On a driving loop to and through a region known as the Fleurieu Peninsula that lies to the south of Adelaide the three of us visited a number of little towns and parks along the way. All in all it was a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
First up were to neighbouring towns of Yankalilla and Normanville where we enjoyed a nice lunch in an historic pub.
Next planned stop was to be at the Deep Creek Conservation Park where we thought we would take Bernard out for a bit of a walk. This however, was not to be as the 'Conservation' part of the park's name also means 'no dogs allowed' as they may decide to chase the native critters that they come across. So as we were doing our drive through and out the park without any leg stretch for the dog we had to be satisfied with the consolation prize of some beautiful views of the coastline from the higher elevations of the park.
 |
| View of the coastline from Deep Creek Conservation Park |
As it turns out we did come across a small mob of kangaroos (for non-Australian readers, the word 'mob' is how a group of kangaroos is described) while still in the park. With the dog confined to the car the kangaroos were not too bothered by our presence so we took the obligatory photos then continued on our way.
 |
| A few roos enjoying the green grass and sea view |
The seaside town of Victor Harbor (population 14,500) is the major centre at the southern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula. There used to be some whaling activity run out of the area way back when. Today there are a couple of outfits that run whale watching tour boats which is a much better way to make money off of the whales. Although the whale watching season has just started (it runs from June through to October), we decided to stay on land and take the dog for a walk across the causeway to nearby Granite Island.
 |
| View of the Causeway and Granite Island from Victor Harbor |
The causeway connecting Victor Harbor to Granite Island (so named because it is essentially a big lump of granite - the early settlers were literal if not very imaginative with their place naming), is about 600m across which makes for a pleasant stroll on a cool but calm day like today but may not be quite so much fun when it is colder and windy. For those where the walk there and back may be a bit too far, or perhaps just for the novelty of it, you can also take the horse drawn tram across.
 |
| Take the Horse drawn tram if you are not up for the walk |
The three of us were all set to walk across to the island when we saw the 'Dogs and Cats Prohibited' signs at the start of the causeway. For the second time today Bernard was deprived of what would have been a good walk for him - this time on account of the existence of a colony of penguins on the island. With Bernard unable to make the hike we loaded him back into the car, cracked the windows to let some cool air in for him, gave him a dog biscuit and then we scurried away without looking back at the car in order to avoid the 'stink-eye' look that he gives us when we don't take him with us.
Heather and I made short work of the walk across and then around the island. The penguins have been making a comeback on the island of late so they get the rule of the roost hence the Give Way to Penguins signs dotted about the place.
It was getting later in the day so it was time to start heading home. Along the roadside we came across an old gum tree (a eucalyptus tree) that had had a large 'blaze' cut out of it. A signpost stated the bark section had been stripped off by aboriginal people many years ago in order to make a canoe.
 |
| Aboriginal 'Canoe Tree' |
We got home just as it was getting dark after setting out at around 9:30 that morning. A much longer day than we were expecting but the time seemed to fly by as something new and interesting always appeared around the next corner. Despite our best efforts Bernard probably got the raw deal for the day but that is also one of the few times in his life where that has been the case. He needn't worry as we will make it up to him tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment