Markets, beaches and moving day........

We woke up to a clear morning, still cold but not wet which was wonderful.  Not inviting enough to eat outside we stayed warm while we had breakfast.  

We drove into Penneshaw and found the Farmers Market at Lloyd Collins Reserve right beside the beach.  It was a glorious day with blue sky and no wind and though small it was a fabulous market with such great produce available.

We bought some more honey, both liquid and creamed, some delicious Sticky Figs to eat with our Sheep's Cheese.  Tried and bought some home made Choko pickles.  A fairly ugly looking vegetable but a yummy pickle!  Some little home made cakes and biscuits (no diets while on holidays) and I was thrilled when I found the Island Pure Sheep dairy were selling their delicious sheep Yoghurt with honey.  I went home with a big tub this time!  Now I just have to find a stockist at home.

Leaving the market we stopped for a coffee and some grocery shopping before we made our way back towards American River stopping along the way at each little bay we came too.

Our first stop was Baudin Beach (American Beach) where we found a memorial to the Independence (above) and one to Mary Beckwith, a convict taken on board Le Géographe at Port Jackson, who was the first European woman to visit the island.  A little jetty catered for the fisher folk but the signs said no swimming.  Not sure why.  

A little further around Eastern Cove we explored Island Beach, Sapphire Town and Strawberry Point.  Standing right on the point we looked across Pelican Lagoon to our campsite at American River.  

As we drove back along the other side of the peninsula we passed Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park and the American River Aquatic Reserve.  

Our next stop was at Remembrance Reserve and Independence Point.  This commemorates the American sealers who landed here in 1803.  They built a schooner here which they called Independence though the replica of this vessel is not here but on the main Hog Bay Road.

We returned home then to have lunch before enjoying our afternoon just relaxing with the birds and the view.

We finished our afternoon with a final drive to check out The Glossy Black Cockatoos and once again were lucky enough to find them at two locations.  

One bird that gave us no trouble at all was Pete the Pelican.  Sitting on a pole at a junction in town he points people in the right direction to follow a sightseeing trail.  Cute idea and of course we did that so got a pretty good look at this little village.

Back at home we settled in for our last night as the next morning we were packing up and heading to Flinders Chase National Park at the other end of Island.  We had loved our time here and the Council campground was just perfect and so much nicer than the previous Park.  It was a shame to be leaving this wonderful view but with lots more to see and do it made it a little easier to pack up the next morning.

On our way after breakfast we called into Kingscote, first for coffee then some grocery shopping, before getting back in the car and driving straight to Flinders Chase National Park.  We arrived after midday and soon had a camp site organised and were all set up once more.

Here at the FCNP the camp sites are all unpowered with four larger drive through sites for the bigger campers, vans and fifth wheelers.  Once again we were the only people here at this time so  were allocated one of the larger drive through sites. These were very big and fairly private with lots of trees and bushes between the camp sites.  Just the one odd thing was they were all bitumen and really looked just like we had stopped in the middle of the road and set up camp!  Very odd but at least there was no mud to track inside.  

After lunch Bill set up the solar panels and we had a wander around our immediate vicinity to  check out where all the important things were.  I was expecting fairly basic facilities but found the most wonderful spotlessly clean bathrooms with 4 showers and 6 flush toilets!  There was also 2 camp kitchens with gas barbecues and a fabulous Visitor Information Centre complete with cafe so we were good for coffee as well.  What more could we want!

Once we had discovered everything around us we decided that we had done enough for that day and so settled in for a quiet afternoon and evening.  Bill had lots of birds and cute little Tamar Wallabies to keep him happy and I had my books.

That night we ventured down to the camp kitchen where Bill cooked our dinner with a cheeky possum for company.  Back at home we ate, watched a movie and slept well in the quiet, quiet night.

Tomorrow we explore ...........

Sea Lions and Birds of Prey......

Waking the next morning we discovered it had rained all night and it was forecast for the whole day as well.  I suppose this is the risk you take when you holiday in winter!  With not much to keep us busy here we decided that a day of sightseeing might be the way to avoid the worst of the weather.

Kangaroo Island is famed for its wildlife and Seal Bay on the South Coast is one of the main attractions.  We drove over during the morning and were soon walking along the boardwalks overlooking Seal Bay Conservation Park.  Here the Australian Sea Lions swim, rest and play in their natural environment while the elevated boardwalk gets you up close enough to almost touch them.

They also do tours here where you can walk on the beach with them but as a bus load had just arrived we opted for the boardwalk instead and enjoyed our time there.  The baby sea lions were very active and one of them was a little naughty and being chased around a bush by Mum.  Quite amusing and just so cute we spent lots of time here just enjoying the experience. They are also very noisy and smelly!

Leaving the boardwalk we drove the short distance around to Bales Beach, the next bay just around the headland.  We walked down onto the beach and while there were no seals on the sand we did see a few swimming in the shallows nearby.  

As we walked back to the car the drizzle started again so we went in search of somewhere dry for our next stop.  We found this not far along the road in the form of Raptor Domain.  I loved the Bee welcoming you at the front door!

A bird and reptile park where during the hour long 'inflight' presentation you can get up close and personal with the birds. These include the majestic eagles, mystical owls, spectacular falcons and cheeky kookaburras.

Arriving with over an hour until the next show we opted to wait in the cafe cum information centre cum gift shop and filled in our time with coffee and watched the Kangaroo Island video whetting our appetite to see lots more of the island.  The temperature seemed to be plummeting and even inside here we needed to add more layers but at least the rain had stopped by the time we made our way outside to see the 'Birds of Prey' in action.

It was worth the wait and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing these beautiful birds up close.  The Barn Owl, and the lovely Barking Owl were very friendly and so soft.  

The Australian Hobby was very fast and such a handsome little fellow.  

The Black Breasted Buzzard bigger and so intelligent as he used the rocks to crack the egg shells to get his food.

The two kookaburras, Banjo and Clancy, were just so cute and cheeky they had the audience chuckling away as they tried to steal the food from the handlers bag.  Too fast for photos though so you will just have to imagine them!

And of course to see the majestic Wedge Tailed Eagle so close was almost as special as seeing them soaring overhead in the wild.

Bill got some lovely pictures of these birds and while he does prefer to get these shots in the wild, places like these give you the opportunity to see some you might not otherwise find.

We left here and drove back to American River trying our luck again where we saw the cockatoos last night.  In luck again we found two birds feeding quietly on a small drooping she-oak and once again Bill spent a half hour or so with the camera clicking before returning to the Oystercatchers at our doorstep.

With darkness closing in again and the temperature plummeting we headed home to the heater and a big pot of chicken and vegetable soup.  Hopefully tomorrow would be fine as we intended to head back to Penneshaw for the Farmers Market in the morning.

Until then..........

Loving American River......

With no-one else in the campgrounds when we arrived we chose a site right beside the water and not too long after Bill had the van up and the outside sorted while I had the inside done and lunch made.

American River is a quiet village nestled on a hillside, but it's neither American nor a river!  It is named after a group of American sealers who landed here in 1803 and camped along the narrow inlet from the sea which at the time they mistook for a river.

It is a bird photographers paradise with mainly seabirds around the campgrounds but American River is also home to the very rare Glossy Black Cockatoo.  These birds eat the seeds from the Drooping She-oak trees and with many of these here there is a small colony of them if you are lucky enough to find them.  Pete had told us where to look so later that afternoon we went in search of them, but first we explored!

A walk to the wharf had us looking over Pelican Lagoon, first described by Nicholas Baudin in 1803 as 'Port des Pelikans'.   We never saw less than a dozen at any one time and the morning and evening flybys were just wonderful.

Looking out from the wharf the sheltered waters are home to many boats anchored in this beautiful lagoon.  

Walking along a little further we came across the bird hide and here we found a number of the beautiful Black Swans that call American River home.  A little further down the road there is even a 'slow down Swans Crossing' sign handmade by the local residents.   

Jumping in the car we drove to the few Kms to the northern end of town and walked a few Kms along the Birds and Bush trail. This is a fabulous coastal trail that leads to the site of the historic fish cannery.  We never did find this as with evening approaching we turned around and walked the half hour or so back to the car.

From here we drove around to the area we had been told to look for the Glossy Blacks and just as we had given up on finding them two of them flew in.  They are striking birds, completely black as the name suggests with the male having bright red bands across their tails.  The female is a duller colour with some yellow around their throat.  They are closely related to the Red Tailed Black cockatoo distinguished by the calls of the juvenile birds and the colouring of the females.  We spent a half hour or so with this pair until some others flew over and our subjects flew off with them.

Almost dark we headed back to camp where Bill played with some spoonbills and oyster catchers until the rain came down and then it really was time settle in for the night again, it was going to be chilly and the rain was forecast to last all night.

So until tomorrow..........