Kangaroo Island II

Flinders Chase National Park (day 25)

The good weather was due to continue for a day or two, so on our third day on the island we set off for the Flinders Chase National Park at the far western end from where we were based. This will be a long post because it was a long day, but a spectacular one, blessed with fantastic weather.

This entailed the longest drving of the stay with the roads very good through the centre of the island taking in Pandarna until the final 34 kms through to Cape Borda - the corrugations were a challenge but it was worth the patience & perseverence!

From this vantage, to the west is the southern tip of WA, or if you miss that landfall, South Africa! To the south is Antarctica. On such a gorgeous day as we had, both did not enter into calculations because you would not want to be anywhere other than where we were 😁.

Approaching Cape Borda lighthouse looking south.

Panorama looking west from the lighthouse.
Notice the bush recovery post 2020 bushfires!

The next 3 photos show a local western grey mum and young kangaroo grazing and taking advantage of overnight rain filling a few basins in the rocks. 

I included this welcome swallow atop the ridgeline of one of the light-keeper cottages (shown in the 2nd photo and available for rent if you care for isolation) to show the bird, but also the narrow spacing of the screws for the roofing iron, an indication that the still day we had was not the norm!

This is a land and skyscape looking east over Scott Cove which is nearby on the north coast as we headed back for the next part of the day. The panorama was just right with the light and clouds as we called in for a look.

After retracing the drive over the dreaded corrugations, we headed south on the good paved highway to Cape du Couedic with its lighthouse and keeper's cottages, Admirals Arch and the fur seals and sea lions. We were greeted just after the information centre by some cape barren geese, a first for me to photograph. Also below is a panorama along the drive in showing again the remarkable recovery post 2020 bushfires - nature does indeed have incredible healing powers!

Over another hill and there is the Southerrn Ocean with the Cape Du Couedic lighthouse & keeper's cottages (also for hiring) and a shot of Casuarina Islets showing the pulsating seas roiling through the passage despite the calm day that it was - a reminder of the treacherous nature of the ocean and why there were so many shipwrecks around the island.

Then down the boardwalk to the fur seal lookout where we saw some young ones in a "learn to swim" rock pool, a couple just lounging around in the sun, a young ones still suckling on mum and a young one being cheeky and having some fun looking at us. What an afternoon treat this had turned out to be!

Then at the bottom (and end) of the walk was Admiral's Arch. Not so kind for photographing in the afternoon light, but you get the idea ... and there were quite a few fur seals lounging around as well, though I have included a sea lion here with the light really accentuating it's leather-looking flippers.

And because it is very cute, another shot of the young fur seal suckling on mum while we were heading back up (this one because you can see more clearly the milk around the young one's mouth from suckling).

The final joy of this long day was heading further east into the park over to Remarkable Rocks. Blessed again with great background cloud formations to frame some photos of these fascinating formations and several passages of late afternoon sunshine illuminating the scenery. You might (correctly) imagine there were MANY more photos snapped during our time here 😁. Hopefully those chosen offer some sense of the grandeur of nature, in case that has not been evident enough from what has been shared on this memorable day!

Remarkable Rocks viewed from Cape Du Couedic

Viewed from the road to to the Rocks

Even had a remarkable rock in the car park!

From the car park showing some fire damage remnants

The remaining photos simply(??} highlight some of the unique formations in the granite boulders attempting to incorporate the magnificent late afternoon sky as complementary background. Yes, quite the end to a day in Flinders Chase National Park - may anyone who has the privilege to visit also get a day with weather as good as we had!