It was time to leave Rapid Bay and make the journey to Kangaroo Island. We were leaving our caravans at the caravan park at Cape Jervis where the ferry for KI leaves.

As we drove toward Cape Jervis, the sky over KI looked threatening and the wind had picked up, so we were anticipating a rough ride across the Backstairs Passage – the strait that divides KI from the mainland.

The caravan park at Cape Jervis was happy to store two of our cars and our 4 vans for the 6 nights we would be on KI. Klaus and Beryl opted for the luxury storage package which came with power and an ensuite – true Australian dunny style!

The rest of the crew were assigned the povo pack in the back stalls….

After packing our gear into both cars (which went smoother and took less time than we anticipated) we then drove down to the Ferry Terminal arriving just over 2 hrs early. The ferry before ours was just finishing loading up so we went into the terminal café and ordered coffee. While we were waiting for the coffee Trev went to check us all in – and was told that they had 2 cancellations so if we were able to get on board right then and there, we could go on the 1230 ferry instead of waiting til 3PM – bonus!

We quickly jumped on board – Dave and Klaus drove their cars on, and we were off to KI. Those who had not managed to get food in the terminal went to the onboard café to grab some sustenance. It was noticed that there were some unusual characters on board that day – Kerry remembered that the Fringe Festival was on this week in KI.

The ride over to Kangaroo Island was a bit rough – after finishing our food we went upstairs to the outside desk for a better view – the deck was rocking and rolling but Rosie still managed to work her way over to the only dog on board for a quick pat…. Unusual characters were also still on view upstairs!!

The sun came out and KI was clearly in view – we were all excited for what the next few days would bring!

Kangaroo Island is about the size of Bali and is home to just over 4700 people. It is a very fertile island with many freshwater creeks and lagoons and rolling pastures. Many species of native wildlife including koalas, echidnas and of course kangaroos make KI their home. The koala population was very large prior to the bushfires in 2020 – and is free of chlamydia which plagues the mainland population.

There is also a lot of marine life including penguins, Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals as well as a myriad of fish and sharks.

We disembarked the ferry and drove out from Penneshaw towards Emu Bay the place for our first 3 nights. On the way we went through roadworks – they are putting in a water pipeline as a permanent solution to the islands water supply as currently they rely mostly on tank water.

Calling in to Kingscote quickly for groceries, Dave took the opportunity for a few quick zzzzz’s.

We arrived at our home for the next 3 days “Seas the Day” a great house with wonderful views over Emu Bay.

The bay itself was large with a long-curved beach of white sand and again more beautiful blue water – and (wonder of wonders) a JETTY and boat ramp….

The house itself was spacious and comfortably furnished. Klaus and Beryl were allocated the main bedroom with ensuite out of respect….

Gordie and Kerry got the other double bed and due to the fact we were “family” Trev, myself, Rose and Dave shared the kids room with 2 double bunks….

After a salubrious dinner of spag bol we all relaxed and enjoyed the home comforts of TV, Wifi and good conversation. Everyone retired for the night hoping for a good night’s sleep.