After our early wake up call, drive to the airport (Thanks Katrina for getting up early and taking us to the airport!), and airplane ride we met the Jones' at the airport and piled into their two cars for a trip to Kangaroo Island for a few days - the boys in one car and the girls in another. We rode on a windy country road down to catch the ferry over to the island, and from out of the back seat we heard Savannah say, "Um! Madi is throwing up!" We signaled to the fellas in front of us and pulled over. Sure enough Madi was throwing up all over the back seat. She was fine after that and I am sure it was just car sickness along with a combination of getting up early, not eating very well, and being hot. After cleaning that up and finding more clothes we were once again on our way to catch the ferry.
The only thing out there is Antarctica - isn't that cool!!
After 45 minutes of rocking back and forth - and me only getting a little bit queasy - we unloaded the kids and the fellas drove off the cars and we were on Kangaroo Island for a few days of R&R.
DAY ONE - After getting off the ferry, we went down a dirt road and stopped at a honey farm
where we learned more about bees and ate honey ice cream. Kangaroo Island is known for it's pure honey (Last place on earth that has a pure breed bee from Italy) - in fact it is against the rules to bring your own honey there.
After 45 minutes of rocking back and forth - and me only getting a little bit queasy - we unloaded the kids and the fellas drove off the cars and we were on Kangaroo Island for a few days of R&R.DAY ONE - After getting off the ferry, we went down a dirt road and stopped at a honey farm
where we learned more about bees and ate honey ice cream. Kangaroo Island is known for it's pure honey (Last place on earth that has a pure breed bee from Italy) - in fact it is against the rules to bring your own honey there.
We then drove across more dirt roads to get to the house in the city of Kingscote. The boys car became known as the boy mobile. After all the bumpy roads from the wash board and pot holes Jessy's car (AKA - The boy mobile) started acting weird. We thought it might be a problem but found out it was just a loose spark plug wire.
After unpacking the cars and relaxing just a bit we headed off to the store and then to see a man feeding the pelicans. We got there a bit late and there were already lots of people so the kids and I walked down the rocks to get a better look.
He taught us more about these pelicans as he fed them fish. He does it every day and pays for it out of his own pocket - of course we were asked to make a donation as we left. At one point he fed a group of pelicans a bunch of fish and they were fighting over it - one came out of the bunch with a throat full of fish (they don't chew). He then flew off into the bay with at least 15 pelicans in tow. They then proceeded to fight him to try and get him to spit up some of the fish. It was a good show and lots of fun to see. After the show was over I stayed on the rocks as it cleared out to take some pictures - I actually got some good ones. After that we watched as the pelicans glide on the air across the bay as they flew away.
This picture was taken of Madi and Savannah on the way back to the car as we were walking down the beach front. We then piled back into the cars and found a fish and chips shop for dinner. We took it back to the house and relaxed the rest of the night. After the kids went to bed Kev and I taught Jessy and Kelli how to play some games. By the time we went to bed I was beyond exhausted.
DAY TWO - The next morning Kev and Jessy took the big kids down to the jetty to do some fishing.
Unfortunately, no fish were caught, but Madi did catch a seaweed crab. At first they thought it was only seaweed - you can understand why from the pictures - but soon realized it was alive.
When the fishing expedition was done we packed up a lunch and headed "on the road again", this time with a Madi's comfort bag in hand. She actually had one in the back of the van since throwing up on the way to the ferry - lucky for us she never had to use it again.
This time we headed to Flinder's Chase National Park on the south end of Kangaroo Island. We drove through the part of the island which had been devastated by a wild fire just weeks earlier and could still smell the smoke on the air. Just after entering the
National Park Jessy pulled over his car and we all got out. There in the fork of the gum tree was a koala lazily sleeping the afternoon away. He even opened his eyes once to look at us and then put his head down and fell back asleep. Our first koala sighting in the wild!!
We then continued on our way to Remarkable Rocks - and they were appropriately named.
Out on the edge of a cliff are these rocks that have been worn away by the wind and the kids could climb all over them. I was having a hard time being relaxed however, as I saw the kids running around and could just picture them slipping and falling into the ocean. They had a great time however, and all were safe with just a few scraps and bruises to show for the adventure.
We then continued on our way and saw a light house and another wonder of wind, water, and rock - Admirals Arch. This is where we got to see seals in the wild basking in the sunshine on the warm rocks. I have to admit I was hoping that a shark would be hungry and venture to eat a seal - but no luck there. We did have sad kids when they decided to run down the boardwalk without us and wouldn't stop when Kev called their names. They had to sit on a little bench before they could see the seals - as you can imagine there was crying and gnashing of teeth.
We left the National Park and went to the Little Sahara to do a little sand boarding. This was so much fun. We rented a toboggan and a sand board (similar to a snowboard) and went to a huge mountain of sand and rode down. Everyone had a good time. The wind was swirling the sand around us and the hike up the hill was hard, but the kids continued to slide down and trek back up the hill. Of course, the usually left the board behind and Kevin or Jessy had to go down the hill, retrieve it, and hike back up to the top. I even went down a few times, once with Madi and once with Cooper. Cooper and I crashed on the way down the hill, however, and Cooper wasn't too happy about having sand all over his face. Kevin and Jessy got pretty good at the sand board - but the kids took up most of the time sitting on it and riding down the dunes. Jessy did have a spectacular crash on the last ride down the hill - wish we could have gotten that one on tape. During most of the hour and a half we spent there Rylee and I sat in the safety of the trees off to the side. We avoided most of the wind and Rylee played happily with the sand and sticks around us. By the time we were done the kids and the adults were so tired and worn out from a full day of fun. We found a pizza place and the fellas waited for pizzas while Kelli and I took the kids back to the house to have baths and clean up.
DAY THREE -
We woke up to a windy, cold, and overcast day (similar to all the other days we spent on Kangaroo Island). We were a bit disappointed because our plan was to go to the beach. After breaking out the balls and playing the kids version of pool - rolling the balls into the pockets - we decided to head to the beach anyway because we wanted to see it and if anything the kids could just play in the sand. We took a picnic lunch and while driving to the beach the sun peaked out of the clouds. It turned out to be a warm, sunny day at the beach. 
The wind was still there and we fought it to keep our umbrella up and not turned inside out. The area was called Hidden Beach and was at Stokes Bay. You literally walk through a crack in the rocks and there is this beautiful, secluded beach with a shallow pool the kids can walk and splash around in. It was beautiful. We took everyone's swimming suits just in case it was warm enough to get in the water and it was a good thing because they had a blast. I took my swimming suit as well, but didn't change and stayed on the beach with Rylee. She sat at the edge of the water and splashed around and has now decided that eating sand is a great idea - ugh. No matter what I did her sand would go into the sand grab a handful and it would go directly in her mouth. I also got her to go to sleep and then put her under the outcropping of the rock in the shade.
After the beach we drove back to the house and the kids all fell asleep on the way there. Kevin and Jessy then went out to the store and got the fixings for a steak dinner. They did the cooking - which was fabulous - and we enjoyed some relaxing time before we ventured out again at night to see the fairy penguins head in from a day of fishing. [The picture on the left is Madi and Kevin playing the Tomagotchi - Savannah and Madi both have two and they have been playing them almost non-stop on this trip]. Then at 8:30 we he
aded over to the museum
for our penguin adventures. We were guaranteed to see at least one penguin and we saw three. They were hard to spot and the tour guide had a red light she would shine on them so you could spot them. We learned a lot about fairy penguins, or blue penguins, and Madi at least enjoyed her time there. Cooper got a little bored and it was really windy and cold so the kids were all ready to go home and climb into bed at 10:00 when we got back to the house.
DAY FOUR - We got up in the morning and headed back to the ferry. This time the water was more rough and I got so sea sick. I almost threw up at least four times - but kept looking forward, sipping water, and taking deep breaths. I was glad to get off and breath the fresh air and bought a Sprite to settle my stomach.
It was such a great place to visit with so much wild life. I was disappointed that the only kangaroos we saw on Kangaroo Island were road kill - It turns out that the only kangaroos on Kangaroo Island are of the smaller kind (Wallabies!)
After unpacking the cars and relaxing just a bit we headed off to the store and then to see a man feeding the pelicans. We got there a bit late and there were already lots of people so the kids and I walked down the rocks to get a better look.
He taught us more about these pelicans as he fed them fish. He does it every day and pays for it out of his own pocket - of course we were asked to make a donation as we left. At one point he fed a group of pelicans a bunch of fish and they were fighting over it - one came out of the bunch with a throat full of fish (they don't chew). He then flew off into the bay with at least 15 pelicans in tow. They then proceeded to fight him to try and get him to spit up some of the fish. It was a good show and lots of fun to see. After the show was over I stayed on the rocks as it cleared out to take some pictures - I actually got some good ones. After that we watched as the pelicans glide on the air across the bay as they flew away.
This picture was taken of Madi and Savannah on the way back to the car as we were walking down the beach front. We then piled back into the cars and found a fish and chips shop for dinner. We took it back to the house and relaxed the rest of the night. After the kids went to bed Kev and I taught Jessy and Kelli how to play some games. By the time we went to bed I was beyond exhausted.DAY TWO - The next morning Kev and Jessy took the big kids down to the jetty to do some fishing.
Unfortunately, no fish were caught, but Madi did catch a seaweed crab. At first they thought it was only seaweed - you can understand why from the pictures - but soon realized it was alive.
When the fishing expedition was done we packed up a lunch and headed "on the road again", this time with a Madi's comfort bag in hand. She actually had one in the back of the van since throwing up on the way to the ferry - lucky for us she never had to use it again.
This time we headed to Flinder's Chase National Park on the south end of Kangaroo Island. We drove through the part of the island which had been devastated by a wild fire just weeks earlier and could still smell the smoke on the air. Just after entering the
National Park Jessy pulled over his car and we all got out. There in the fork of the gum tree was a koala lazily sleeping the afternoon away. He even opened his eyes once to look at us and then put his head down and fell back asleep. Our first koala sighting in the wild!!
We then continued on our way to Remarkable Rocks - and they were appropriately named.
Out on the edge of a cliff are these rocks that have been worn away by the wind and the kids could climb all over them. I was having a hard time being relaxed however, as I saw the kids running around and could just picture them slipping and falling into the ocean. They had a great time however, and all were safe with just a few scraps and bruises to show for the adventure.
We then continued on our way and saw a light house and another wonder of wind, water, and rock - Admirals Arch. This is where we got to see seals in the wild basking in the sunshine on the warm rocks. I have to admit I was hoping that a shark would be hungry and venture to eat a seal - but no luck there. We did have sad kids when they decided to run down the boardwalk without us and wouldn't stop when Kev called their names. They had to sit on a little bench before they could see the seals - as you can imagine there was crying and gnashing of teeth.
We left the National Park and went to the Little Sahara to do a little sand boarding. This was so much fun. We rented a toboggan and a sand board (similar to a snowboard) and went to a huge mountain of sand and rode down. Everyone had a good time. The wind was swirling the sand around us and the hike up the hill was hard, but the kids continued to slide down and trek back up the hill. Of course, the usually left the board behind and Kevin or Jessy had to go down the hill, retrieve it, and hike back up to the top. I even went down a few times, once with Madi and once with Cooper. Cooper and I crashed on the way down the hill, however, and Cooper wasn't too happy about having sand all over his face. Kevin and Jessy got pretty good at the sand board - but the kids took up most of the time sitting on it and riding down the dunes. Jessy did have a spectacular crash on the last ride down the hill - wish we could have gotten that one on tape. During most of the hour and a half we spent there Rylee and I sat in the safety of the trees off to the side. We avoided most of the wind and Rylee played happily with the sand and sticks around us. By the time we were done the kids and the adults were so tired and worn out from a full day of fun. We found a pizza place and the fellas waited for pizzas while Kelli and I took the kids back to the house to have baths and clean up.
DAY THREE -
We woke up to a windy, cold, and overcast day (similar to all the other days we spent on Kangaroo Island). We were a bit disappointed because our plan was to go to the beach. After breaking out the balls and playing the kids version of pool - rolling the balls into the pockets - we decided to head to the beach anyway because we wanted to see it and if anything the kids could just play in the sand. We took a picnic lunch and while driving to the beach the sun peaked out of the clouds. It turned out to be a warm, sunny day at the beach. 
The wind was still there and we fought it to keep our umbrella up and not turned inside out. The area was called Hidden Beach and was at Stokes Bay. You literally walk through a crack in the rocks and there is this beautiful, secluded beach with a shallow pool the kids can walk and splash around in. It was beautiful. We took everyone's swimming suits just in case it was warm enough to get in the water and it was a good thing because they had a blast. I took my swimming suit as well, but didn't change and stayed on the beach with Rylee. She sat at the edge of the water and splashed around and has now decided that eating sand is a great idea - ugh. No matter what I did her sand would go into the sand grab a handful and it would go directly in her mouth. I also got her to go to sleep and then put her under the outcropping of the rock in the shade.
After the beach we drove back to the house and the kids all fell asleep on the way there. Kevin and Jessy then went out to the store and got the fixings for a steak dinner. They did the cooking - which was fabulous - and we enjoyed some relaxing time before we ventured out again at night to see the fairy penguins head in from a day of fishing. [The picture on the left is Madi and Kevin playing the Tomagotchi - Savannah and Madi both have two and they have been playing them almost non-stop on this trip]. Then at 8:30 we he
aded over to the museum
for our penguin adventures. We were guaranteed to see at least one penguin and we saw three. They were hard to spot and the tour guide had a red light she would shine on them so you could spot them. We learned a lot about fairy penguins, or blue penguins, and Madi at least enjoyed her time there. Cooper got a little bored and it was really windy and cold so the kids were all ready to go home and climb into bed at 10:00 when we got back to the house.DAY FOUR - We got up in the morning and headed back to the ferry. This time the water was more rough and I got so sea sick. I almost threw up at least four times - but kept looking forward, sipping water, and taking deep breaths. I was glad to get off and breath the fresh air and bought a Sprite to settle my stomach.
It was such a great place to visit with so much wild life. I was disappointed that the only kangaroos we saw on Kangaroo Island were road kill - It turns out that the only kangaroos on Kangaroo Island are of the smaller kind (Wallabies!)
9 comments:
Looks like fun. I love the pictures.
It looks so beautiful and warm there!(Can you tell I have the January blues?)
wow - what an adventure!! Loved the photos!
I love the rock photos, and the rocks with you guys sitting on them, just amazing. And yes we know what it's like when the kids get car sick too..... It looks like you guys had a fantastic time.
I love your pictures, they are so fun to look at, I really like that you saw a koala and that you got a picture, sounds like youa re having a blast. I wish as well that you would have seen a shark come and eat the seals, it would have been so sweet.
You're really starting to get some nice shots. I'm seeing a lot of good use of the composition rules all over the place. I really like the lighthouse shot, it is composed really well.
Travis
Sounds like you are having tons of fun. Love ya. Keep finding fun places in Sydney so when we come and visit you will have lots to show us.
I really like the crab, that is about the coolest thing I have seen! I am glad you figured out it was a crab and not just seaweed before you threw it back. Nice work Madi. Looks like you had lots of fun. Today was a bad storm, we probably got 8 inches...well I really don't know, but we got a lot!
Janae
ooooh yes! Ligurian honey, did you get any?
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