Today is one that comes
along ever so rarely, when everything around you is perfect. It is so
beautiful, that even though I wanted to take a nap, I didn’t want to miss a
moment of the day. We have just finished
eating lunch outside, on the back deck of the ship. The skies are sunny, the
temperature is just right for sitting outside and there is a very slight
breeze. Against the backdrop of islands off in the distance, we are surrounded
by calm water, turquoise in color and as clean and fresh as the air we are
breathing. We have to pinch ourselves to be certain that this is real. It could
not be more beautiful.
This morning we pulled
into the port city of Peeneshaw, Kangaroo Island (population 200). We took the
tenders to shore and boarded buses for an overview of this jewel of an island. I
had read that “the best thing about Kangaroo Island is just being there” and we
found this to be true. Although it is isolated (one gets here by ship or by the
ferry that runs from Adelaide) and much of the land is untouched and unspoiled,
there is a surprising amount of activity on the island.
True to its name,
there are kangaroos, and we saw a few, dark brown in color, in their natural
environment. This was only because the morning skies were cloudy. Kangaroos and penguins that are on this island are nocturnal. There is also a sheep dairy
and cheese factory; a honey farm, as this is home to the last wild colonies of
ligurian bees; a distillery, featuring spirits and liquors with unique
Australian flavors; a lavender farm and a conservation park where one can
observe up to 500
dark New Zealand fur seals from a boardwalk along the beach. We saw lakes that were naturally covered with salt that the early seal hunters used to preserve the animals, a practice that is thankfully no more. The island also supports rock lobster fishing and a growing number of wineries. Kingscote, the
island’s largest city (population 300) boasts a two-street downtown, in which my husband quickly found the
bakery. None of these outshine
the beautiful bays, beaches and vistas, the abundance of eucalyptus trees and
small bushes called "melaluka", and the many species
of birds.
If there was a
disappointment, it was that we could not see all of these during our short stay. We have learned about a wonderful place to stay here called the South Ocean Lodge. Who
knows, there should always be a reason to return!
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