Another Kangaroo Island fling.
I'm a volunteer photographer with the AIPP Reflections project. We are photographing as many World War II Veterans as we can, around Australia. www.aippveterans.com
This week I set off with Nadia Marlow to photograph the veterans of Kangaroo Island. Nadia had never been to KI before, so we squeezed in some sightseeing in between shoots.
On our way to Ken's house, who lives on the last soldier settlement farm in KI, we veered off to Little Sahara. The light was golden, and we raced up to the top. It's great road tripping with another photographer; you can have fun with cameras with no complaints. We ran down the sides of the sand dunes, and we man crawled up again, and then Nadia pulled elaborate poses for 'photo poses 101'.
We found an awesome little cabin at Waves and Wildlife at Stokes Bay for the night. Arriving in the dark, we bump our way along the track. We know we are close to the ocean, we can hear it roar - and we've seen pics - but can't see anything in the blackness. The next morning, we wake up to a scene of grey, with our little shrub trees near the cabin bending nearly parallel to the ground. We think we aren't going to get any photos, or a chance to adventure, but within 30 minutes, the rain has gone, the wind has settled, and the sun comes out. We race about, up the hill, and down the hill, checking out the beach and views. It is a special place - just a handful of cabins set on a grassy (and rocky) patch of land right at cliffs edge. Kangaroos and wallabies lounge about, watching us wander. In summer, this place would be even better.
Of course, with all the driving - KI is quite big - we have to burn some energy. Prospect Hill is good for that. Gets the heart pumping, and the views from the top are worth it. I would say, 'they take your breath away', but the breath has already gone from climbing.
I decide to count the number of steps on the way down. I know I miss a few, but decide it's around 374 plus the last few that I forgot to count near the carpark. Well, I was a bit wrong. Sealink's guide says 512 steps. They are quite easy though, and it only takes about 10 minutes to climb.
We head to Emu Bay to visit the Lavender Farm, which was shut, so end up walking along the beach. A stretch of white beach that goes on and on, I want to come back here in summer. We spy beach shacks on the hills behind trees, and dream of the holiday that could be had.
After our two days, I thought about what I like most about KI. It's the peace and nature-based experience, but I can have some unique experiences like Little Sahara and Seal Bay too.
