Moving again!

 Picked up my car at 10.15 - it was so good to hear that engine tick over immediately! I can't thank Clare Valley Auto Electrical enough - they were very busy when I appeared hoping for help and kindly looked at the car immediately, diagnosed and ordered the part promising ready Tuesday morning and it was - every one of the staff from receptionist to the boss was kind, professional and really helpful recommending motels and ordering taxis and giving suggestions for restaurants.

First stop was the Information Centre (really well set up, cosy wood fire, friendly local lady golfers playing cards and good coffee) where the local historian happened to be on duty so I got an enthusiastic snapshot of the history of SA.  

The architecture of SA is really interesting - a great number of buildings are constructed of local stone and slate, some mined but often in past times simply picked up off the paddocks.  There are many abandoned ruins especially in the more remote areas. They remain as testament to the determination and resilience of the early settlers. Unfortunately I left it too late to get a good photo in sunshine - it was raining!

 Despite being armed with brochures and maps to local towns I didn't stop but drove past on the Horrocks Highway. The rain was just too heavy to make exploration enjoyable. 

The highway is named for John Horrocks an early explorer. John was one of the first to use camels in his explorations and a camel was his undoing. He was accidentally wounded when his camel moved as he was unpacking a loaded gun and he died of his wounds aged 28 in 1846. His cottage at Penwortham which he named for his village back in England is one of the oldest buildings in SA. He is buried in land that he had given to the Church of England.

So I didn't stop anywhere but drove on to the Fleurieu Peninsula bypassing Adelaide on an excellent freeway. My accommodation is comfortable and overlooking a links golf course well occupied by resident kangaroos. It was good to stop and relax after 4 days of thinking about starter motors!

 Today was fine! No rain!

I headed out towards Cape Jervis the jumping off point for Kangaroo Island thinking the weather was quite mild however my first stop at the Hobart Lookout quickly changed my mind. 

 

 

This is the anchor of the HMAS Hobart which was scuttled in Yankalilla Bay to form an artificial dive reef. The anchor points to the Hobart's final resting place four nautical miles off Marina St Vincent.

 The road travels through many small communities down hidden valleys and roads - obviously very popular for holiday makers. There are many really old cottages as well as new builds and I even saw an  old weatherboard cottage today - pretty unusual here.

Cape Jervis wasn't what I expected! The main interest is the Sealink Ferry Terminal connecting Kangaroo Island to the mainland.  It is a very busy port - cars, trucks and vehicles of all shapes and sizes are lined up waiting to embark. There were a number of transporters loaded with hay waiting to board. It's dry everywhere.

Cape Jervis is also the beginning of the Heysen Trail and here it clings closely to the coast with fantastic views. The biting wind and chill in the air changed my mind about walking a bit of the track! 

 

 Today the sea is dark and pewter grey clouds are hanging low over the island - it's not very inviting!

There are a number of wind farms along the coast and today the turbines were spinning merrily in the stiff breeze. Around SA there are many substantial wind farms and many locals have welcomed them crediting them with attracting tourists. There are a number of viewing points along the way. 

My next stop was Deep Creek National Park which is the largest portion of remaining natural vegetation on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Western grey kangaroos were very evident and many birds. There are four camping grounds offering bush camping, one of which is "hike in". The Heysen Trail traverses the park and there are 15 hiking trails of varying difficulty. 

Today I have it all to myself! I feel a bit guilty because there is a daily entrance fee payable on line but my phone won't co-operate with the bar code on the sign at the entrance and so I am illegally here.

The roads are wide and mostly well maintained and the camping grounds are hidden away as is the closed and locked Park Headquaters - even the toilet is locked!

 

 These huge grass "trees" are a strong presence in the bush -  unlike the Xanthorrhoea trees in Tidbinbilla  they have no trunk. It is the most common species known as Xanthorrhoea Australis or the Southern Grass tree but it's known as "Yakka" here, a word probably borrowed from its local indigenous name.

 Views of the coast are really spectacular but today's grey skies do not do it justice.

 

 

At Tapanappa Lockout a wonderfully curated exhibit tells of one of the Creation Stories with stations along telling the story of how Fire came. The Aboriginal people of the southern Fleurieu Peninsula continue to play an active role in caring for their Country.

 

 

 

 At the beginning of the walk:

     Nguldi Arndu Ramindjeri Yarluwar Ruw-abgk. Welcome to Ramindjeri Sea Country.

In the time of Creation ke:ni (fire) was controlled by a powerful man named Kondoli - Keeper of the Fire. Unfortunately 2 men were jealous of Kondoli's gift and they conspired to take it from him.

His attackers were punished: one Ritjaruuki became the willy wagtail and Kribali was turned into the skylark. As Kribali took flight, flames flew from his wings setting fires across Country and the ground was left scattered with flints. The fire ran up into the Kinyari (yakka) where it stayed hidden.. 

From that time onward, Ramindjeri people had the tools to make ke:ni!

As I walked around the "story" I was accompanied by quite a few willy wagtails - they were flitting everywhere!

 Another Creation story tells of an ancient ancestor of the Ngarrindjeri palak people.

 

 

These two small islands are known as The Pages. They are the runaway wives of Ngurunderi, petrified in stone. Ngurunderi had been pursuing the women for many days before catching up with them as they tried to cross to Karta (Kangaroo Island). As the women waded through the channel connecting the mainland to the island Ngurunderi called for the sea to rise and drive them from their path. As the waves crashed over them, their bodies became these islands.

The Creation stories impart wisdom about the natural environment and how to live in harmony with Ruwi (Country) and with each other. 

Leaving Deep Creek the road winds through beautiful farm land with rolling hills and sloping down to the coast. Sheep and cattle are grazing on really green pasture but there is no water in the paddock dams and farmer are feeding hay.  The small amount of rain has created a false sense of well being - what my uncle used to call "a green drought". It's prosperous looking farmland.

There's a small Bric-a-Brac shop in Yankalila which I can't resist  - 3 small items are calling my name.  All three for $14.0!  Everything seems really cheap : there's pretty china, gleaming crystal and heaps of books. 

One on the shelf catches my eye - it was a classroom reader  "The Blue Book" companion of "The Green Book" which was used in Tasmanian schools back in the 70s. How plain and simple it looks now.

Dinner at the local pub tonight!