kangaroo, part 2

after visiting the Australian Sealions, we had time for a quick stop at a local art gallery and coffee shop. it was a renovated shearing shed that now houses beautfiul local art, some ecletic knick-knacks, and delicious drinks that really helped warm us up after a cold and rainy morning.

we continued on our tour and headed to a gorgeous park filled with eucaluptus trees. the rain continued to pour on us, so we headed to a covered table area, where Keith and Robin set up our lunch. the meal was wonderful, and included a great seafood platter (for sarah), a couple of different types of salads, wine, and bread rolls that were hard as rocks. everything was excellent, and i think sarah even enjoyed her rock-bread.
 

cheers!

during lunch, we heard a loud crack - it definitelty got our attention! a giant eucalyptus had fallen over and blocked the walkway entrance! fortunately, it was not near our car (or anyone else's). after we finished our lunch (and wine), we continued on to Admiral's Arch, a rock formation where New Zealand Fur Seals come to relax. We knew we were in trouble when we got out of the car and had to fight the wind to walk down to the wooden boardwalk that leads down the seacliff and around to the arch. from the boardwalk, you could see two isles, just off the coast - and the incredibly rocky and raging ocean. it was unlike anything i've ever seen! we put our heads down and kept walking down to the arch. fortunately, it's position behind and slightly underneath a large portion of the seacliff gave us a bit of respite from the wind. it was beautiful to see the rock formation, and we also saw at least two dozen fur seals sleeping on the rocks. we took a few pictures and enjoyed the view. on our way back up the boardwalk, we stopped to take a few photos of the isles, and that's when sarah spotted an albatross! she has been on the lookout for one for a while, and was incredibly excited to see one in the wild. it was hard to believe it could glide so easily in the stormy winds!

from admiral's arch, we headed to remarkable rocks, a group of oddly shaped granite boulders perched atop a sea cliff. The rocks were an amazing sight - remarkable indeed! i didn't get a good picture of them from afar, but they were all different shapes, some round, some with jagged edges, one was triangular... incredible! it was also incredible that we didn't get blown off of the rocks by the wind! we had to speedwalk from one rock to the next, using the large boulders to block the raging wind. it added a bit of adventure to our experience!

VERY WINDY at remarkable rocks

next, we headed to a koala walk to see some wildlife. and indeed, we did see some koalas in the trees! and we saw wallabies, my new favorite animal! they are adorable (see below for evidence!). we also saw a bunch of wild kangaroos, feeding on the grass there. because it is a well-visited site, we were able to get fairly close to the kangaroos to see and photograph them. it was fantastic! there were three kangaroos in a corner of the field, and as we walked over to them, a magpie swooped down from a nearby tree to tell us that he (or she?) was not interested in us trespassing on his (her?) nesting area. we waited a minute, and then continued forward, keeping an eye out for the magpie. robin was the most assertive in approaching the kangaroos, and she was particularly interested in one kangaroo with a joey. just as she was distracted by the adorable sight, the magpie swooped down again - and before we could warn her, the magpie cracked Robin on the head and flew back into its tree! it was one of the funniest things i have ever seen. Robin was alright - and even asked if we had gotten that on video (we hadn't). we kept a much closer eye on the magpie after that!

wallabies!

kangaroo (and joey)

after our koala walk and robin's magpie attack, it was time for afternoon tea. we stopped at a caravan camping spot, whic h was empty (likely because of the poor weather), and took a short walk to a great view of the kangaroo island coast. it was still windy and cold (although no longer raining), so we kept the view time short. we returned to the camping spot and enjoyed an afternoon tea of wine, cheese, fruit, and some of the lunch leftovers. yum-o!


sadly, after tea, it was time to head back to the ferry. we had an incredibly, slightly wet, and very windy day. we had seen so many animals, although one had eluded us: the echidna. these porcupine-looking creatures are a notoriously rare sight, as they are few and like to burrow into the ground as soon as they sense danger. but they are seen occasionally. i had given up hope of spotting one after our pre-tea walk, especially because it began to get dark as we drove to the ferry. BUT, sure enough, during our drive, we all saw the echidna as it darted across the road in front of our car! if i hadn't seen it with my own eyes, i wouldn't have believed it!

we had a ton of new memories and experiences to talk about on the ferry and bus back to adelaide... we had an unbelievable time on kangaroo island and i wish we had more time to explore all of its sights, adventures, and animals!