Our last day on KI had arrived – tomorrow we were catching the early ferry back to the mainland. We had brekkie and Trev led us in a devotion centring on the apostle Paul and his unswerving commitment to Christ and the gospel message – very encouraging!

After some discussion we decided to drive to the lookout at Prospect Hill and walk up the massive staircase for some butt and thigh exercise…. and to see a bird’s eye view of much of KI.

We were just about to get in the car when “glass half empty” Gordie came out and decided he wanted to stay behind and go for a walk – on further investigation Kerry revealed he was keen to go and have a look at the boatbuilding that was going on down near the American River jetty – they were in the process of building a replica of the “Independence” – the first schooner built here on KI by the Americans in 1803.

All Gordie needed to do was communicate this to us – we were all happy to go and have a look – and so we made that our first stop.

The guys at the boat shed were more than happy to give us a tour and tell us the history of the Independence which was built by Captain Andrew Pendleton and crew here in American River. The schooner was 45 feet in length and took 3 months to build. It was used for sealing in the area and then left for Port Jackson in Sydney in 1804 never to return to KI.

There was a model on display of the original Independence. The replica being built has been under construction for 3 years already – a slow process as it is locally funded and being constructed by retirees relying on donations.

We then drove to Prospect Hill and commenced the 512 stair climb to the top. The “hill” is actually a large sandhill which Matthew Flinders had climbed when he was on KI mapping the area – to his surprise he saw sea on the other side – he had assumed it was part of the mainland… He named the hill Prospect Hill.

The steps were excellent, and the climb was not too challenging – everyone made it up with no issue (though an AED was noted to be ¾ of the way up).

The views from the top were awesome – and gave a good perspective on the shape and differing landscapes of KI.

Making our way down the 512 stairs, Trev was left behind…. He had started talking to an “old mate”, George from Gippsland who also owned a Ranger and a caravan….

We made our way to Kingscote for lunch at the Aurora Ozone Pub and a look around – there was a beautifully painted silo at the entrance to Kingscote….

We walked along the foreshore…. Another JETTY, some old buildings including the courthouse, police station and jail…. Klaus also made an unusual find of a dillybag left on a park bench – on closer inspection it disappointingly only contained a pair of socks.

Lunch at the pub was delicious. After a coffee we stopped to get fuel and Trev decided the Pearl was looking a bit shabby so did some swift cleaning. We then travelled home to get organised before our early start tomorrow.

I noticed a local art gallery a couple of doors up from our place and so we went up for a quick look. They had some lovely pieces on sale, and we all bought something – Trev the bargain hunter nabbed a lovely glass vase….

The afternoon was spent relaxing, packing then having a light dinner of leftovers, cheese, and bikkies. Dave was keen to watch the Swannies play tonight so everyone settled in to either watching the footy (aka yelling at the TV) or reading, sewing, or writing the blog……

A flock of black cockatoos perched outside made great subjects for some last-minute wildlife shots – as did some bin chickens (aka ibis) in the bay….