K.I.

 

South Australia is a pretty stunning place, generally, but after a short vacation on Kangaroo Island, I think I've discovered the jewel in SA's crown.

 

We stayed here, in a 100-year-old light-keeper's cottage, maintained and prepared by Parks SA. There was no television, but there was Jenga, Mahjong, and numerous visitor's books to keep oneself occupied during the cold, windy evenings.

 

In four days we managed to traverse 800km of an island that, at its longest point, is barely 200km across. We saw the lighthouses (of which there are a few!), Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, Flinders Chase National Park, as well as West, Stokes, Emu and Vivonne Bays.

 

We got up close and personal with Australian sea-lions, New Zealand fur seals, KI kangaroos, Tammar wallabies, and a couple echidnas - all in the wild. (We were not lucky enough this trip to see koalas or platypus, but that will keep for another time).

 

K.I. is a truly awe-inspiring place, a bucket-list kind of place to visit. Nothing disappoints, not even the wintery weather (which is, on average, ten degrees warmer overnight than the Flinders Ranges, and a couple degrees warmer during the day - even with the "roaring 40s" raging in!).

 

 



 

1) Cape Willoughby. 2) Snuggling Australian sea-lions at Seal Bay. 3) Seal Bay.

4) Cape du Couedic. 5) New Zealand fur seal (scratches an itch). 6) Cape Borda coastline.

7) West Bay as dusk. 8) Stokes Bay. 9) Silhouettes at Vivonne Bay. 10) Remarkable Rocks.

11) Sunbathing K.I. kangaroos. 12) The only platypus we saw! 13) Karatta Cottage, Flinders Chase NP.

14) Inside Karatta Cottage (entrance hall). 15) Inside Karatta Cottage (bedroom).

16) One of the many visitor's books. 17) Weir's Cove. 18) Admirals Arch.

Rain over the Ranges...

[Resident ducks in the Willochra]

[Rain at Partacoona]

[Dry creek beds and a kangaroo joey enjoying the rain - mama is under the large gum tree to the left: Look closely and you can just see her (she was well-camouflaged)]

[Parched ruins]

[Rain over the Flinders Ranges, north of Quorn]

Yesterday morning the rain started to fall, so SJ and I took Bailey-dog and went for a drive (4WD) through the Ranges to the north, away from the fire.

It took us two hours to slowly make our way through the riverbeds and over the mountains. We saw oodles of wildlife, out enjoying the cooler weather and water: Kangaroos, emus, birdlife galore, and even reptiles.

In the evening the rain became heavier and more steady, filling our water tanks nicely, refreshing the garden, and dousing that fire.

We are looking forward to a much cooler, less stressful week ahead.

The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby.

[Yellow-footed rock-wallaby, Warren's Gorge, Flinders Ranges, 23.7.11]

On the weekend, SJ & I attended a social gathering with my work colleagues at Warren's Gorge in the Flinders Ranges, a short drive from where we live. It was a great day filled with perfect weather, food, drink, bushwalks and laughter.

Oh, and rock-wallaby sightings.

I have always kept a lookout but until Saturday had never seen a Yellow-footed rock-wallaby in the wild. The Flinders Ranges is one of the wallaby's few remaining natural habitats, and due to their small numbers are a protected species. They are not as large as a kangaroo, but have an amazingly long tail that features dark rings, and orange/yellow fur on their ears and limbs. They are such a pretty animal.

We watched this little fellow graze on the edge of the cliff face for what seemed like an age: He/she wasn't bothered by the attention in the slightest.

If you knew what your meat went through, would you still be able to eat it?

Perhaps you saw the 4-Corners expose on Australian live export to Indonesia on Monday night, perhaps you did not, and although I wouldn't normally make politically-orientated posts on my blog, when it comes to animal welfare I will make an exception. 

Animal welfare is a topic that I have felt very strongly about for a long time. In 2002 I made the decision to become vegetarian, and two years ago I wrote a post here on my blog about why I feel so strongly about vegetarianism. Having seen first-hand how some so-called "farmers" treat their livestock, I find the whole idea of animal trade cruel.

  

If you want to know more about Australia's live exports, and in turn the 4-Corners expose, you can do so here. There is also the option of sending your local Member of Parliament a letter demanding the immediate ban of all live exports. If you are outside Australia, perhaps it is time to consider your own country's policy on live exports? You could always send your local politican a letter requesting the same if you're not happy with the standards.

I believe the way that we, as humans, treat animals is a reflection of our true selves. It's about time that we took action against the manner in which animals are bred, modified, force-fed, cage-kept, poorly treated and killed in mass-slaughter in order to meet our excessive, consumerist demands. No more excuses: It's just plain wrong and it makes us all bad people.

"If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do. It's staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty." - Sir Paul McCartney

About the House: Renovations + Redbacks

On the weekend I found a Redback Spider in the living room, the third in just a matter of weeks! Due to the fact that we are still renovating, with some of the old cornice in the living room having come loose from the ceiling, they are obviously getting inside from the roof cavity.



[Gaping hole in living room ceiling!]

I don't like redbacks. I can handle the odd Huntsman, or the occassional Daddy Long Legs. I will not tolerate redbacks inside: They hide in and under things, in dark corners where you wouldn't think to look for them. Their bite isn't normally fatal, but can be exceptionally painful.

Needless to say, there was some slightly crazy cleaning done over the weekend as a result, in order to rid the house of any of its friends. No further spiders were found, thank goodness, but it has been resolved that the renovations on the living and dining rooms need to begin as soon as possible. I expect that this is what we will be spending our time doing over the coming weekends: Putting up new ceiling, new cornice, and plastering the walls. Eventually - hopefully not too far down the track - there will be sanding and painting too, and yet another two rooms will be complete. There is nothing like a redback spider to get a girl motivated!

We finished the renovations in the bedroom back in August. It is amazing the difference that paint makes! The room feels so fresh and bright now! It has become my favourite room in the house: It make me feels accomplished and calm, unlike the rest of the house, which simply reminds me of how much more work there is yet to do!

Ceiling: Dulux Ceiling White

Walls: Dulux Hog Bristle Quarter

Architraves: Dulux Hog Bristle Full (semi-gloss finish)

Wombat, Wombat, Wombat.

Ving the wombat takes a nap! Picture from here.

I love animals. It is one of the many reasons why I am vegetarian. I am especially fond of Australia's native animals, and every day I am blessed to see kangaroos, wallabies, and emus in the wild. When we lived in the city we were not far from a nature reserve where there were koalas in the wild, and sometimes in summer during heatwaves they would wander into the suburbs looking for water.

But this isnt a common occurence right across the country: Not everyone in Australia is as privileged as I have been.

Today I discovered that it is possible to sponsor a wombat - one just like Ving (pictured above)!

Wombats are intelligent marsupials native to Australia. They are hunted for food and sport, are killed by farmers who consider them a pest, and suffer diseases such as mange, passed onto them by foxes. A female wombat may only produce young once every two to three years, so it probably comes as no surprise that they are also endangered. However, they receive poor protection from government.

I think the wombat is often Australia's forgotten marsupial, perhaps because it is so rarely seen. We have wombats in South Australia. Where I grew up on the Eyre Peninsula the Southern Hairy Nose Wombat is native. I have seen wombats in captivity, and come across burrows, but I have never come across a wombat in the wild.

Pehaps this is not simply because they are nocturnal and shy - Perhaps it really is because there are so few of them left?

If you'd like to learn more about the plight of these adorable creatures, please visit the Wombat Awareness website, and to sponsor one simply go here.