numerous pelicans, showed us again the clearness and calmness of the ocean water and the richness of animals on this island.