Page 360 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

358  SOUTH A USTR ALIA

8Kangaroo Island
g Sea Link ferry connection from Cape
Jervis. ~ n Kangaroo Island Gateway
Visitor Information Centre, Howard
Drive, Penneshaw (08) 8553 1185. 7
8 ∑ tourkangarooisland.com.au
Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third-
largest island, is 155 km (96 miles)
long and 55 km (34 miles) wide.
Located 16 km (10 miles) off the
Fleurieu Peninsula, the island
was the site of South Australia’s
first official free settlement,
established at Reeves Point in
1836. The settlement was short-
lived, and within just four years Remarkable Rocks at Kirkpatrick Point, Kangaroo Island
had been virtually abandoned.
The island was then settled by be taken. Sparsely populated In Flinders Chase National Park,
degrees during the remainder and geographically isolated, kangaroos will sometimes
of the 19th century as com- the island has few introduced approach visitors, but feeding
munications improved with the predators and is a haven for a them is discouraged.
new mainland settlements. wide variety of animals and The interior is dry, but does
There is no public transport on birds, many protected in its 19 support tracts of mallee scrub,
the island and visitors must travel conservation and national parks. and eucalypts. The coastline,
on a tour or by car (available for At Kingscote and Penneshaw however, is varied. The north
hire at Kingscote Airport). It is fairy penguins can often be coast has sheltered beaches ideal
also possible to bike or hike. seen in the evenings, and the for swimming. The south coast,
Though the roads to the main south coast windswept beach battered by the Southern Ocean,
sights are good, many roads are of Seal Bay is home to a large has more than 85 shipwrecks. At
unsealed and extra care should colony of Australian sea lions. Kirkpatrick Point to the southwest
stands a group of large rocks.
Aptly named Remarkable Rocks,
they have been eroded into weird
formations by the winds and sea.

9Mount Gambier
* 29,000. ~ @ @ n The Lady
Nelson Visitor Centre, 35 Jubilee Hwy
East (08) 8724 9750. ∑ mount
gambier.sa.gov.au
Mount Gambier, a major regional
city midway between Adelaide
and Melbourne, is located on the
slopes of an extinct volcano.
Established in 1854, it is now
surrounded by farming country
and large pine plantations. The
volcano has four crater lakes
which are attractive recreation
spots, with walking trails, picnic
facilities and a wildlife park. The
Blue Lake, up to 75 m (245 ft)
deep, is a major draw between
November and March when its
water mysteriously turns an
intense blue. From April to
October, it remains a dull grey.
There are also a number of
caves to explore within the city.
Engelbrecht Cave is popular with
Strange and vividly coloured water of Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake cave divers.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp491–2 and pp522–5