Situated on the northeast coast of the Island, this area includes Penneshaw, Christmas Cove, the Desal Plant, Antechamber Bay, Chapman River, Cape Willoughby, Cape Hart & Mount Flat Beach.

The ferry ride from Cape Jervis brings the visitor to Hog Bay on which Penneshaw is located. Besides the ferry terminal, a nice pub, a few shops and some lichen coloured rocks. There is a Fairy penguin colony, abundant wildlife, a small boat harbour and the desal plant. The pictures were in the Part 1 Report, here.

The Doc made a quick visit to the KI Visitors Centre to buy a Parks Pass and detailed Kangaroo Island map. Then The Doc is off to the nearby Lashmar Conservation Park.

Harry and Francis Lashmar were earlier settlers who lived at Antechamber Bay and had 10 children, presumably the Park is named after the family. It is within Lashmar Conservation Park that Antechamber Bay and Chapman River are located. The Doc visited the location at the first day and last day of the KI trip.

Antechamber Bay can be very flat and calm. On the East side is Cape St Albans. Saint Alban is venerated as the first British Christian martyr, beheaded in Rome in the 3rd or 4th century. There are mostly English names for this part of KI. Cape St Albans Lighthouse is placed to assist shipping through the Backstairs Passage, the waterway between the mainland and KI. The Doc could not reach the lighthouse on Cape St Albans, one of several lighthouses on KI.

Often coastal access was through private land. A theme which started on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The beach on Antechamber Bay was great for swimming, fishing, kayaking and walking. It had brown seaweed, which was also present on most KI beaches, but more so for those facing the Great Southern Ocean. The Chapman River flows into the sea here (when in flood).

There are camp sites on both sides of the Chapman River, named Chapman River East and West. Plenty of small birds around the tables and the river. There is great light on the river at sunrise. An ideal family holiday location.

Next stop is Cape Willoughby with its impressive Lighthouse and Lighthouse Keeper Cottages. Cape Willoughby is on the eastern tip of Moncrieff Bay, part of the Cape Willoughby Conservation Park. Very limited coastal access in this area also, something that will occur many more times. Cape Willoughby Lighthouse is located on the extreme eastern edge of the Island and was originally named the Sturt Light. It was the first Lighthouse built in South Australia to assist shipping through the Backstairs Passage.

Cape Heart was perhaps the most bland of the Capes visited. The road was not well travelled and the rocky road made the trip uncomfortable. There was a 20 metre wide strip between 2 farms were you could access. Not much more to say really.

Next stop Mount Flat Beach. Another drive into a quite remote part of the Island, certainly off the Tourist Map. The road followed in parts the Wilson River. The last 3 or 4 kilometres required a walk. Towards its end the Wilson River began to severely erode the sand dunes nears its mouth evident in the photos. The Doc trekked along the side of the river until the last kilometre and then walked along the river bed. Not many visitors here at all, almost no footprints, but a house was built on the headland – accessed by a private road.

The river mouth was closed to the ocean. There were several hooded plovers, swans and herons around the “lake” formed by the closed river mouth. Apparently it floods in winter. The Doc reached the beach and hiked around the rocks in an easterly direction. In several locations The Doc had to waited for waves to recede before he could walk further across the rocks. Conscious the tide was rising, he stopped and returned to the main beach. This made up for Cape Hart.

We now leave Penneshaw and the Dudley Peninsula. In the Part 2(b) we visit the Kingscote Area.