Penneshaw

 

After leaving the lighthouse, headed off down another gravel road (only 200kms of bitumen on whole island), short cut to where we are going to stay tonight @ Brown beach. Council camp spots are very good, clean & cheap. Unpowered with hot showers, toilets for $5 per van for 5 people??? or $10 with power. Doesn't get much cheaper than that, considering we paid $30 @ caravan park on first night. Definitely won't get caught there again!!!

 

Quick trip back into Penneshaw, one long hill into town & big climb back up!!!!

 

Matthews Flinders again, been a busy boy, climbed this hill (sand dune) & checked out the scenery & called it "Prospect hill"

 

Cape Willoughby lighthouse

Day two of our Kangaroo island experience. Yesterday we bought a National parks pass for $51 each. This allows us to enter all the parks + 2 Lighthouses, walk on beach with seals & check out the caves

 

Road into Cape Willoughby lighthouse, most easterly point of Kangaroo island. The isolation & ruggedness of this part of the Dudley peninsula is striking

 

Built in 1852 Sth Australia's first lighthouse, guided the safe passage of sailing ships through the treacherous Backstairs passage & heralded the beginning of a booming shipping trade

 

 

 

Lighthouse keepers cottages. Now available as holiday accommodation

 

 

 

Looking east from the lighthouse

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately when we arrived today, there were NO tours of the lighthouse due to maintenance. Never mind we have one more lighthouse to go

 

 

Amazing scenery

 

 

 

 

Mary Beckwith memorial @ Baudin beach

This is an interesting story. Mary Beckwith was a young English convict girl taken on board in Sydney by French explorer Nicholas Baudin. Mary was chosen to sail back to France with Baudin & share his quarters. Records suggest she was an independant young woman, wilful & feisty.

It would be nice to know if she made it there, in one piece & did Mary get her freedom once arriving???

Baudin anchored in Nepean bay in 1803 & they came ashore here at what is now Baudin beach. Mary is most likely to have come as well, thus being the first European woman to set foot on South Australian soil

Her story however has a wider significance. she stands for all those women Aboriginal & others taken by sealers, whalers, seamen & settlers to serve them as wives & housekeepers. Their stories have been obliterated, but many showed great strength in not simply surviving but in achieving meaningful lives in the most tragic circumstances. Their memory is honoured in this place

The memorial: the upper section symbolises the sails & winds of fate that brought Mary & others to this place before official settlement. The skirt represents Mary herself & the forgotten women of the island

Frenchmans rock @ Penneshaw & Antechamber camp site

Frenchmans Rock

200 year old piece of graffiti...one of the earliest relics of European contact with South Australia

 

On 8 April 1803 Matthew Flinders met French explorer Captain Nicholas Baudin & his ship Le Geographe @ Encounter bay. Despite Britain & France being at war, the explorers exchanged information. Flinders told Baudin about the plentiful food supply on the island & fresh water

 

Dome built over the site where they found the inscription, it now houses a replica of the rock on the beach in Penneshaw

 

What does the message say?

"Expedition De Decoverte par le Commendant Baudin sur Le Geographe 1803

Expedition of discovery by Commander Baudin on the Le Geographe 1803

 

Spent our first night on Kangaroo island @ the Kangaroo island shores caravan park in Penneshaw. That was a waste of $30, very run down & old. The only thing that looked OK was the new front gate!!! But at least I got the washing done for free

 

Off exploring today, heading east out along the Dudley peninsula

 

17kms out of town along a gravel road, we came to Antechamber camp site. Looks mighty fine to us, this will be our 1st camp-out on island

 

Chapman river

 

Red house bay

 

 

Bob off to the beach!!

 

 

Reflection on the river

 

 

Cape Jervis - Kangaroo island ferry

 

Ferry arrives from Kangaroo island

 

 

Unusual shaped lighthouse

 

 

 

 

Bob checking out the harbour

 

 

Here comes the 3pm ferry which we are booked on, crossing takes 45 minutes to Penneshaw on Kangaroo island. Not sure when we will be back, planning on staying a couple of weeks at least

 

Gang plank on the way down

 

 

All aboard

 

Well done Bob backing the van into the back row of the cargo hold

 

Now you see it, now you don't!!!!

 

 

Mainland from the ferry

 

Bob enjoying the ride, nice smooth crossing although a bit windy up on deck

 

 

Captain steering the ferry into wharf @ Penneshaw

 

All off please

 

Some pretty wild flowers down by the wharf