The 5 Day Easter Island trip is written up in one report. There are some some great sunset and sunrise photos of the Giant Moai. The Report is posted here.
Remember to click on the photos to see the best photo. The thumbnails are blurred.
Monthly Archives: March 2014
The 1st Aussie road trip ends
The first Australian road trip is over. The Doc is in Wagga Wagga now and will head back to Sydney later in the week.
The Patrol has performed well, a few minor issues with third party products. The Doc will return via Canberra to have one of them fixed.
Upon his return, The Doc must will sort the photos and finish writing the Reports. Stay tuned.
Yanga and Mungo National Parks next stop
The Doc has a long drive ahead to Balranald in NSW. Home of one of the State’s newest National Parks, Yanga NP (not to be mistaken for Yengo NP in the Blue Mountains of NSW). Yanga NP is located at Balranald, and Balranald markets itself as the gateway to Mungo NP, some 120km away. Mungo is part of a world heritage listed site and has the famous Walls of China formations.
It was also where Mungo Man was found. The oldest human remains found in Australia, somewhere between 40,000-68,000 years old. The remains are not a DNA match to Australian Aboriginals, they are more closely related to Europeans. That surprised a few people.
The Doc suspects it is the wrong time of year for the Yanga NP visit, but Mungo NP should yield some nice landscape shots, weather permitting.
Then home via Wagga Wagga (visit a friend) and the ACT to have the water watch system for the diesel looked at.
Reached Balranald safely.
Not just wildlife and landscapes
The Excellent Adventure is not just about wildlife and landscapes. Tasting the local foods is also part of the adventure. There has been two standouts so far.
In an earlier post The Doc mentioned dinner at The Victor Hotel, Victor Harbour, South Australia. They served a Penne Pasta, a bland name but nothing could be further from the truth. You get the usual tomatoes, onions, capsicum and mince meat, but they add chorizo sausage, bacon and BBQ grilled chicken breast – yum. The Doc often runs out of pasta before finishing the sauce.
The Doc also read that the Flinders Chase Visitor Centre made a great burger. Indeed that was true, perhaps the best The Doc has tasted. Better that some restaurant meals The Doc has eaten.
The partly eaten Victor Harbour Penne Pasta.
Farewell Kangaroo Island
The Doc left Kangaroo Island today, after 3 weeks, 3 days and 3,000 kilometres. Farewell KI. A picture of Chapman River at sunrise this morning.
On the road
The Doc has now explored the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, especially around Victor Harbour and the mouth of the Mighty Murray, he then moved on to Kangaroo Island for 3 weeks and will return to Sydney the long way, via Yango and Mungo National Parks.
When he returns home he will first post the Easter Island update which is written, then the Kangaroo Island Report and finish with Fleurieu. The Doc may also add Mungo National Park.
The Kangaroo Island Report will be divided into 3 parts: KI main attractions, Around KI and lastly KI wildlife.
The main KI attractions are the Remarkable Rocks, the Lighthouses (mostly Cape du Couedic Lighthouse) and Admirals Arch. Others include Raptor Domain and the Australian and New Zealand Fur seals (to be in The Doc’s Widllife Report). This what the one day tour involves. One day visitors sure miss a lot.
A small sample, the sunrise at West End Bay The Doc waited 2.5 weeks to get.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy update
As readers know The Doc’s Nissan Patrol has Australian Wildlife Conservancy stickers on its doors. This trip started with pitfall trapping at AWC Yookamurra Sanctuary near Sedan in South Australia. Where it was 42 degrees one day and the next had half their yearly rainfall. Not the best combination for successful trapping. But that maybe a topic for a separate post. This is about comments made about AWC.
While staying at the Wintersun Motel in Victory Harbour before the ferry ride across to Kangaroo Island, The Doc heard a knock at his door. The person introduced themselves as Graeme Chapman, a noted bird photographer and ornithologist. Graeme and his wife were on there way to Kangaroo Island also, or KI as the local call it. Or Sealink Island as the Victor Harbour people call it.
Graeme allows AWC to use some of his images royalty free and wondered about the fancy fitted out 4WD being used by AWC now. The Doc explained he was a supporter, not a staff member. We laughed. We both chatted about birds, the Galapagos and Kangaroo Islands and photography for the next 2.5 hours. The Doc enjoyed our talk.
Next stop Kangaroo Island and at Vivonne Bay a stranger approached and asked about AWC. The Doc was happy to discuss, it turns out Steve was one of the parents with a school group from the Adelaide Hills visiting KI. The Doc explained about the educational facilities at Yookamurra. The next day, Julian the organiser of the school tour had a talk, as well. Perhaps the school may visit. Julian remembered Yookamurra from the Earth Sanctuary days, the previous owners.
Next day while at the remote Hanson Bay a gentleman came up and asked about AWC. He had been at Raptor Domain together the previous day. Perhaps he will support AWC. He like the background The Doc gave.
Today at Parndana a lady came up and asked whether AWC has a sanctuary on KI. No they do not, The Doc was just a supporter visiting KI, he was not looking at potential sanctuaries either. She seemed relieved as she was a regular reader of the AWC Newsletter and had not heard about KI being on the list of sanctuaries.
It seems people read the stickers.
Postscript
The Doc forgot to mention that while driving through major roadworks his UHF radio was set to scan. It picked up a conversation between the road crew that they were being filmed by Australian Geographic, not quite but as the Patrol was the only car at the time they meant AWC.
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