Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia
No Comments »4th March, 2010; Category: Beaches, Birds, Caravanning, Holidays, South Australia, Victor Harbor
Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Probably the best known feature of Victor Harbor is Granite Island, shown in the photos on this post. Victor Harbor, on the south coast of South Australia, is about an hour’s drive south of the state capital, Adelaide. It is a favourite day trip from the capital as well as being a popular destination for interstate visitors.
These photos were taken while we had a weekend there last year. we stayed in one of the excellent caravan parks, ours being right on the foreshore of Encounter Bay (see yesterday’s post for more photos).
Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Granite Island is joined to the mainland by a causeway. It takes less than two hours to walk out to the island, around the walking track that circumnavigates it and to return to the town. You can linger longer of course for there is a fine restaurant near the jetty as well as some excellent fishing spots.
Granite Island, Victor Harbor, South Australia
A highlight of a visit is to see the Little Penguins which feed out to sea and return to the island to nest and feed their young.
Little Penguins, Adelaide Zoo
Further reading:
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Early last year we had a few days in the coastal resort town of Victor Harbor. This delightful town is a popular day trip from Adelaide or a holiday destination for both interstate and local tourists. We stayed in one of several excellent caravan parks. This one was right on the foreshore of Encounter Bay. On the Sunday afternoon I took a gentle stroll along the beach to get a few photos of this beautiful spot.
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
Further reading and more photos:
A short holiday in Victor Harbor
We recently had a short caravan holiday in Victor Harbor, South Australia. This seaside town is a popular holiday destination about an hour south of Adelaide. It is a little over an hour from our home, especially when towing a caravan.
Granite Island, Victor Harbor
This sojourn in the caravan park at Encounter Bay is an annual pilgrimage by us and a number of our friends. We always reserve a number of sites in close proximity to each other. During the weekend our wives attend the CWCI Convention. The men have a relaxing weekend reading, talking, walking and generally lazing around.
Related Articles:
- Caravan holiday in Victor Harbor – last year’s post on this.
- Victor Harbor South Australia – also from last year.
- A beautiful day – some days in South Australia should be bottled.
- Victor Harbor – general information about this seaside town.
Driving to the Flinders Ranges
No Comments »17th April, 2006; Category: Camping, Caravanning, Flinders Ranges, General, South Australia
One of our favourite places in South Australia is Aroona Valley in the heart of the Flinders Ranges in northern South Australia. We have camped there on a number of occasions, the first time was during our honeymoon many years ago.
Access
Aroona Valley is about five to six hours by road north of Adelaide. Except for the last section, the highway is now all sealed. When I first travelled there in the late 1960s about the last 100 kilometres was dirt road – and not in a very good condition either. It certainly was an adventure in those days, but I had to go there because my first teaching job was at nearby Parachilna Rural School.
One can take several routes from Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges.
- The main highway through Port Wakefield, Port Pirie, Port Augusta then Quorn and Hawker is the longest.
- Through Gawler, Clare Valley, Wilmington, Quorn then Hawker is the most picturesque but can be rather slow in parts because there are many interesting places to stop on the way.
- Another picturesque route is Gawler, Clare, Riverton, Burra, Peterborough, Orroroo then Hawker.
- The most direct route is Gawler, Clare, Jamestown, Orroroo and then Hawker.
From Hawker one has several choices to get to Aroona Valley and other parts of the ranges:
- Many people base themselves at Hawker, leaving their caravan there and driving through the various tracks north of there.
- Others take the route to Wilpena Pound and base themselves in the shady camping ground there.
- Yet others go only as far as the lovely caravan and camping ground at Rawnsley Park on the southern edge of Wilpena Pound.
- The other route is due north from Hawker towards Parachilna, turning off at the Brachina Gorge dirt track heading in towards the ranges.
Oh no, writing about such interesting and beautiful places makes me want to pack and leave immediately. This would make up for the disappointment of the last trip there a few years ago. We took our caravan to Rawnsley Park Caravan Park for ten days. On the way I was aware of having a sore throat. I then spent much of the next ten days coughing, wheezing, sniffing, sneezing and generally feeling miserable.
I spent some of the time huddled up in bed. This wasn’t as bad as it seems. I had a ten million dollar view of the ranges through the caravan window.
A beautiful day
No Comments »19th March, 2006; Category: Animals, Birds, Caravanning, Photos, South Australia, Victor Harbor
Sunday 19th March
Beautiful Morning
This morning the sun arose to a beautiful day. Bright sunshine, clear blue sky, gentle cooling breeze and the nearby sea of Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor a brilliant deep blue punctuated by stunning white waves breaking on rocks out in the bay. Perfect. After lunch we sat in front of the caravan and just watched the sea. How relaxing.
More Bird Sightings
Around the caravan park I observed about 30 different species without really trying. There were quite a few Little Ravens around, mostly flying overhead. Spotted Turtledoves and Feral Pigeons are also resident birds, as are Striated Pardalotes. I only saw a few Crested Pigeons nearby.
Parrots
Galahs were in evidence throughout the park and nearby gardens. In the tree in front of our caravan we watched two juvenile Galahs begging for food from their harried parents. They seemed old enough to fend for themselves; it must be easier to sponge off parents. In previous visits I have seen hundreds of Little Corellas; this year I only saw about three individuals. Adelaide Rosellas are also common in the area but I only heard two flying past the van. I have seen Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos in this area in the past but not this time.
Birds of Prey
The only bird of prey I observed was a Black Shouldered Kite. I saw one several times over the weekend, presumably the same individual. The first time I saw it traversing the banks of the Inman River, occassionally swooping down to catch its prey in the grass of the bank. Later I saw it hovering over the sedge grass on the sand banks along the beach front.
Mammal Sighting
While standing on the beach taking photos of the yachts at anchor and of Granite Island we were suddenly aware of several dolphins in the bay between us and the island, some two hundred metres from the beach. They were too far to positively identify or photograph them but they were probably common Bottle-Nosed Dolphins