The dawn broke over Marion Bay with the gale force winds still howling making packing up interesting!

Rose tried to secure the deteriorating bike covers they had purchased in Goulburn with little success…. getting a major blow dry at the same time.

We drove north up the Yorke Peninsula and stopped in at Moonta for morning tea at the Cornish Bakery who are renowned for their Cornish pasties. Moonta has a Cornish element including the Cornwall Pub as there were a lot of miners who came out from Cornwall to work in the mines in the area in the early days. From 1861-1923 Moonta was the centre of the copper mining industry that formed SA’s largest mining enterprise.

Continuing on, we drove though farming area and arrived at Port Pirie for lunch. Wikicamps had located a “beach” area in Solomontown that we could stop at, so once we had all found a park nearby (sometimes challenging with 4 caravans) we had lunch sitting in the park next to the beach. The council had done a great job landscaping the area and although it overlooked the JETTY and huge granary storage tanks it was a lovely area. The “beach” consisted of some very hard sand and once in the water it was a soft mud underfoot but nevertheless it would be nice for the locals on a hot day to have somewhere to swim.

There was a take-away cart at the park and Trev, Gordie and Klaus treated themselves to a thick shake – Gordie declaring that it “rated” as up there with the best – so he went and complimented the guy who made them.

We continued our journey north with the Flinders Ranges now in sight….

…. then turned west toward Port Augusta. Along the road were huge wind farms and solar farms which were not there the last time we passed through this way. Apparently, they generate enough electricity for over 180 000 homes – although they do add an ugly element to the natural landscape!

A quick fuel stop and we drove through Port Augusta – over the bridge and past a JETTY…

Google Maps was wanting to take us through some side streets but as we had been caught before we chose to take the more direct route along the highway – BIG mistake as we got stopped and breathalyzed, and then had to go through a large number of roadworks which slowed our journey somewhat…. and created an issue for Klaus.

It seems that the thick shake had the unusual effect on Klaus creating an urgent need for a pee stop during our queuing to get through the multiple roadworks to the point he considered driving through the cones, over the new bitumen and to a nearby bush – however he just managed to hold on and pulled over just after one set of works, jumped out of the car to go into the van but only made it as far as the front bumper…. Fortunately, he made it look like he was checking something on the car, so no one was the wiser – privacy and dignity was maintained – although when he told the story later it did create a lot of laughter!

The Eyre Peninsula looked less arid than the Yorke in the area we were driving through – more shrubs, farmland and mining activity were dotted across the countryside.

We drove through Whyalla which is the fourth most populous city in South Australia and is known as the “Steel City” as it has a large steelworks and shipbuilding industry, and has been exporting iron ore since 1903. Port Pirie, Port Augusta and Whyalla are the 3 towns which make up what is called the Iron Triangle.

Our stop for the night was a free camp at Moonabie Hill rest area – the wind had abated, and we all slept well that night!

The day started slowly as it had blown a gale all night….and was still blowing and the skies were overcast…. Everyone took their time having brekkie then we all met in the Hunter van for devotions led by Trev on Mark…. everyone that is except for Rose and Dave who unusually had slept in. Seems Dave had been bitten by several March flies the day prior – the bites had blown up and were very itchy, so he took a Phenergan to help him sleep – which worked extremely well – and resulted in a Phenergan hangover for most of today….

After much discussion it was decided to have an easy day as the weather was so foul and we had a couple of long driving days coming up. Some of us walked up to the local art Gallery and café “Studio Surf” which looked great on the internet but was disappointingly closed when we arrived. We continued our walk around the Marion Bay area – some unique and interesting houses most of which looked like holiday homes.

Along the beachfront the tide was up, and the wind was relentless – there was a wreck – the “Willyama” which was just visible above the water not far from shore – another boat that had been a victim of this savage coastline. The Willyama had been carrying a cargo of coal from Newcastle to Port Pirie in 1907 when it ran aground in Marion Bay.

We had a look around the west end of the beach and then headed back to the vans for lunch.

The afternoon was spent reading, blogging, repairing (Branch and McGyver were at it again – this time putting in a more “permanent” temporary repair to the Loveday water tank bracket) ….

Gordie went out to see if there was some surf and despite the wind had another good surf at Pondalowie – with Phil and the dolphins again!

The Marion Bay Caravan Park has a fantastic camp kitchen so we decided to cook our roast dinner in the large oven there and have dinner together out of the howling wind – an added bonus was the TV so Dave could watch his beloved Swannies play…

The roast dinner was delicious, and Beryl made a legendary apple crumble for dessert – not a crumb was left!!

The wind had picked up even more – it felt cyclonic and so we all hibernated in the vans and tried to sleep – the wind was rocking the vans all night – sleep was only intermittent for some of us….

Today we had decided to spend exploring Innes National Park which is renowned for beautiful, rugged coastline, surfing beaches and lots of historic sites. Those who had not already bought their National Park passes did so online…. but Gordie had an internet glitch with his – the payment page was fixed on “Processing your payment” and would not go through…. Gordie felt like a “Glass Half Empty Gordie” as nothing seemed to be going right…no surf…too much wind…weather predicted to worsen … and now this!! Everyone tried to cheer him up with positive comments – which always works, and positive Gordie reappeared…

The Hunters stopped at the National Park Office and went in to sort the NP pass issue out and planned to meet up with us at our first stop. The rest of us drove to Pondalowie Bay – place of great surf and lots of dolphins…. we walked along the long boardwalk from the carpark to the beach and alas when we arrived the surf was small and no dolphins to be seen. However, the views and beach made up for this – it was a beautiful location.

Up along the beach we could see in the distance a shipwreck on the sand so while waiting for Gordie and Kerry we all walked up to have a look. Trev stayed behind to wait for the Hunters.

The wreck was not particularly old but gave opportunity for a great pic – Klaus nearly doing his almost healed knees a further injury climbing into position!

We walked back along the beach and met Trev – the Hunters had still not arrived, so we started walking back along the boardwalk to the carpark….and met them halfway along. It seems that they had still not fully sorted out the issue and had to spend half an hour on the phone to their bank to work out if the payment had gone through. The ranger was OK and said they could pay later if it had not worked.

We left Pondalowie and drove towards West Cape Lighthouse – and around the corner came across baby emus with their father walking across the road – no wonder the speed limit in the park is 40kms/hr!

West Cape was absolutely stunning even though the weather had started to become more overcast and windier.

The large beach on the left side of the headland was pristine – it looked deserted and untouched. The huge cliff faces were rugged and colourful with reds, ochres, whites, and yellow tones – they reminded me a lot of some of the places we had visited in W.A.

At the end of the cape stood the lighthouse – again a different structure this time of stainless-steel sheets. The lighthouse was built in 1980. In front of the lighthouse was a small Helipad – it was hard to imagine landing a chopper in such a small location with the winds as they were – it would take an expert pilot to do so.

The view to Pondalowie Bay and its rocky islands was commanding – you could even see the fishing shacks on the hill.

Below the cliff were rugged rocks with the powerful surf swirling and breaking on them creating maelstroms of water which were fascinating to watch.

The cape had an abundance of native flowers and bushes which made a beautiful ground covering over the otherwise rocky and barren area.

We stopped for lunch in a shelter at West Cape that conveniently faced the right way and got us out of the wind. Gordie decided to go back to Pondalowie after lunch for that elusive wave…. Kerry came along with us to explore the rest Innes NP had to offer.

Next stop was the Ethel Wreck on Ethel Beach. We arrived and looked down over the cliff to see huge pounding surf – biggest waves we had seen so far… and the iron bones of the Ethel sticking up through the sand.

Carefully making our way down the steep staircase we got down to the beach and walked along to the wreck. The Ethel was a three masted iron barque built in Sunderland, England in 1876. On 2nd January, 1904, after damaging its rudder at nearby Cape Spencer in a south-westerly gale, it was driven ashore, with the loss of one life. The coastal steamer S.S. Ferret attempted to aid the Ethel without success and notified authorities. Ironically the Ferret ran aground on the same beach 16 years later on the 14th February 1920

The strait between the Yorke Peninsula and KI is known as the Investigator Strait. Since the establishment of the colony in SA in 1836 it has played a crucial role as a natural thoroughfare for trade and communications. Over 26 vessels have been wrecked in this strait with a loss of over 70 lives.

Down the road a bit further were the historic Inneston Ruins, so we stopped in and did the 2km walk around them learning about the early life on the Yorke Peninsula. Gypsum was mined and plaster produced in the village of Inneston – and transported down to Stenhouse Jetty firstly by horse and cart then later rail.

Inneston was a mining company town with more than 36 dwellings that was built in 1913. The village thrived in the early days but once the Depression hit in 1939 the building industry collapsed, and the town died. Today some of the houses have been restored and are available for holiday rent.

Cape Spenser Lighthouse was the final lighthouse for the day and again we were greeted with spectacular coastline views. A stunning beach lay to the right of the headland and was completely inaccessible – to the left were harsh, heavily eroded cliff faces with deep but clear water below.

Our last stop for the day was the Stenhouse JETTY – which was where the Inneston plaster was loaded onto ships for transport.

By this time the wind had become gale force and icy so we returned to the caravan park and gave the idea of a communal roast the flick. Trev went up to the Marion Bay Tavern and booked us in for dinner that evening.

Gordie returned just in time – he had an amazing surf at Pondalowie with a pod of dolphins coming in so close they touched his leg. The dolphins apparently breed there so make it their home and are very human friendly. Gordie met another surfer whose name was Phil. He had had a difficult life and was still struggling. Gordie was able to share his own story and the Gospel with Phil – and gave him some things to read including Luke’s gospel. Phil was grateful for Gordie’s openness and encouragement – and was happy for Gordie to pray with him…. hopefully he will put his faith in Jesus and see a great change in his life.

Dinner at the Tavern was great – the place was very busy, and food excellent. Back home we had coffee in the salubrious Hunter Lotus – the club lounge and 2 poufs being able to accommodate 8 guests!

The day started with Gordie getting lowdown on the surf conditions and places from a “young mate” camped behind them.

We had looked at the map of the area and decided to use the day to explore the northwest coast of the Lower Yorke Peninsula starting at Daly Head which has been dedicated as a surfing reserve.

The roads out from the main road were all dusty dirt roads – the Pearl was back behind eating the dust again….

On the road out to Daly Head there were enormous sand dunes which sparkled in the sunlight – and had what appeared to be rocky points sticking out of the top – on closer inspection with the zoom lens they were pointy hillocks of bushes.

We stopped at the first carpark at Daly Head – a spectacular area to view the multiple surf breaks in different directions – a few surfers were out catching some waves. The rugged coastline with multiple reefs and rocky islands was beautiful and wild – so unspoilt and remote.

There were several vantage points along the road, so we drove to the next one – the Pearl came in too hot and missed the turn – so the Titan jumped in first!

The beaches along this stretch looked untouched and the views were amazing. The surf looked OK, but Gordie decided to continue on with us to check out come more spots before making a final decision as to where to have a surf. He contented himself with a quick practice surf on a wobbly rock.

As we drove on further a fat Sleepy lizard aka Shingleback was crossing the road. The Sleepy lizard is the Yorke Peninsula’s most common reptile. We stopped to take a closer look and Klaus managed to pick him up -he was very relaxed…. Trev like his sister enjoyed the opportunity for a pat. Klaus released him back into the scrub and we continued on.

Out next stop was Gravel Bay which was far more attractive than its name. The beach was quite protected from the wind but there was no surf, so we moved on to the next location Berry Bay.

Unfortunately, the south end of Berry Bay was playing host to a large surf school – the water was full of learners, so the next stop was the north end and Corny Point Lighthouse

The rocky headland upon which the Corny Point lighthouse is built as well as the submerged reefs nearby were a hazard to the sailing ships trading in Spencer Gulf. The 15-metre-high lighthouse was first lit in 1^st March 1882 and was manned for 37 years until 30^th June 1920 at which time it was automated.

From the headland you looked north towards Horseshoe Bay and out to sea the rocky reefs were easy to see.

Close in was a particular lone rock that disappeared under the water with the swell which the locals used to call Peeping Tom – now known as Shark rock for obvious reasons. I am sure it has startled many a swimmer!

The wind was cool and had picked up a bit, so we decided to go back to Gravel Bay to have lunch – we walked down to the sheltered end of the beach and spent some time there eating and relaxing.

Gravel Bay was very picturesque with aqua water, white silky sand and large outcrops of granite rocks at either end. The rocks had an orange colour in parts much like what we had seen on Kangaroo Island. The orange hue comes from lichens, a combination of algae and fungus that live together in a symbiotic relationship.

We walked around the rocks, looking in rockpools and enjoying the unspoilt nature of the area. Trev, Rose, Dave, and I all went in for a swim in the crystal-clear water – it was not too cold and very refreshing!

Walking back to the cars we noticed the unusual formations of the cliff face – it was very weathered and had multiple small caves and sections that looked like stalactites and stalagmites – I am sure the holes would have been home for many and varied animals and insects.

Trev had taken a leaf out of Dave’s books and was carrying all the bags while I took photos – what a great husband!!

Gordie decided to go back to Daly Head for a surf and so, while Klaus and Beryl headed home, we did a quick tour back to Daly Head via Swincer Rocks hoping to drive the track from there back to Daly Head. Swincer Rocks were not particularly interesting, and the track was blocked by a gate going onto private property, so we returned to the main road and went on – meeting Gordie coming back from Daly Head – apparently blown out and no good…. so back to Marion Bay it was.

We checked out Marion Bay JETTY on the way home – the jetty was built in 1889 to aid with delivery of supplies and transport of gypsum mined in the area.

Seems the only one who got a surf today was Branch….

The pack up went like clockwork and we were on the road by about 0930 heading towards the outskirts of Adelaide where we were going to stop and pick up supplies.

We had decided to take the scenic route to avoid the busyness of Adelaide city driving so headed north from Hahndorf through the vineyards and orchards through Cudlee Creek and One Tree Hill into the back of Northeast Adelaide to do our shopping at Munno Para West shopping centre.

The drive was through very picturesque farmland with apple-laden trees, cherry orchards, vineyards as well as sheep and cattle farms.

As we entered suburban Adelaide, we heard a loud bang and metallic sound coming from the rear of our van via the speaker connected to our rear camera. We pulled over immediately – fortunately on a flat street that was wide enough for us to park safely and jumped out to inspect the cause of the noise….

Looking under the van we could see the water tank half hanging down, dragging on the road – the metal bracket had broken at the bend – fortunately we had pulled over quickly and it appeared that the tank had not ruptured. If we had gone on any further no doubt, we would have destroyed the tank!! Branch was in his element – at last an interesting and challenging repair!!

Everyone had pulled over to see what had happened – we decided that the Wells and Weiss group should continue to the shops (less than 5 min away!) and we would work out what to do about repairs… Gordie and Kerry were great, insisting on staying with us to assist – it’s always great travelling as a team – everyone supporting each other!

We rang a local caravan repair place who told Trev that the brackets were easily replaced with a metal strip that we could get at Bunnings. Providentially not only did we break down in a perfect place to stop, the Bunnings was only 10 mins away – 5 minutes past the shops we were going to for groceries.

Kerry and I were watching as Gordie was unhitching his van so we could drive to the shops when an old lady came out of her house that we were in front of. We though she was coming out to see if we were OK or maybe offer us a cuppa, but nothing was further from the truth. She abruptly said “I have already called the council – you can’t park here – I can’t see to get out of my driveway “etc etc…. Kerry politely explained the breakdown situation, but she would not have a bar of it – very rude!! Gordie explained we would not be there very long – she was still not happy, so Gordie moved the van further down the street…. Looking at her place it looked like Fort Knox on a bad day so probably explained why she was so aggressive….

Trev stayed with the van to empty the water tanks, remove the broken brackets etc while Gordie dropped Kerry and I off at the grocery store and went on to Bunnings to get the spare bits needed for the repair.

While we did all this, McGyver and Branch managed to do a temporary repair using some tough webbing straps that we had in the Ranger so when we arrived back with the groceries, Trev was ready to go, planning to do a more permanent fix at Marion Bay our next stop.

Beryl and Rosie had kindly done a coffee run while we had gone to get Trev, so we met back in the shopping centre carpark, picked up the coffees and continued on. Driving out of Adelaide there were a lot of new subdivisions going in – some with very expensive landscaping using huge date palms, still in among the farmland on the city outskirts.

Marion Bay is down at the southern end of the Yorke Peninsula, so we still had about 3 hrs drive to get there. A quick stop for lunch at a rest stop and we continued south down the peninsula.

The terrain was very dry, flat, and windswept with cattle and sheep farms as well as mining areas. Copper was mined at Moonta located on the Yorke Peninsula. Today there is a large copper deposit near Ardrossan which is said to be the largest in South Australia that a company has put in a proposal to mine.

We passed the dolomite mine at Ardrossen. Salt is also produced on the peninsula, and gypsum and lime were also mined down in what is now Innes National Park.

We arrived at Marion Bay Caravan Park, set up, then Branch and Trev went to work on checking the repairs more thoroughly. The tanks appear intact, and everything else seems undamaged – McGyver’s strapping held well!! A more permanent repair maybe in store over the next few days…

Our sites were beachfront – we had a water view from our van – but the scrub in front was great for protection from potential wind!

We all relaxed once set up, then went for a quick walk down the short track to the beach – Marion Bay is a large bay with – yes – a JETTY at one end, blue water, and white sand – although there was quite a bit of seaweed on the beach. The water was surprisingly warm!

Beryl kindly invited us to dinner after our eventful day – delicious mushroom risotto cooked in her Thermomix – it was awesome!!

We all had coffee/ supper together – great to kick back after an eventful day.

The day started out really cool but soon heated up for a beautiful autumn day. We had our open air service listening to the next installment of Titus which was very encouraging on the roles for older men and women and the value they bring to the younger members of the church and community.

After some discussion we left Gordie and Kerry to do a few things in the van – and Gordie wanted to try out the salubrious swimming pool – so we went into the township of Hahndorf. It was full of beautiful historic buildings that Germans had constructed on their arrival to South Australia.

Between 1838 and 1839 four ships arrived carrying German Lutherans who had escaped the persecution in Germany by the then King, Wilhelm IV. From 1837 to 1900 about 18 000 Lutherans emigrated to Australia from Germany.

The captain of “Zebra”, one of the ships, Dirk Hahn, was so impressed with the industriousness of his passengers he advocated on their behalf for newly surveyed land near Mt Barker and as a gesture of thanks the Lutherans named their village Hahndorf.

We enjoyed browsing the shops – Rosie picking up a few purchases as always supported by Dave managing the bags and cash….and he didn’t even falter and go into the only “man’s shop” in town!!

Beryl and I also picked up a couple of items at the German Village shop…. and Trev got into the German spirit practicing his best German look….

In the middle of the town was a restaurant named the Haus – which Klaus’s daughter had recommended so we booked us all in for dinner at 6.

After a bit more browsing, we stopped for “lunch” at the German Bakery to sample some strudel, beestings, and cheesecake – delicious! The bakery was decorated with so many German memorabilia there was very little wall space left.

Klaus and Trev decided they needed a Kransky for lunch as well (!!!) so we stopped at the “best Kransky” in Hahndorf shop – run by an Italian who was very friendly!!

We made some final purchase at the German Pantry and the Gingerbread shop, then returned to the vans for a relaxing afternoon prior to our dinner at the Haus.

Due to COVID we had to be there at 6pm sharp for an hour and a half sitting….which really was unnecessary as the place was not busy at all.

The beer is bigger and better in Germany….or so it looked by the order Klaus received…

Klaus, Trev, and I opted for the authentic German experience – Klaus ordering the trio of Wursts and Trev and I sharing the Bavarian tasting platter – which was HUGE and consisted of a crispy pork knuckle, 3 different sausages plus a smoked pork chop with creamy mash and sauerkraut!!

The meals were pretty good, but Klaus was disappointed – nothing matches Mum’s cooking!!

After dinner we went in search of more strudel – alas the shop where Gordie had “the best strudel ever” was shut…..back home to get organised for the journey tomorrow to the bottom of the Yorke Peninsula.

We were up predawn to pack up and clean up as we had to be at the Penneshaw wharf by 0800 to load the cars onto the vehicular ferry. It was a 30 min drive from American River to Penneshaw so we left just before 7 as we had planned to ring through a brekkie order to Millie May’s café near the wharf for it to be ready at 730 when they opened.

The drive to Penneshaw was uneventful and we arrived at the café just as they opened. Gordie was unusually a glass half empty – must be missing the surf and the Titan – so he opted for no café brekkie and just watched Rosie with arms folded while she ate her delicious bacon and egg panini!!

We boarded the ferry and took in the last views of Kangaroo Island…. as well as the JETTY!! The time we had spent on the island was enjoyable – so much to see and do!!

The Pearl and the Weiss cruiser ended up just behind a huge logging truck with 2 trailers – actually they were fortunate to be behind and not beside as the trailers were fully loaded and rocked and rolled alarmingly as we traversed the Backstairs Passage. So much so that halfway across the crew decided to add in some extra chains to anchor the load to the floor of the boat.

We made it safely to the mainland and watched as the logging truck left the boat – finally Klaus and Dave drove off the ferry and we hightailed it to the caravan park wondering if our vans and vehicles would still be there…. or the bikes…or fishing rods…. or would there be some foul odour emanating from a van from food mistakenly left behind (Rosie had this experience last trip with a banana left for 14 days in the cupboard at Wyndham WA).

All was good when we arrived at the vans – no issues at all (admittedly Branch was slightly disappointed)! We unpacked the cars, rearranged our luggage, and headed off north on our way to Hahndorf.

The road wound through farmland, beachside townships, and wineries. We reached the McLaren Vale area by lunch time and pulled in at the d’Arenberg Winery – home of the d’Arenberg Cube. The Cube is a 5-story cube-like structure which houses wine tasting, artwork, exhibitions, and eateries – a very unique venue with very unique décor!!

The design concept for the building was developed by d’Arenberg’s chief winemaker, Chester Osborn, who is of the fourth generation of the Osborn family who founded the vineyards in 1912. It was completed in 2017 and has a distinctive geometric design largely resembling a Rubik’s cube.

We wandered around the grounds first – Klaus finding a trusty steed to rest his legs….

and then went into the Cube for a wine tasting which was held on the top floor with spectacular views over the McLaren Vale area.

The artwork and furnishings throughout the Cube were colourful and unusual to say the least.

The wines we sampled were good and the food at Eat@Pollys was delicious. We ate lunch and wandered around taking in the ambience….

On our way out we found the toilets (highly recommended by Fiona W as the place to visit) – again they were nothing like we had ever seen before…. And one of the female staff let us have a look in the male toilets quickly as they were also one of a kind!!

We made our way through McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills district to Hahndorf, our stop for the next 2 nights.

After setting up the vans, Gordie (whose skylight replacement had been delivered here for him) set to work with Branch and McGyver to install the new skylight cover – what a relief to have that fixed!!!

A quick trip to IGA to restock our foods supply and an easy night in before we hit the quaint shops of Hahndorf tomorrow!! Everyone has high expectations of our tour guide Klaus – being German he should be able to ensure we have an as near-German authentic experience possible outside of his homeland Germany! Achtung everyone!!

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….

After a great night’s sleep we were treated to a bacon and egg brekkie cooked by Gordie and Trev – a great way to start the day.

Branch came out to supervise the removal of the stitches from Rosie’s finger – the wound appeared to be healing well!

Gordie then led us in a short devotion from his reading earlier on Jesus healing the lame man at the Pool of Siloam which generated some good discussion and reflection.

We had planned to explore the eastern side of the island today including the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse tour and had booked it in for 2pm.

First stop was Brown’s Beach which was another unique location with very different rock formations compared to what we had seen so far on KI. The rocks were weathered sandstone – sharp in places bringing tears to the surfers eyes….but varied and interesting shapes.

The photographers were really on fire today….

Baudin beach, the next beach along, was also very similar – named after the French explorer Baudin, who had done some mapping of KI around the time that Matthew Flinders was exploring here.

We decided to stop at False Cape Winery for an early lunch. The timing was great as it began to pour with rain, so we raced inside and ordered lunch.

The cellar door area was built from local timbers including old JETTY timbers and local sandstone and was well set out. Kerry, Gordie and Dave did a wine tasting and the homemade pies we had for lunch were delicious.

A couple of hens with their chicks were making their way through the manicured gardens….

We still had some time before we had to be at the lighthouse so we did a quick detour to Antechamber Bay – which was a lovely location and would have been ideal for a swim if it was sunny and warm!

Driving on to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, the surrounding landscape became more windswept and arid. The lighthouse and keepers’ cottages stood out on the point as we drove up the road. Sheep were being farmed in the area around the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built in 1852 and was built without foundations – just very thick walls at the base – and can withstand winds of up to 240km/hr. The first light was generated by burning whale and seal blubber. This was replaced with a large glass prism and then eventually a 22W LED the current light source was installed in the 1990’s. The modern lighthouse is not manned but managed remotely.

The waters around KI can be very treacherous as the map below indicated the number of ships wrecked in the area (70 in total) ….

The tour was very informative, and we were able to walk up the 120 steps inside and come out onto the small balcony at the top for some amazing views of the coast and mainland.

After descending the stairs and exiting we had a look around the gardens – Rosie tried to feed a couple of kangaroos with some grass, but they were not keen.

The garden had lots of herbs and old-fashioned plants- the bees were plentiful and there were many brightly coloured stink bugs enjoying the lavender flowers….

We decided to head to Penneshaw for coffee and to grab some supplies before heading back to the house…. IGA had an interesting word of inspiration on their blackboard!!

Once back at home, we went for a walk along the front towards the jetty and saw some black swans with their babies… and Trev got up close and personal with the pelicans.

Jason the windscreen man arrived to fix the Pearl’s chip – or microchip as Trev named it – a 5 min job (done before Branch could make it out the door) which turned into a longer stay as there was a lot of chatting going on (surprise surprise!!).

There were no big plans for tomorrow – our last day on KI – we decided to work it out in the morning according to the weather etc….

Sunrise was spectacular as we woke to our last morning at Seas the Day.

We packed up and cleaned and were about to leave when it was discovered by Beryl that Klaus had attempted to steal a towel from our accommodation!! A Branch moment as he had actually thought it was theirs as it matched his face washer….and had packed it right at the back – so had to unpack to retrieve it….

We left Emu Bay having really enjoyed our time there.

Today we planned to explore the central north area as we were moving to American River for 3 nights and check in was 2 o’clock.

This gave us ample time to look around the region and sample some of the local produce….

First stop was the Emu Bay Lavender Farm – a favourite destination of Rosie’s! We strolled through the lavender plantation marvelling at the many different types of lavender being cultivated.

Inside the shop and café were a huge array of lavender-based products…. Including lavender scones which Trev honed in on straight away – they were huge and very tempting so we all decided it was time for morning tea and had coffee and scones. Trev thought they were the best scones ever – I was not really convinced as I was not keen on the taste that the lavender gave the scones.

Anyway, the majority felt the scones were delicious – and after a few purchases at the gift shop we drove on the Island Beehive at Kingscote.

KI is home to the Ligurian Bee which originated in Italy. It is smaller and less aggressive than our mainland bees. KI is the sanctuary to the only Ligurian bee population in the world and so honey and bee products are not allowed to be brought to KI to protect these rare and precious bees from diseases, and to keep their breed pure.

We saw a bee colony in action and purchased some honey from the store then back on the road to continue our gourmet tour of KI….

The next stop was KI Eucalyptus distillery where we watched an informative short video on the history of eucalyptus oil on KI. Trev and Klaus got the prize seats in the old wagon – Gordie ended up playing chauffeur to the couple!!!

Most of the eucalyptus oil in the world is now produced in China, so it was great to see that this local family had revived an Australian Industry that had once been large. They are now producing eucalyptus oil and other products such as emu oil locally.

The KI Cider Company was also in the same complex, so we decided to do a cider tasting – great value and you received $5 off any purchase of cider. Trev decided to buy a 6 pack of the non-alcoholic apple cider (appealed to his sweet tooth) and, as no one else bought any, the girl gave Trev $10 off as he was able to use Klaus’s voucher as well….

After a few purchases from the eucalyptus gift shop, we went on to the KI spirit distillery to sample some local gins. The KI Spirit Distillery was really well set out with a great outdoor café area set among a garden full of interesting herb and fruit plants such as pomegranates, citrus and  a large flowering perennial basil.

The distillery itself was really interesting and they had a well thought out display of the different gins they produced and the ingredients used for each. There were 5 locally produced gins to taste – all were good, but we decided to purchase the KIS Mulberry Gin as it was quite unique .

It was then time to drive to American River and hopefully grab some lunch at the Oyster Farm. We arrived just in time, but Kerry was extremely disappointed – they had NO oysters as the KI oysters were apparently not in season. We all had fish and salad instead – a small fish called a Tommy which is an Australian Herring found in the cooler waters of South Australia often caught off JETTIES – they were delicious. Tommies look a lot like a young Australian Salmon but they have a black tip on their tails and their scales are rough.

After our late lunch we drove up the road to “Stringybark”, our next home for 3 days. We arrived and had some drama as the key safe would not open no matter who had a go. I finally got in contact with the owner who discovered she had made a typo in the email she sent, giving me the incorrect code. The new code worked, and we unpacked and settled in.

The house had a waterfront aspect and the bay had black swans and pelicans cruising around…. And of course, there were 2 JETTIES – very unexpected!!

This time we drew “leaves” (no straws available) for the main room – and Rose and Dave won getting the luxurious large bedroom and ensuite. Trev and I and Gordie and Kerry had the other 2 double rooms and Klaus had kindly volunteered himself and Beryl to take the bunks….

The house was beautifully decorated and well stocked. It was separated into 2 pods – the front pod had the kitchen, living area, laundry, main bedroom and ensuite.

The second pod consisted of the other 3 bedrooms, a second lounge area and a bathroom. There was also some lovely artwork and garden sculptures.

We cooked up a few curries for dinner and enjoyed a relaxing evening – and all hopped into beds that were more comfortable than the last ones!