Alice Springs to Kangaroo Island

We got up early this morning, intending to check in for our flight at Alice Springs airport and where Therese would have a work meeting via Skype phone while Peter returned gassed up our camper and returned it, getting a shuttle back to the airport. However, it turned out that the airport wasn't even open yet, so instead we headed back into town for a coffee and toast, got gas, and drove to the car rental place. But they weren't open yet either (apparently very little in Alice Springs opens before 8 AM), so Peter spent some time reorganizing our small traveling bags a bit for our upcoming 2-day trip to Kangaro Island trip while Therese prepared for her work meeting.

Got a taxi to the airport where Therese had a very successful Skype call.

We flew to Adelaide airport, but having decided (based on everyone's strong recommendation, including Frommer's) to go to Kangaroo Island for 2 days, we didn't go into Adelaide at all. Rather, we walked all our bags over to General Aviation, left most of them (and their weight) with the friendly folks at South Air with whom we flew the half-hour flight to Kangaroo Island in their little 10 seater plane.

From Oct 8-9, 2008

The young pilot above reminded us of the time our nephew, Dan--now a commercial jet pilot---flew us around the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire in a 4-seater.)

As we flew over Adelaide, it looked a bit like a miniature Los Angeles---mostly one and two story homes, a small highrise-downtown, the ocean and beaches on one side and the Adelaide hills on the other. This impression was confirmed several days later when we drove a rental car through the outskirts of Adelaide up into the hills and out to the Coorang.

From Oct 8-9, 2008

Flying slowly through the clouds provided a sense of calm

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Our first glimpse of Kangaroo Island (at dusk)

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We noticed that it was far more agricultural (and much bigger) than we'd expected; Australia continues to surprise us at every turn.

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It's amazing how little we Americans know about Australia and how inadequately the guidebooks describe the places we've seen. (Later, in Melbourne, we met an older British couple who made the very same observation.)

From Oct 8-9, 2008

Even though we arrived some hours after our original plan (due to a change in our Qantas flight into Adelaide from Alice Springs), a very cheery car-rental agent was waiting for us at the airport with our 4-WD (upgrade) SUV. After promising to drive verrrry carefully or not at all after dark due to all the nocturnal animals out on the road, we headed into Kingscote. Easily found our motel with a note from the manager saying that our room was open with the key inside---we'd neglected to inform them that we'd be getting in hours after our original plan, but that hadn't fazed him one bit. (Hospitality/tourism people in Australia are incredibly accommodating and trusting.)

Dropped our bags and headed straight into town where we walked around the wharf area a bit taking in the sunset while waiting for our dinner reservation.

From Oct 8-9, 2008

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A typical Kingscote house

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Sunset over the town

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Ate a very nice meal at he very popular Kingscote Hotel before setting out on a 9:30 PM tour of the Fairy Penguin hatching area, which included a brief talk and demo of local sea creatures at the little local aquarium and a talk on the southern sky. Finally, we learned how to identify the two stars pointing to the Southern Cross, as well as Scorpio and how to find the Magnetic South Pole.

No photos could be taken of the penguins, so you'll just have to trust us that they were unbearably cute, both adults and their young, albeit noisy and smelly. (More info to come about their incredible breeding and child-rearing.)

Peter before shaving for the first time in more than a week and looking about as grisly as he has since he shaved his beard in 1980 at Sam's behest when he was two (just about his first words were: "scratchy Daddy").

From Oct 8-9, 2008