We spent four days in Perth, after which we flew to Adelaide. My luggage packing was at a professional level before. Still, it became just like a special forces soldier before a combat mission, for which 3 minutes were allotted for packing. So, if anyone can’t imagine how you can cram everything you want into the small space of a suitcase, then call me. Like a “luggage superman,” I will rush to the rescue, and in a matter of minutes, the pile of clothes will be perfectly packed, and there will also be some free space.
Airport Rehearsals
Sitting at Perth airport, I felt almost at home, and my orientation in the airport space reached unattainable heights. The procedures for self-automated check-in and attaching luggage tags were especially rehearsed, which we previously usually trusted airport employees. Also, I write in my diary whenever I have a free minute, even at the airport.
Journey to Adelaide
We flew to Adelaide to visit Kangaroo Island, and I needed help finding direct flights from Perth to Melbourne, but only with transfers. However, the pictures we saw from Kangaroo Island on the Internet were mesmerising. As usual, we never see all the beauties with which the Internet infection lures us.
Kangaroo Island Exploration
The excursion to Kangaroo Island was, I think, the most tiring because 16 hours of continuous movement is strict! First, a Kangaroo Island tour bus picked us up from the hotel, which continued to pick up tourists from other hotels. We approached the ferry terminal two hours later, where we needed to get to the island. The sailing time is only 45 minutes. Even though it is located only 112 kilometres from Adelaide, it took almost 4 hours to get there.
Kangaroo Island Wonders
Over half of the island’s area is an area humans have never cultivated, and unique endemics are carefully preserved. About a third of the entire territory is allocated for parks and reserves, which is why the island resembles one continuous national park. And this is precisely what attracts hundreds of tourists from around the world here.
Matthew Flinders and Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island separated from the mainland about 10 thousand years ago. In 1802, Matthew Flinders, travelling from England to Sydney, was the first explorer to land on Kangaroo Island. Upon landing, the British saw vast herds of kangaroos. The sailors hunted these animals for two days, preparing meat for their journey. The newly discovered land received a logical name—Kangaroo Island.
Flinders’ Legacy
In 2011, the people of Australia petitioned the UK government to provide them with a map that accurately depicted the continent for the first time and named it by the name we know today: “Australia.” This map was drawn by the same Matthew Flinders in 1804, that is, 34 years after the discovery of Australia by James Cook. Flinders was the first European to explore the coastline of Australia in detail and not only put it on the map but also wrote a book about his journey, in which he proposed to call the new continent “Australia officially”.
Remarkable Rocks and Cape du Couedic Lighthouse
This English explorer of Australia completed the discovery of the entire Australian coast, discovered the only safe passage in the Torres Strait, proved Tasmania’s island nature, and mapped the Great Barrier Reef and the Gulf of Carpentaria. He proposed the name Australia for the southern continent. On the geographical map, his name is given to a group of islands and a strait in the Great Barrier Reef, a river in the north of Australia, a ridge in South Australia, and many Australian settlements.
Among the exciting things you can also mention is the Lighthouse at Cape du Couedic Lighthouse. On June 27, 1909, the light from this lighthouse illuminated the ocean waters for the first time, illuminating the way for sailors who once suffered widespread disasters off the coast of Kangaroo Island. Situated at an altitude of 100 meters above sea level and having a height of 25 meters, it looks almost gigantic and is the third lighthouse on the island and the 15th on the entire coast of South Australia.
Seal Bay Conservation Park
Well, we saw a real natural show in Seal Bay Conservation Park. This protected area can only be accessed with a local guide. You can only walk on a small section of wooden flooring, but the cutest cats are worth it. Approaching the seals to avoid disturbing them is strictly forbidden, although they are not afraid of people and calmly allow themselves to be photographed. They know how to pose professionally.
Conclusion
I was happy to stop in Adelaide to visit Kangaroo Island instead of going directly to Melbourne. And even the gruelling 16-hour excursion was not a hindrance, although as I saw, many tourists come there for a week, and there are tours not like ours for one day, but for two days. If I had known that it would be so interesting there, I would have chosen a 2-day tour, which I recommend to everyone. Having returned to the hotel late in the evening, all that was left was to fall into bed and sleep for at least five minutes because we were flying to Melbourne early the following day. If you love travel around Australia to see beautiful mountains and you are not a big driver I would recommend to try on of the best a largest travel tour operator Blue Mountains tours. They have an amazing 1 and 2 days trips from Sydney to Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley.
