Sat, 12th Mar, 2016 Vivonne Bay to Flinders Chase Farm, Karatta, Kangaroo Island, SA (Hanson Bay)

23 degrees – heavy mist still over us. Packed up and continued along the highway. Crossed the South West River which flows out to Hanson Bay. Should be some koalas in the trees around here as there are two Koala Walk places along here. 

Past a huge plantation of tall eucalypt trees.

Reached Flinders Chase National Park entrance then turned right and headed north to Gary & Margaret’s friends farm. Steven and Kerryn were happy to have us park the van for a few days near their accommodation area. The accommodation manager, Verity, greeted us and we set up.

It is a great spot with a bathroom growing a vine that I think is Monstera Deliciosa (will have to ask Dad – I googled it instead – see below).

They were originally raising sheep and had the accommodation area then slowly expanded and then went into ‘seed’ potatoes. The sheep get the left over damaged potatoes to snack on.

A flock of Cape Barren geese flew over.

Steve arrived and we chatted to him about the potato industry. A good seed potato is about 50mm. They are sorted into sizes by his staff (mainly international backpackers doing their 100 days rural work to be able to apply for a longer visa) using these machines. He invited us to join him for a tour and watch how it all works on Monday.

Made some lunch and sat around the fire pit outside the camp kitchen.

Steve said to call in on Kerryn at their home near the turn off to Hanson Bay. Introduced ourselves and chatted for a while then headed down the road to Hanson Bay. The South West River doesn’t quite make it to the sea either.

A beautiful spot, even on a bleak day.

Rugged coastline around to Cape Bouguer.

Bright seaweed.

Spotted a crab down on a rock by the water.

Wandered along the cliff top enjoying the view.

Interesting rock formations.

Watch where you step as there are holes everywhere.

Continued along till we spotted Southern Ocean Lodge.

Further around is Cape Younghusband – will have to google that name as it is also the Peninsula near Goolwa.

Leanne & Rick headed back to the van but we drove into the National Park to pick up a brochure on the walks etc. Steve found a couple of friends up in the trees in the carpark. Lucky my zoom works well. Don’t have to go to the Koala Walks now.

Lots of information to read inside. The koalas are eating themselves out of a home.

Great carving of a Kangaroo Island kangaroo which is one of three subspecies of the Western Grey kangaroo. It is smaller and more solidly built; has shorter tail, ears and limbs; has a broader muzzle and jaw; has longer, thicker and darker brown fur than the mainland relatives.

Lovely mural depicting all the plants and wildlife on the island.

Eucalyptus farming still happens today.

Got my walk guide and checked on the weather – still going to be overcast and getting a bit colder. She said the high humidity was unusual and the low cloud cover. The fog is not unusual to come in from the Southern Ocean.

Found another couple of koalas on the way back to the truck.

Down the road are two accommodation places – one was the Postman’s Cottage, a one-roomed stone hut built for the mailman who would call and stay overnight once a fortnight.

The other is May’s Homestead which is heritage-listed. The four-roomed stone cottage was built in the early 1890s. During its history, the occupants were the nearest source of help whenever a ship was wrecked along the rugged coastline.

Back to the van for a cuppa. The sun has come out – worthy of a photo!!

Steve pulled Leanne’s fridge burner apart while we had the fridges on 240volt and got it cleaned up while I continued on my quest to catch up on my blog.

Had our drinks under the awning when we should had been sitting in the sunshine!! We were going to get a fire going in the firepit but left it too late and it was getting colder so went into our vans for dinner. Took the Sequence over to Leanne’s van and played a few games. I could see stars when I went to the shower block later. Steve got hooked on a movie so we didn’t get to bed till 11.30pm and it was 21.4 degrees in the van then but a lot cooler outside.

Monstera deliciosa, commonly called the fruit salad plant, is a native of Mexico and Central America. It is a climber that under ideal conditions can reach to 9 m, with leaves up to 1 m wide. Its aerial roots cling to a support, or form a dense mat on the ground when unsupported. LOCATION M. deliciosa can withstand cold conditions provided it is sheltered from frost and cold winds and it tolerates a wide range of soil types. However, it prefers moist, warm situations and grows more rapidly in well drained soil rich in organic matter. It is especially suited for use as an ornamental on fences and tree stumps; its strong growth makes it unsuitable for planting alongside buildings. HARVESTING The elongated fruit is ready to harvest when the caps of the fruitlets at the base start to spread and show creamy colour between them, usually, about 12 months after flowering. When mature, the fruit can be brokcn off, leaving the flower stem. After harvest, place the fruit in a paper bag in a warm position and in a day or so the green caps will fall from the ripened section at the base of the fruit and expose the edible portion beneath. Do not eat from the section where the caps have not been shed, for severe irritation of the throat can be caused by oxalate and also by the small black scales between the edible segments within the fruit. Leave the unripe section in the paper bag until the next portion is ready to eat. Alternatively, the whole fruit can be ripened for eating at one time by standing the base in water and keeping it in the dark for a few days.