We’re on the road again! We checked out of our hotel on Kangaroo Island this morning and took the 10:30 a.m. car ferry back to the mainland to continue our journey on the Southern Ocean Drive.

Victor Harbor

Our first stop in this cold, rainy, windy morning was the oceanfront Victor Harbor, about 45 minutes from the Cape Jervis ferry dock. After a really good pub sandwich lunch at a cute place called Tbe Anchorage, we took a walk through the town. Turns out Victor Harbor also has a colony of nesting fairy penguins! We didn’t see them, of course, because fairy penguins hunt by day in the ocean and return at night to rest (which is why both of our penguin hunts have been after dusk). There is a big rock island off the coast of Victor Harbor that is the primary penguin nesting spot. The town built a pedestrian bridge over the water to the rock island (“Granite Island”), and then upped their tourist game by also adding a horse-pulled tram ride to take you back and forth from the town to the island. We chose to walk to Granite Island, but got to see the tram go by twice. There are also hiking/walking paths around the island and lookouts for whales and dolphins. Really pretty!

Car Ferry 2 of 2

A fun surprise as we were zooming along southern Australia following our GPS and found out we had to cross a river ahead by car ferry! We had of course been on the KI ferry earlier today, but didn’t realize that our path to Robe today had the shortest route going directly over the Murray River by car ferry. It was fast and free. The little ferry just goes back and forth all day long (similar to the one we took up in the Daintree, but that one cost $45!), and it held about three cars at a time.

Pink (ish?) Lakes ✅

Ever since I first saw one online, I have had a bucket list item on my list to go see a pink Lake somewhere. They are not common, but they do have them on several continents. The pink color is actually due to algae bloom, so it isn’t advisable to swim in them. 😂 Pink Lake Meningie and Magrath Flat are both listed as pink lakes in the same approximate area of SA near the city of Meningie. Today I got to see both and compare them! While the water colors can vary depending on season and rain, I could definitely see the pink in each.

Neat to get another bucket list check!

Pelicans… or just black flies?

As we traveled the coast, for many miles we paralleled the long, beautiful Coorong National Park, known for being a birder’s paradise. The breeding rookery in the Coorong is the largest Australian Pelican breeding colony in Australia. We took a walk out to the Jack Point overlook, where you can observe the pelican breeding area across the water. While we did see many Australian pelicans and a black swan, we also saw about 10 billion (probably not exaggerating) bush flies, which significantly dampened our hike enjoyment. (Side note: KI didn’t have any fly nets for us to buy 😢). But you back home, you get to enjoy the good part: wildlife pics!

For friends and family with small children at home, here’s a fun game: Count how many flies are on the back of Uncle/Mr. Rob’s shirt! Closest to the actual number gets to keep the shirt forever, because I don’t even want to touch it ever again.

Larry the Lobster

We found another one of Australia’s Bigs today! This one is Larry the Lobster, a 17 meter tall fiberglass crustacean who has been welcoming people to Kingston, SA since 1979. He is quite the handsome fellow!

Destination: Robe!

Our final (and overnight) stop for today is the adorable town of Robe, South Australia. This will be our launching point for tomorrow when we drive part of Australia’s famed “Great Ocean Road.” The town has lots of interesting features in it’s own right! Tonight we focused on seeing the town lighthouse and obelisk, going to Glass Beach for sunset, and getting checked in to our hotel. Glass Beach has a bunch of smooth sea glass that washes up on it daily with the tide (we have some similar beaches in the States), so I spent a very happy hour finding beautiful shells and glass pieces in the sand (and then returning them all to the sea before we left).

Thanks for adventuring with us!