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Penneshaw - Kangaroo Island - tours at the pier


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Our cruise ship, the Maasdam, will be stopping at Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island for the day on Nov 13, 7am - 6pm. We are not into wine tasting but looking to see the wildlife. Will there be tour operators offering tours at the pier or do we need to book something in advance?

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I've been to Kangaroo Island a couple of times, but never on a cruise ship. I did not get the feeling that Penneshaw was a port city like those you find in the Caribbean where you can easily pick up a tour from the dock. I think you will want to book your wildlife tour well in advance of your arrival.

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I've been to Kangaroo Island a couple of times, but never on a cruise ship. I did not get the feeling that Penneshaw was a port city like those you find in the Caribbean where you can easily pick up a tour from the dock. I think you will want to book your wildlife tour well in advance of your arrival.

 

Agree with the UT grad. From our experience there on Kangaroo Island (not on a cruise ship), this unique and special island is mostly for people spending more time there over two or three days. To my knowledge, there are not that many cruise ships visiting here. Part of what makes Kangaroo Island so special is that it is not that "high-volume" in having thousands and thousands of visitors each day or week.

 

Seeing the wildlife in Kangaroo Island would be wonderful, but I would strongly suggest making arrangements in advance. Don't walk off of the ship and expect to have lots of great options immediately available.

 

Below are some of my visuals to help build up, UP your excitement for visiting here, plus what we arranged. On my live/blog connected below, you can see more pictures, details and options. If you have more questions, just ask me on that live/blog. Happy to share more.

 

It takes some effort and cost in dollars and time to do Kangaroo Island. Was it worth that "investment" for us? The answer is and was a loud and resounding . . . YES!! One of the top, super favorites from our trip!! Why? Part of this excitement and mass of wonderful memories was the setting, nature and wildlife experienced. The other valuable part were the wonderful people we encountered, both living there and visit/exploring with us as we were doing this adventure.

 

Kangaroo Island is 70 miles south of Adelaide in South Australia. We had two full days on this very "natural" island. It is not a small area. At its longest point, it is 93 miles long. Its widest point is 34 miles across. This makes it as large in area as Puerto Rico or NY's Long Island. But lots less in population. Only about 4,400 people live here. Lots more sheep and wild animals are here. Can you see this area in a day? Not really. It takes longer to get a better "feel" for this island and its many wonders. We are glad we had the two days and being overnight there.

 

K.I., as locals call it, is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. Its closest point to the mainland is a distance of 8.4 miles. Its total area is 1,700 square miles. Once occupied by Australian Aborigines, the native population disappeared after the land became an island following rising sea levels several thousand years ago. It was resettled in the early 19th century, first by whalers and those capturing seals. The island's economy has been mainly focused on agricultural and more recently with tourism growing in importance. About a quarter of the island has been protected as nature reserves or parks to preserved its natural vegetation and native animals. The largest and best-known is Flinders Chase National Park at the western end that we visited on our first day there. Nearly half of the island has never been cleared of vegetation. This visit really gave us a better awareness of the vast "natural" regions of Australia, away from the urban growth and not being as developed.

 

Traditionally, sheep-grazing has been the key focus for agriculture on the Island, but recently, more diverse crops, such as potatoes, grapes/wine and canola have been introduced. Cattle farming has grown. Kangaroo Island is noted for its honey, made by Ligurian honey bees. The island has averaged over 150,000 visitors annually. Kangaroo Island has South Australia's only eucalyptus oil distillery.

 

Because of its isolation from mainland Australia, foxes and rabbits are absent from and prohibited from entering the island. The Kangaroo Island Kangaroo, Rosenberg's Sand Goanna, Southern Brown Bandicoot, Tammar Wallaby, Common Brushtail Possum, Short-beaked Echidna and New Zealand Fur Seal are native to the island. The introduced Koalas have grown on the island, but their preferred food source, the Manna Gum, is at risk from use by these cute animals. Lightning strikes in December 2007 caused several fires on the Island, burning about 20% of the island, mostly within national park and conservation reserves. Flinders Chase National Park had a large part of its lands burnt.

 

Kangaroo Island is not the type of place to just rent a car and drive around. You could do that, but it would waste lots of time and you would not really experience, nor understand, what makes this area so super special.

 

Through our skilled travel agent (that I cannot name here due to the Cruise Critic rules), we were in the great hands of Craig Wickham and Exceptional Kangaroo Island. Check out this super great YouTube video with Craig as it shows some on this place where we are staying on K.I. Really excellent video to prepare and learn more for visiting this amazing part of Australia. It is called: Kangaroo Island - South Australia's Galapagos.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyyGJ...ature=youtu.be

Craig's website is:

http://exceptionalkangarooisland.com

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 152,129 views for this posting.

 

 

From amazing Kangaroo Island, 70 miles south of Adelaide in South Australia, here is a picture of two kangaroos doing what they do best on the open plains of this island while we observed at a distance.:

 

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At Flinders Chase National Park, first is a longer view as we approached the Remarkable Rocks that dramatically overlook this coast region of Kangaroo Island. These are naturally-sculptured formations sit atop a base of granite. This rock formation appears like sculptures of the UK's Henry Moore.:

 

KangIslandOneA15_zps7f57e126.jpg

 

 

Here is an overall coastal/beach view within Flinders National Park.:

 

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Here is a view at Admiral's Arch with an amazing angle through that famed stone arch outward towards sea/rock/coastal scenery.:

 

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With Craig Wickham, the operator of Exceptional Kangaroo Island on this famed Australian island near Adelaide, he took us on a "hunt", successfully, to find more Koalas out in the wild. Here is just one example of these Koala finds that we enjoyed so much. Aren't they cute? So lovable?:

 

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Here is one sample from my many pictures of these interesting and playful Australian Sea Lions at Kangaroo Island's Seal Bay. Fun!!:

 

KangIslandTwoA_zpse8ca57a4.jpg

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TLCOhio - thanks for the outstanding information. We are only going to be in port for 11 hours so we will have to do our best in that short period.

 

For Ted and Barb, our "neighbors" to the west in Indianapolis, let us know any added questions. Yes, eleven hours is a limited time period, but you can see lots there if you are set-up with good people who know their way around on this unique island. Certain of the "natural" locations are always going to be there and available, assuming that the weather works well that day. BUT, to capture sights of some of the "creatures", it does take some luck and patience. Much depends on what you like and seek most to do and enjoy. Keep planning and preparing!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 152,200 views for this posting.

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Sorry, forgot to include a few more "eye-candy" samples from Kangaroo Island. From the Daily Mail in London, they had an interesting article on Kangaroo Island in 2014. You can find it at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2555266/Australia-holidays-Kangaroos-cuisine-South-Australia.html

 

Among the story highlights are: "There's nothing like running on a beach. And if that beach is on South Australia's Kangaroo Island, with its pristine sands and turquoise waters, then it's a truly wonderful sensation. KI is roughly the size of Kent, and a microcosm of different Australian landscapes. It's the place to see the best of Australia if you don't have time to see the whole country. Even on our short trip from the airport, we glimpsed bushland, eucalyptus woods, white sandy dunes and spectacular seascapes."

 

Here is more that this writer shared: "The guided tours in 4WD comfort with Exceptional Kangaroo Island were superb. A third of the island is a national park, with stunning natural features such as the wind-sculpted Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase. There, we watched seals being hurled against the rocks before swimming back to do it all again. Then we went to Seal Bay and found ourselves within touching distance of these wonderful mammals. It's one of the rare places on Earth where you can actually walk with sea lions on the sands. No wonder they call this area the Galapagos of Australia. Ogling animals in a zoo is simply not the same as viewing them in the wild. We saw koalas munching away in eucalyptus trees, dolphins frolicking and seal pups learning to swim."

 

Nice to know this UK writer used the same tour folks as we did, plus visited many of the same, wonderful locations on this island.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 18,513 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

 

This was one of the many visuals that I captured featuring the birds and animals on Kangaroo Island. As I understand, this a Crimson Rosella. For the bird experts, is this correct? Not easy catching these colorful and unique birds in the wild.:

 

KangIslandOneA14_zpsb7865541.jpg

 

 

As we walked/explored a nature preserve area, our guide for two days, Jamie, was explaining how some of the natural items produced by trees would have been used used by natives in this region. Jamie had retired a couple years back as a farmer on this island. His family grew up here and his insights, sharing added so much to the experience on K.I.:

 

KangIslandTwoA14_zps21098498.jpg

 

 

Here is what appears to be a Galah. Second are a pair of Australian Ibis. Right?:

 

KangIslandTwoA21_zps5d6c2f57.jpg

 

 

KangIslandTwoA18_zps536ddccd.jpg

 

 

At the location of the famed Admiral's Arch is this view of its coastal areas, native plants, natural growths, etc. Second is one of the many seals here enjoying the sun and waterside views.:

 

KangIslandOneA13_zps2f3380b1.jpg

 

 

KangIslandOneA12_zpsac5d5f1c.jpg

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Our first visit to KI was a one day, fly in-fly out trip. We saw a lot in the 9 hours that we were on the island with our pre-arranged tour, so you should also be able to see a lot during your stop. We had a tour at Seal Bay, walked around Little Sahara, toured Kelly Hill Cave, had an Aussie BBQ lunch, went to the Remarkable Rocks and Admiral's Arch and had free time to explore and see wildlife at Flinder's Chase NP. One thing we missed (but saw on our 2nd trip) were the koalas at Hanson Bay--make sure they are included on your tour.

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  • 2 weeks later...
As I am planning a first visit to KI, I appreciate all the tips. Terry in Ohio - your beautiful photos certainly add to the anticipation.

 

Appreciate this nice follow-up and glad to hear that your excitement and anticipation are building. Let us know any added questions. After your trip there, post back here as to what you liked and enjoyed most. Keep up the good preparation and planning.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 153,955 views for this posting.

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Terry, Thanks for the great information and photos. We have good friends that live on the far east side of Columbus in Pickerington.

 

Appreciate your kind follow-up and these generous comments. Yes, know Pickerington well. Nice area. It used to be a more distant "suburb" of Columbus, but things have grown together as this metro has expanded so much. Kind of like of Indianapolis with its growth, being a State Capital, having many "sun-belt" patterns with our jobs mixes and future focus.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 41,926 views for these postings.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Our cruise ship, the Maasdam, will be stopping at Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island for the day on Nov 13, 7am - 6pm. We are not into wine tasting but looking to see the wildlife. Will there be tour operators offering tours at the pier or do we need to book something in advance?

 

You will need to book a tour prior to arrival. As wildlife is at it's most prolific at dawn and dusk, a local guide will know where the wildlife is, at other times.

 

Kangaroo Island Odysses was everywhere we visited recently and gets excellent reviews. If they are unavailable, they may be able to recommend other small tours/local guides. Sealink does tours in busses.

 

You could consider hiring a car for the day if you are comfortable driving on the other side of the road. As we hired a car from Adelaide we mainly stayed on the bitumen.

 

My recommendation would be to visit Flinders Chase National Park's Cape du Couedic with it's Admirable Arch (sea lions fur seals) and spectacular Remarkable Rocks first. Anything else is a bonus. We recently saw koalas daily high up in the trees in the car park of the Flinders Chase NP Office. A short walk from the NP Office we saw a wallaby, echidna and Cape Barren Geese.

Edited by MMDown Under
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For those who don't want to do the four hours to the West Coast, you might enjoy a trip to Cape Willoughby to learn about the life of the lighthouse families who lived in isolation. there is a cafe nearby with delicious food and spectacular views. Lashmar Conservation Park, en route, It has a beautiful beach. In the afternoon, we visited Pennington Beach, a beautiful wild surf beach. Then we drove to Muston, American River Aquatic Reserve (lots of Tammar wallabies, beautiful fields of wildflowers and wattle). Then we visited Island Beach, Brown Beach and Baudin Beach. Back in time for ferry checkin at 5 pm. The Tourist Information sells KI products.

 

It takes 45 mins from Penneshaw to Kingscote the main town, with shops. Best fish and chips is in the fish shop attached to the Caltex Garage on the way in to the town. Recommend King George Whiting package!

 

Beautiful beaches/bays to visit en route to west coast -

Vivonne Bay Jetty Road, Hanson Bay.

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You will need to book a tour prior to arrival. As wildlife is at it's most prolific at dawn and dusk, a local guide will know where the wildlife is, at other times. You could consider hiring a car for the day if you are comfortable driving on the other side of the road. My recommendation would be to visit Flinders Chase National Park's Cape du Couedic with it's Admirable Arch (sea lions fur seals) and spectacular Remarkable Rocks first. Anything else is a bonus.

 

Great additional background and insights above from Marion on the Gold Coast. Yes, during the day, the animals are harder to find. It takes good, local experts who know and understand the "right places" to go and where to look, etc.

 

On driving on your own, that is possible, but it is not a perfect or easy answer. We were very pleased to have our local experts. They were able to find the "stars" on Kangaroo Island to see in a time-efficient manner , plus be able to answer our questions, give us more wisdom about this amazing part of Australia, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 155,749 views for this posting.

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  • 1 year later...
For those who don't want to do the four hours to the West Coast, you might enjoy a trip to Cape Willoughby to learn about the life of the lighthouse families who lived in isolation. there is a cafe nearby with delicious food and spectacular views. Lashmar Conservation Park, en route, It has a beautiful beach. In the afternoon, we visited Pennington Beach, a beautiful wild surf beach. Then we drove to Muston, American River Aquatic Reserve (lots of Tammar wallabies, beautiful fields of wildflowers and wattle). Then we visited Island Beach, Brown Beach and Baudin Beach. Back in time for ferry checkin at 5 pm. The Tourist Information sells KI products.

It takes 45 mins from Penneshaw to Kingscote the main town, with shops. Best fish and chips is in the fish shop attached to the Caltex Garage on the way in to the town. Recommend King George Whiting package!

Beautiful beaches/bays to visit en route to west coast -

Vivonne Bay Jetty Road, Hanson Bay.

 

For passengers who want to hire a car and drive locally to Penneshaw -

I just found the name of the winery en route from Penneshaw to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse -

Dudley Wines, 1153 Willoughby Road. 12 klm from Penneshaw.

Zest and Thyme Cafe, with 180o waterfront views, is near to the Lighthouse.

Anterchamber Bay is a beautiful beach en route.

tourkangarooisland.com.au/map

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