The Road Less Travelled

Picture clicked at Aamby Valley while on a trip with family in July'14.

The two things common between poetry and travelling is that its truly, to each their own. Its open for interpretation as one wants it. These lines in Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken', I feel truly defines my outlook on travel. 

With this new blog, I'm planning to talk about a few trips of mine, where I took the road less travelled and it made all the difference!

The one, that I think changed the way I looked at travel was my Honeymoon trip in Australia in December'13. What really worked for us in that trip was that it was a completely self-planned trip. A self-planned trip more than helping you save money helps you be in control of your itinerary and lets you experience a place much before you've been there. By the research that the trip would have entailed!

One of the places that we would have definitely missed out in Australia, had we gone by the options suggested by tour operators, would be Kangaroo Island, who didn't even know of its existence!

Australia's third largest island, in its South Australia region, is a pretty much unexplored place. With virgin beaches and some breath taking scenery, Kangaroo Island was my favourite place in Australia. It's also one of the few places where you can see kangaroos in the wild. You could see them crossing the road while you're driving (you really need to be careful on this one)

About Kangaroo Island (KI)

KI is a largely uninhabited island, with a population of about 4000 people. Coming to think of it, my wedding hosted about 1/4th the population of KI! Imagine 1000 people packed in a marriage hall in Mumbai to 4000 people scattered on a 155 km island (East Coast to West Coast distance). Trust me, you will hardly see anyone/vehicles on the road. Hardly any people staying here and fewer tourists gives a pristine, untouched beauty that we wouldn't see in other commercially touristy places.

Word of Caution: 

• KI is a pretty remote island, with 
• Below average cellphone network. It is pretty strong near tourist attractions, but as the forest cover around you thickens, the network dwindles. Also, pre-load your Google Maps when you leave from the hotel.
• Very few people on the island, hence no one will know you're stuck
• Advice you against travelling post sunset as most of the wildlife in KI is nocturnal. They won't harm you, but may come on your way, while you're speeding on the highway. 
• Also, there is only one petrol station that I had seen on the island, the one near Penneshaw (where you ferry will drop you in KI). So, make sure, you're on a full tank, as Penneshaw is at the East Coast and the main attractions are 155 km away, on the West Coast. There was one small petrol pump before Flinders Chase National Park (West Coast), but it didn't seem functional when I was there. Hence, if you're stuck at the West Coast, with no fuel and with no public transport and hardly any vehicles on the road, you may have to well, walk 155 km + 155 km just for fuel! We were in a similar situation, hence stressing upon it.
• If you're travelling during end of December, most of the things will be shut from the eve of 24th Dec and will open only on 26th Dec. Everything from food joints, general stores, hotel front desks, tourist places, fuel (the Penneshaw station will be open, without anyone manning it. You'll need a credit card to be able to get fuel). We were in KI between 24-26 Dec, and had to finish off seeing almost everything in half a day of the 24th, and we got locked out of our car! Ah, the adventures of a roadtrip. 

Reasons one should go to KI

• Sheer Driving Pleasure
• If you love driving, KI is the place for you. Empty, good quality roads and no traffic cameras/cops, no speed limit. 
• Second most beautiful roads in Australia that are so close to the ocean. The first, according to me is the Cairs-Port Doughlas highway. More on it, later. Yes, the Great Ocean Road, doesn't even come close in this list. 
• There is only one highway that connects the entire island. (See the red line in the map below)
• A word of caution, there are a lot of kangaroos that cross the road, you may have to drive keeping that in mind. 
• There are a lot of unsealed roads in KI, advisable to go on these roads only with a 4WD.

The highway map of KI

Zig-zag roads

Drive by the ocean

• Virgin Untouched Beauty
• Not too many humans polluting it as yet. Go before, its commercialised. In fact, after our trip, we have started seeing too many advertisements from Tourism Australia promoting KI. 
• You get to see Vivonne Bay, which was voted as Australia's best beach sometime back, according to an article that I had read. 
• Amazing sunset
• Have a look at the picture. Enough said.
• 50 shades of blue. And better.
• Again, have a look at the picture below. The most amazing hues of blue colour ever seen.
• Experience the chilled Antarctic winds en-route KI from Cape Jervis. Make sure, you're on the deck of the ferry. It's a mind-blowing experience.

 

The most amazing sunset. At 9.30 pm

The Ocean from The Remarkable Rocks

How to reach Kangaroo Island:

There are two ways of reaching Kangaroo Island - by ferry and by air. We preferred taking a Sealink ferry from Cape Jervis (107 km from Adelaide). It's the only ferry service available. During our time of travel, it was turning out to be cheaper than flying. 

Transportation in KI

Also, one main thing that one needs to keep in mind while planning a trip to KI, is that there is absolutely no public transport within the island. Hence, having your private vehicle is a must. You can rent a car after reaching Penneshaw (KI), but that would be expensive. Hence, it is advisable to rent a car from Adelaide and come to KI. Please check the terms and conditions of the car rental. Most rental companies do not allow their cars to be taken off the mainland. During our time, I managed to find one loophole in Britz's terms and could manage to take a car from Adelaide to KI, after too much of too and fro with the rental company. 

Things to see in KI

1. Flinder's Chase National Park - This is the biggest national park in KI with many camping in options. It also has the Remarkable Rocks and Admirable Arch. Two different formation of limestones. The view of the ocean from these places, is just breathtaking. There's also a lighthouse inside the national park. Weir's Cove is also another lookout point from a height to have a look at the ocean beneath. All these places have amazing history. 

2. Seal Bay Conservation Park - The have a guided walking tour when one can have a look at seals and sea-lions. This is on the way to Flinder's Chase while coming from Penneshaw.

3. Vivonne Bay - Beautiful beach

4. Pandarna Wildlife Park - A nice park for kids to see all the native animals of Australia at a close distance. This, along with Flinder's Chase are the only two places open on Christmas Day and saved my KI trip!

There are many other small detours you can take while driving and explore more places. I feel this is a very good place for people who want to explore something new, off the beaten track. The driving pleasure combined with the flexibility of charting your itinerary any time made my self-drive trip in KI, one of the most memorable trips of my life.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as my other blog - Unlearning the Muteness. Do let me know what you think of this blog. 

P.S - Do drop me a comment, if you want any more details on KI. I had written down 2 books full of information on various things to see/do in Australia, will definitely be able to address your query. 

P.P.S - All the pictures in this blog (except the two maps of KI) have been shot by me/my husband. Please don't steal! Ask me, I'll be happy to share more photographs.