Kangaroo Island Adventure

Posted by Elizabeth Markwell

Seventeen members of Melbourne Sunrise Probus club and six friends recently set off on a three-night adventure to Kangaroo Island, with plenty of excitement about the days ahead!

Our adventure began at the Parkroyal Hotel, Melbourne Airport, where we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks followed by a delicious meal and a good night’s sleep before our early morning flight.

We headed to the airport for our 7.00am flight from Melbourne to Adelaide. Once in Adelaide, we met up with our fellow travellers from Sydney and our coach driver, Gary. There was a short delay while we waited for the Sydney flight to arrive, but soon we were all together and ready to begin our journey. Gary proved to be a wonderful driver and companion throughout our trip, providing interesting and informative commentary during much of the journey. He was a wealth of knowledge about the Adelaide and Kangaroo Island areas and was always very attentive to our needs.

Friday was mainly a travelling day, with a stop at Victor Harbor where we enjoyed some of the most delicious fish and chips before continuing on to Cape Jervis. From there, we boarded the ferry for the trip across to Kangaroo Island, eventually arriving in Kingscote, our home for the next three nights.

Saturday brought our first full day of exploring the island. We visited the Honey Farm, where we learnt about the fascinating Ligurian bees. We then enjoyed a BBQ lunch at the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery, followed by a look around this interesting local attraction. After lunch, we headed to Raptor Domain, where we got up close to some magnificent birds of prey. We had the wonderful opportunity to hold some of the birds and see these impressive creatures at close range. This was certainly the highlight of the day! After a busy day of sightseeing, we returned to our hotel for pre-dinner drinks and plenty of time to relax, chat and socialise before enjoying dinner together. It was a wonderful day filled with interesting places, good food and great company.

Sunday was another exciting day of sightseeing as we explored more of the natural beauty of Kangaroo Island. Our first stop was Seal Bay, where we were delighted to see many sea lions waddling up out of the water to bask in the sunshine on the rocks and warm sand. Watching them come ashore and settle down for a rest was a real highlight of the day! We then continued on to Flinders Chase National Park, where we visited the spectacular Remarkable Rocks. These impressive natural formations, set against the rugged coastline, provided some wonderful scenery and plenty of opportunities for photos.

Monday arrived all too quickly, and after packing up and enjoying breakfast, we sadly said goodbye to Kingscote and began our journey back to the ferry at Penneshaw. Once we arrived back on the “big” island, we travelled north through the coastal townships towards Wirra Wirra Winery, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and some wine tasting — a lovely way to finish our South Australian adventure.

Then it was back on the bus for the journey to Adelaide Airport, where we said a fond farewell to our wonderful driver, Gary, and to our Sydney travelling companions. Our Sydney friends boarded their flight home, while we headed off on our flight back to Melbourne, taking with us plenty of happy memories of a wonderful three-night Kangaroo Island adventure shared with good friends and great company.