Thursday, December 26

[...from the Island]

I was wrong when I said that I'd been to KI as a foetus; the fact is that I'd NEVER been there before, and I'm glad that I now have. Sonia and I left Adelaide a little late, due to a forgotten pillow, sped down through the wonderland that is the Fleurieu Peninsula, and boarded the ferry to KI.

Something about the sea journey made everything feel like a holiday, and we arrived at the delightful and visually stunning Penneshaw. After a brief stroll to suss out the restaurant scene (most closed for Christmas unfortunately), we drove into the hot, dry KI heartland. American River (slightly creepy) and Kingscote (yuck), along with a strange sandhill formation, provided brief stopovers, but we powered on over roads from hell to our destination: Stokes Bay.

How glorious. Two days of camping without facilities except for a cafe that serves delicious food and sumptuous hot chocolates. Roughing it ain't my thing, but this was ace. More geological splendours – a walk through rock tunnels led to a white, sandy beach complete with its own naturally formed rock pool that provided the perfect place for safe bathing in refreshingly cold waters (in the mornings it felt like knives).

After two nights we headed back to Penneshaw where mum and dad joined us. We'd hired out a lovely house overlooking the sea, and the view was unbroken and arresting. Lots of lazing out on a decked terrace... plenty of delicious food and of course the joy that is Christmas (despite my virtual boycott this year).

I think Sonia liked her Villeroy & Boch bonbonierre – I wasn't 100% sure of my choice.

Penneshaw is just so beautiful, but it's purely a spot for a lazy holiday, as it's not exactly brimming with attractions aside from its scenic splendours. We drove out to see a lovely old lighthouse which commanded a dramatic spot on rugged coastline, but the nearby cafe was closed which sapped everyone's strength somewhat. The horrendous road conditions and a lack of motivation prevented us from seeing other attractions on the island (Remarkable Rocks, Admiral's Arch etc), but I didn't care. I was more interested in the two Banana Yoshimoto novels that I became addicted to.

We left this morning, back on the ferry, and meandered home through the Fleurieu Peninsula and McLaren Vale. No negative adjectives can be applied to this region, and I can't wait to perform further exploration. I'd highly recommend it all.

posted by pete at 16:59

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Thursday, December 19

[Kangaroo Island]

OK, here's the plan:

Sonia and I leave for Kangaroo Island at about 9:30am on Saturday morning. We have to drive to Cape Jervis, and then catch the ferry over from there. We are camping two nights in Stokes Bay, and on one of those nights we are booked into a $45 per head dinner at an isolated little cafe. (They're called the Rock Pool Cafe and are apparently being sued by Neil Perry for copyright infringement. We're a long way from Sydney here – people in general need to lighten up.) It should be excellent.

Then we'll head back to Penneshaw, where dad and mum will meet us. We're hiring a house for a further three nights, with no real plans for that time other than a trip to remarkable rocks.

I'm actually starting to get excited. I haven't been all that thrilled up until now for the simple reason that I've been run-down and stressed. So let's hope that this trip proves to be restorative and virtuous!

posted by pete at 20:52

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