Day 110: Kangaroo Island 2

Thursday 24th March

Hanson Bay Koala Sanctuary

Remarkable Rocks 

(The one thing not named by the French)

Admiral's Arch

Hanson Bay

Clifford's Honey Farm

American River

Late ferry back

Late bus

Late to bed

Distance:

Total Distance:

The next morning we went out to the Hanson Bay Koala Sanctuary. Here the trees are filled with koalas, as well as a few interesting birds. 

We were also informed about the island's Koalas.

Koalas are not native to the island. In fact there's a lot of animals here that have been introduced. It was used about 100 years ago as a sanctuary for all of the animals from the mainland we were steadily killing off. Some animals didn't do well, such as the Emu, all of which died. The Koalas, at first did quite well. They're very fussy about their food- they only eat certain species of eucalyptus, and even if those they need them to be growing a specific way so that they don't get killed by the toxicity of the leaves- this varies from region to region. Luckily the koalas found the right trees on the island and ate them. All of them. Suddenly there were 50,000 starving koalas on the island.

The problem was "solved" by culling them down to around 10,000. The eucalyptus regret and the koalas thrived again. This time there was another culling, but also they desexed a proportion of the population, reducing the probability of over population. This worked for some time. Then human chlamydia was introduced- the theory being similar to myxomatosis used on rabbits in the UK and Australia. However this has spread rapidly through the population, even spreading on the mainland.

They now get infected early in their life, eventually developing red eyes which become blind, leading to them starving to death at about 6 years old- far earlier than their usual life span of around 18 years. It's keeping much of the population in check, but in a cruel and debilitating way.

The island also has some problems with its native species- the kangaroo and wallaby. Combined they number around one million, having lots of food and no natural predators. Only starvation, disease, humans, and bush fires really control the populations. Bush fires sounded like a horrific incident for them. Our guide told us of one area in the west end of the island where a bush fire was chasing kangaroos towards the sea. At the cliffs the kangaroos would simply jump off and into the water. They're good swimmers, so I assume many survived. This didn't stop the local Great White Shark society turning up though. Apparently shots from helicopters had shown them lining up along the shore waiting for kangaroos to jump straight into the waiting jaws.

Incidentally, there are no Aboriginal presently native to the island. In fact, they don't talk about the place. The nation that used to live nearby on the main land has since moved into cities, leading normal western lives. Their ancestors would travel onto the island occasionally over 10,000 years ago when it was still attached to the main land. However, as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age the causeway was lost. It's possible people could have remained on the island and survived- it's large enough, being the third largest island in Australia. Yet there's no evidence to suggest they did. 

Today the island is known to the Aboriginal as the Island of the Dead. It is believed that the spirits of the dead travel over the island to the far end before ascending to the heavens to become a star. Their culture doesn't speak of the dead after they've passed, though, so the island of the dead is not spoken of either. Aboriginal people will not speak of nor travel to the island- to them it effectively doesn't exist.

Next up were the Remarkable Rocks. These were created in granite during the underground metamorphosis stage, forming unusual shapes which were then forced to the surface. They are on the furthest end of the island and are the most often used site for photos advertising the island. They have weird and interesting shapes, with large spherical "bites" taken out. All sit on top of a large curved rock. Great place to clamber around with limited regard for ones own health.

The Remarkable Rocks are lucky to have their English name. Most of the island is named in French. The reason for this is that a British explorer arrived just 3 days before his French counterpart, claiming the island for the British Empire. There was some conjecture from the French, but it was decided in Europe that those three days were enough for it to be British. The French revenge, however, was that their explorer had sailed around all of the island and named nearly every feature he could see with a very French name- names that officially remained. Somehow he missed the collection of massive rocks that site on the top of the cliffs on the western end of the island though.

We stopped in at Admiral's Arch- an arch of rock that was surrounded by sealions and New Zealand seals. 

After this was Hanson's Bay- another beautiful beach, famous for being in a national park, but one in which the government allowed a small, very expensive, hotel to be built next to. There's some rumours that the government of the day was given lots of money, maybe a bribe, to give the rights to those properties. For the cost of staying $20,000 per night was mentioned. No wonder they could afford a bribe. Some people have more money than sense.

In the 1880's Honey Bees were imported from the Italian province of Linguria. These thrived into a honey industry, so we made a trip to the Clifford Honey Farm. As well as various honey to try made from a variety of native plants they had sweets, soaps, candles, and even mead and beer.

Finally we were returning, reaching American River. This isn't a river, but it's not American either. It's a long inlet filled with sea water. Over 200 years ago (1802 I seem to remember) an American came here with one ship to hunt seals for a season. So skilled was he that he filled his ship, and set about building a second to fill with more skins to take home. This ship was named the "Independence", inevitably. Being the river where the American lived the name has stuck, despite some people complaining that it has nothing to do with America- they've still got the Stars and Stripes up there though.

Anyway, it's now full of fishermen and Pelicans.

Quick stop off at Penneshaw to buy fish and chips from a man in a caravan who had a mullet. Then onto the ferry, coach into town, and into Shakespeare's hostel.

Day 37 & 38: The Southern Coast and Invercargill

Monday 11th, Tuesday 12th January

Coast with only 4 on the bus, all of whom I'd met before. Surf cafes, Seals fighting, Sealion chase, view from the lighthouse.

Invercargill, hostel, museum and art gallery, The World's Fastest Indian

Distance: bus, 269km

Total Distance: 5052km

I was picked up early in the morning from Hogwartz by a wee bus. To my surprise there was only 4 of us doing the trip to Invercargill! And these were all people I'd met previously on the KE buses. So we got straight into chatting about what we'd been up to and how we'd faired. Two were British lads and the other was a young Dutch girl. Our driver was part English part Maori and had a wealth of knowledge about the birds of New Zealand.

Throughout the day we went to a number of different beaches. With only a small group we were very flexible, times weren't kept to and we just happily trundled through the day.

At the first cafe we got toasties and tea whilst admiring the pub/cafes structure and decoration- it was nearly entirely made from drift wood. We played pool as Meatloaf hollered out of the jukebox, before heading out.

The two seals were play fighting on the beach. Our driver had spent a lot of time explaining how seals would chase tourists down the beach and that we shouldn't run, but back away slowly. These seals didn't care about chasing us. Any time one looked at us his mate took a free swing. Thus we stood on the beach, filming their play, as they mouthed each other like two terrier pups.

On the next beach along the coast we came upon a Sealion who'd just come out of the water. He was tired, resting on the hot sand as flies invaded his personal space. Upon seeing us he blinked and went back to relaxing. We got closer. He shifted his weight. We took photos. He reared up yawn. And then tried to chase us. We all bolted for it, even the driver. After a moment we regained our composure and the Sealion sat back down for a rest. Fair enough, he's boss, we left him to it.

We stopped off to look at the Spoonbills' nesting site and seal colony next to a lighthouse which sat above a beautiful outcrop of rocks. 

Our final stop was at a wee cafe where we watched surfers, bodyboarders, and paddle boarders be joined by a playful dolphin. He didn't stick around too long, but wandered amongst the local teenagers before disappearing.

Finally we drove into the town of Invercargill - a place that really needs more people than it presently has. Apparently, whilst not presently a ghost town, there are fears it could become one. Don't really see why, compared to other places in southern NZ, seemed like a very nice place.

The hostel tonight was to be the Southern Comfort, a very homely place with a long list of Gemans in the guest book, but also Canadians, Chinese, and a Swede. Free internet too.

The next day I spent time talking to the other people there before venturing out to the museum. I quickly ran through some of the stuff I've seen elsewhere in NZ- though they had a very good little Galipoli display- in order to get to the Tuatara. This living fossil is the world's most ancient living lizard, having been about in its current form from about the middle of the time of the dinosaurs. They run a breeding program from Invercargill to boost the numbers of the declining population, whilst keeping a few on display for the public. They have tiny little babies, right up to a male that is well over 100 years old-who was very aggressive to other Tuataras, but in 2002 they found a cancerous tumour in him, removed it, and in 2006 he fathered his first clutch of eggs.

Museum also has a great section on the whaling the happens throughout the early days of New Zealand, and on the ship wrecks that occurred across the islands to the south. Some survivors perished whilst others built small villages.

Finally I found the World's Fastest Indian exhibit. Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins in the film, came from and started in Invercargill, building motorbikes, the faster the better. He and his bike have their own exhibit in the museum, including a replica that smaller people than I can fit into. There's a bronze statue outside. A replica shell is in place at the local shopping centre.

But it you want to see the real thing, as I was told by a guy I met in the street who knew Burt Munro, you have to go to E. Hayes and sons. It's the sort of place were you can buy anything- from hunting jackets to mops to engine oil. E Hayes helped and supplied Munro. Now the store also incorporates a variety of exhibits from motoring history, including some Munro's tools, old engine parts, a variety of bikes, The World's Fastest Indian on continuous replay, and the bike itself.