Kangaroo Island Holiday

[geoffsta]

Thanks to Ms Monny, I've decided to take the misses on a weeks holiday to Kangaroo Island.
Does anyone have any ideas on good places to stay (Preferably apartment type accommodation) And the best locations for grabbing a few snaps.
We plan on going in the middle of July if that makes any difference.

Geoff.

[jupiter618]

Geoff, I know the place well as my Dad lives there. We're heading over next weekend for a few day actually. The island is all about the coastal scenery. There are some stunning opportunities for landscape photography.

Once you get off the ferry and head down the road towards Kingscote be sure to look out for the turn off to Pennington bay, on your left just before Prospect hill. The view of Pennington bay from the upper carpark is pretty nice. If you feel energetic you can climb prospect ill, but it's a pretty big hill! The view from the top of Pelican lagoon with its backwaters and little islands is nice, but dependant on the weather and the time of day for good photography.

The mouth of the Chapman river is well worth a visit, very pretty spot where the river cuts through the sand dunes to the ocean.

Cape willoughby lighthouse is worth a visit. The coast there is very rugged and the lighthouse is worth seeing. There's a little bay to the South of the lighthouse which is completely full of beautiful round granite boulders. It's definitely worth a look.

The little sahara is worth a look if you like sand dunes; they are pretty impressive, but you might have to contend with foot prints all over them if you dont get there early enough.

Remarkable rocks are, well, remarkable and definitely the most photographed place on KI. You'll be lucky to get a photo without people crawling all over the rocks, unless you're there early or late. It's a popular spot.

On the North coast Stoke's bay stands out. There's a 'secret' pasage between huge rocks to a secluded beach.

Vivonne bay is absolutely beautiful. It's a huge semi-circular, sheltered bay. Pristine beach, interesting rock formations at different points and a river flowing out to the sea to the east of the jetty.

There are many other great photo opportunities all over the island. So much depends on the light and your eye.

In regard to accomodation there are some lovely cottages at Island beach. Very cosy and comfortable and nicely done.
At Vivonne bay there are some great cottages for hire which are very remote and private, if that's what you're after.

The caravan park at Flinders Chase national park has basic cabins which are an economical alternative, clean and adequate.

How's that for a start!?

[geoffsta]

Thanks jupiter618.
Bugger.... After that I want to go tomorrow, but I'll have to wait until July.
Thanks for the tips. Very much appreciated. Now I had better move so the misses can have a read.

Thanks.

[Bennymiata]

I reckon it wil be pretty cold and windy there in July, so take some woolies with you.

[jupiter618]

You're welcome geoff, I'm looking forward to seeing your holiday photos. You never know what you're going to get on KI weather-wise. If it's windy it'll be cold but you get beautiful clear sunny days in winter too. Just rug up and take a plastic coat that blocks the wind. A warm hat helps too, especially for youor wife. Women are much happier wen they're warm! There's a beauty to the place in winter that's very different from the summer starkness. The long shadows and oblique light make it more photogenic for sure.

[Ms Monny]

Looking forward to seeing the KI pics! Fantastic overview of KI from jupiter618!!

On a sad note (for me), I have only been there once (yes, I know it is on my doorstep!!) and took lots of pics with my babes and the Remarkable Rock (and we were the only one's there!!) etc etc. My youngest was 4 months old (he is now turning 8) and I was still feeling 'precious'....well, when we got home I was looking at the pics on the camera. The camera asked if I wanted to 'format' the pictures. I didn't know what that meant and so I did.... :eek:

I wiped out all the pictures. My mouth dropped and I was speechless. Hubby thought I had a stroke or something. Then the tears flowed. Priceless images of my young family gone. Hubby bought me flowers the next day!!

NEVER did that again!

Have a great time on KI - just don't format your camera!! :D

[jupiter618]

Hi Ms Monny. I live near Coromandel Valley so not far from you. That's a sad story you tell about losing your precious holiday photos. Did you realise that you could have got them back (or nearly all of them back) with special software? Too late now and it's probably not what you want to hear, but if it ever happens again DON'T PANIC, and seek advise.

[Ms Monny]

Yes, not far at all!! I found out about a year after that I could have got them back....yep, too late! I now know better.

[geoffsta]

Thanks... My wife was so impressed with Jupiter618's response, that instead of 5 days, she is thinking of 7. Which means I'll have to wrangle another week of work. I think I can handle that... :D
Sorry to hear about your loss of Images, Ms Monny. But what is done, is done. But you still have the memory in your heart, so thats all that counts.


Looking forward to seeing the KI pics! Fantastic overview of KI from jupiter618!!
On a sad note (for me), I have only been there once (yes, I know it is on my doorstep!!) and took lots of pics with my babes and the Remarkable Rock (and we were the only one's there!!) etc etc. My youngest was 4 months old (he is now turning 8) and I was still feeling 'precious'....well, when we got home I was looking at the pics on the camera. The camera asked if I wanted to 'format' the pictures. I didn't know what that meant and so I did.... :eek:
I wiped out all the pictures. My mouth dropped and I was speechless. Hubby thought I had a stroke or something. Then the tears flowed. Priceless images of my young family gone. Hubby bought me flowers the next day!!
NEVER did that again!
Have a great time on KI - just don't format your camera!! :D

[Dylan & Marianne]

Geoff - I'm jealous you're going there for a week after our taster there in the new year!
I can give you a couple of pointers from limited experience
We have stayed at Western KI caravan park and the eco resort outside Flinders Chase. Both are very good though the caravan park is cheaper.
They give you excellent access to Flinders Chase (particularly Remarkable Rocks and Admiral's Arch) , Hanson Bay and Vivonne Bay. Little Sahara also isn't too far away.
We've only been up and down the south coast road so can't give you any advice about the north coast or east other than to say that the north coast in winter would be great for sunset sunrise shots due to the northerly aspect of the sun if you're planning on doing those kinds of shots
Also, if you're in Kingscote, pop by Bella's , the best pizzeria in town ! hehe just a plug for a mate who's the boss there

I reckon you could easily spend longer than 7 days!

[geoffsta]

Thanks Dylan.
So far we are looking at either Vivonne Bay or Kingscote. Both fairly central to almost everything. I'm always an early riser, so weather permitting I hope to get to most areas.
I have tested my ND16 filter out, and it works pretty good in full daylight. So I might be able to trick a few into thinking I'm pretty quick between locations. :D

[aussie girl]

KI is a remarkable place and the scenery is fantastic BUT be careful on the roads. Most of them were dirt when we went there and were as rough as guts. We went to Cape Borda lighthouse and the road to that was so rough we could only go about 30ks an hour. We had gone over just before Easter and the locals told us that they usually grade the roads the week before Easter ready for the tourists but then leave them in a bid to keep the locals from speeding on them. No idea if this is true or not. Whilst we were there there was an accident involving a young girl who was knocked off her bike on the road where the Eucalyptus factory is caused by someone speeding. (that part of the road was far better than down towards Cape Borda.

[geoffsta]

Thanks aussie girl.
Luckily we own a AWD, and I have taken the cook on some weird and wonderful tracks before. I have also heard that the wildlife is fairly plentyful. So caution will be always on my mind.

[jupiter618]

Good advise re the roads. A lot more are sealed now days but it's still dirt once you get off the main roads. There's a lot of laterite gravel on KI which is like driving on ball barings. It's also known as pea gravel. You just need to take it slowly and not do anything sudden on the bends. A lot of tourists end up in the ditch pretty quickly. Another thing to keep in mind, a lot of European tourists hire vehicles and head over to the Island, especially Germans. They have been known to drive on the wrong side of the road! :eek: I've seen it.. . once on the dirt with no lines and no other traffic around they habitually drift over to the right, which is a bit frightening! The kangaroos and wallabies are hopeless with cars and get skittled all the time, poor things. They freeze until you're almost right on them and then leap out onto the road without warning. Just don't be in a rush to get anywhere and you'll be fine AND see more scenery on the way. Win win.

If you feel adventurous and energetic, Flour cask bay on the South coast is a wild and beautiful, more off the beaten track spot. Be careful climbing over the sharp rocks but it's a magic spot. You have to slide down a big sand hill to get into the beach, and then back up again when it's time to go! That'll warm you up!

[ameerat42]

How do you plan to book? Travel agent?
From all our on-line searching in 2009, nothing beat the price the T/A got for us, an extra night also for the same price.
We paid about 2/3 of ANYTHING we could find ourselves. The accommodation in Kingscote was modest - not resort/luxury - but fully self-contained, comfortable, clean. convenient, and well worth it.

There are lots of places. (Others can tell you better, but that hill climb is worth it.)
Are you taking your own car over on the ferry?
AFAIK you cannot take a hire car.

If it's wet, prepare for a FILFFY car. Most of the roads away from the main ones are dirt, though pretty smooth.
Am.

[jupiter618]

If it's wet, prepare for a FILFFY car. Most of the roads away from the main ones are dirt, though pretty smooth.
Am.

They must have graded soon before you were there. The roads can be VERY bumpy.

[ameerat42]

They must have graded soon before you were there. The roads can be VERY bumpy.

Now that you mention it, I do remember some RUFF sections, but I didn't notice that many proabably because we were :D-ing ourselves.
Am.

[geoffsta]

I was looking online. And taking our own car. But it looks like I'll be going to a travel agency now. Thanks Am. Going to take a couple of days to get there, and we want to visit some friends on the way. The AWD should handle most roads with a bit of clearance. And the misses can wash the car when we get home :action:


How do you plan to book? Travel agent?
From all our on-line searching in 2009, nothing beat the price the T/A got for us, an extra night also for the same price.
We paid about 2/3 of ANYTHING we could find ourselves. The accommodation in Kingscote was modest - not resort/luxury - but fully self-contained, comfortable, clean. convenient, and well worth it.

There are lots of places. (Others can tell you better, but that hill climb is worth it.)
Are you taking your own car over on the ferry?
AFAIK you cannot take a hire car.

If it's wet, prepare for a FILFFY car. Most of the roads away from the main ones are dirt, though pretty smooth.
Am.

[ameerat42]

I was looking online. And taking our own car. But it looks like I'll be going to a travel agency now. Thanks Am. Going to take a couple of days to get there, and we want to visit some friends on the way. The AWD should handle most roads with a bit of clearance. And the misses can wash the car when we get home :action:

Yep. You might get a better deal thru an agent - hopefully!!!
If you have never had a car on a ferry before, don't panic when you see what tiny amount of space you have to squeeze it into.
Another thing - this didn't affect me, but one of our friends PHEW!!! - the crossing can get pretty rough. If motion sickness is a problem get prepared for it.
And if you don't "strap yourself down" you can lurch all over the place.

However, it'll all be worth it.
Am.

[geoffsta]

If you have never had a car on a ferry before, don't panic when you see what tiny amount of space you have to squeeze it into.
Another thing - this didn't affect me, but one of our friends PHEW!!! - the crossing can get pretty rough. If motion sickness is a problem get prepared for it.
And if you don't "strap yourself down" you can lurch all over the place.
However, it'll all be worth it.
Am.

Been to Tassie on the Spirit of Tassie. And had a servere case of bad sausage roll (Food Poisoning) on the way to the boat. Needless to say We both were not feeling to crash hot. But we survived the trip without getting seasick. It actually carmed our bellies down.

[aussie girl]

The Ligurian Honey bee farm is also worth a visit, and you have to try their honey icecream too. This strain of bee is supposed to be the only pure breed of honey bee left in the world. In order to preserve it in it's purest form, you are not allowed to take any honey products or bees wax onto the island

[jupiter618]

Geoff, just got back from a long weekend over on KI visiting my Dad. I visited Cape Willoughby, Windmill beach and Chapman river (Antechamber bay) and confirmed everything I said before. It is a STUNNING area for photography. When we got to Willoughby two very professional looking photographers were just leaving. They'd been there early and caught the morning sun. I took a stack of photos but I didn't have a wide lens and the light was sub-optimal (although not bad). See my post in the CC area (Landscapes) for an example. That shot was taken from the bluff here (-35.8477,138.127091) paste everything inside the brackets into the google maps search field.

On the road from Penneshaw to Cape Willoughby, just after the turnoff to the Chapman river there is an incredible photo opportunity, a mud flat covered with bright red and orange samphire, with pools of water behind it reflecting a backdrop of paperbark trees. WOW! I took some shots from the road but didn't wade in and get good shots. The spot is here (-35.796252,138.064799)
.

Champman river itself presents superb opportunities for photos. The river estuary reflects the paperbarks over hanging the water and in the morning or probably better, in the evening, the light would be perfect. I was there at midday (with a hungry toddler in tow).

I highly recommend that you have at least a day, but preferably two on this eastern end of the island. Too many tourists charge straight down the road to the Western end where the better known attractions are, and neglect the East. Big mistake.

[geoffsta]

Thanks mate...
I do have plans to stay at Vivionne Bay for 7 days. Although it's on the south side it seems pretty central. I've put those coordinates into the GPS, so they are definately on the must see list.
Every image of the Admirals cave that I have looked at, doesn't impress me much, so I want to see if I can do better. Won't have the kids with us, and the misses has a good book, so I'll be pretty much free to go nuts. I'll have 2 cameras, 6 lenses, 6 batteries and a stack of filters to play with. So look out KI, I'm coming.

[geoffsta]

Well I'm back.....
Thanks to all for all the advice. Jupiter618. Went to Cape Willoughby, and you were right. Absolutely amazing. We were lucky enough to get a one on one guide through the light house, which even made it better.
The Chapman River was a bit of a let down though. There had been floods which opened the entrance to the river. So it was as almost as dry as a dead dingo's donger.

Flinders Chase was also well worth the visit. The Remarkable Rocks opened our eyes, and the seals at the Admirals Arch really were fantastic.

The lighthouse at Cape Borda was alright, but Cape Torrens lookout was spectacular. While we were there, two Wedgetail Eagles and one Sea Eagle flew overhead...
Seal Bay was another spot that captured our attention. Able to get within a few feet of the Fur Seals, really added to the adventure.

We stayed at Vivonne Bay for $100 a night in a house. There was absolutely no noise except the Currawong in the mornings, and the possum at night.

Overall a fantastic place to have a holiday. Although not this time of year. I didn't get any sunset/sunrise shots because of the cold, and the fear of wildlife. (Made evident by amount of the roadkill)

I'd like to thank Ms Monny for planting the seed.

Geoff

[Ms Monny]

Glad you have a great time over on KI. Maybe another time for a holiday when the weather is kinder?? Hopefully one day I can convince Hubby to pop over for a couple of days.

[geoffsta]

I found that 4 days should almost cover it. And with kids I think those would be pretty much full days. So much to see and do. With kids, the wildlife park is a must. Although I was so very saddened to see a Wedgetail caged up, after seeing so many in the wild.

[jupiter618]

Hi Geoff, I've been busy and away from the forum for a while and didn't realise you'd been and returned. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your photos. Did you take a lot? I gather you had some wild and wooly weather? What a bugger. It's really hit and miss at this time of year. KI is definitely a different place from season to season. I like spring and early summer over there. Will you be posting more shots soon? Did you take any beach-scapes? I didn't realise flooding had broken through the dunes at Chapman river. Pity... did you see the coloured samphire on the chapman to willoughby road?

[Duane Pipe]

Geoff is a high country lad and I think he could handle it:cool: Show some more:th3:

[geoffsta]

Hi Jupiter618, No I missed the samphire for some reason...:umm:

But the weather was pretty good. We were very luck in that sense. As we were driving it would cloud over. But every time we stopped the sun would come out, and we could have a good look around.
The nights and mornings were extremely cold though. About 3 or 4 in the afternoon the cold would set in. And the Friday and Saturday were full on frosts.

We had a great time, and I would recommend to all to have a go at going there. What I did like the most is that you get a lot closer to things than you would at most other destinations. I never expected to share a boardwalk with a wild Fur Seal for example, or stand at the edge of the Remarkable Rocks over looking the ocean, without any safety fence.

And yes, the ferry is in my opinion overly expensive. But you only live once, and I doubt I'll ever get an opertunity like that again.

[Duane Pipe]

The weather was nice that week here too Geoff, well at least a few days were. Sounds like you had a good weekend away with good opportunities for photography. 14 gig of images to pp :eek::lol2:

[geoffsta]

The weather was nice that week here too Geoff, well at least a few days were. Sounds like you had a good weekend away with good opportunities for photography. 14 gig of images to pp :eek::lol2:

97 images processed, with still more to do. Not going to flood the site with them. Just going to pick one or two from different areas to show every couple of days. Just so others can view the area.