Saturday, May 27, 2017
KANGAROO ISLAND
Kangaroo Island separated
from mainland Australia around 10,000 years ago, due to rising sea
level after the last glacial period. Known as Karta ("Island of
the Dead") by the mainland Aboriginal tribes, the existence of stone
tools and shell middens show that Aboriginal people once lived on Kangaroo Island.
SOME HISTORY:CRADLED in the sailor’s arms, the small child made no sound as Robert Russell, second mate of the three-masted Duke of York, waded ashore in still waters at Nepean Bay.
As
Russell stood the toddler down on the stony ground of Kangaroo Island,
Elizabeth Beare, aged two — youngest child of four of Thomas Hudson
Beare, 48, and wife Lucy, 32 – became the first free settler to set foot
in the new colony of South Australia.
The
date was July 27, 1836, 180 years ago on Wednesday, and five full
months before Governor John Hindmarsh proclaimed the South Australian
colony at Holdfast Bay, on December 28, 1836.
Today
few people realise Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third-largest island —
after Tasmania and Melville Island — was the centre of the first free
European settlement in Australia.
Two
wooden structures, part of the original jetty, stand in the shallows at
Reeves Point, one kilometre north of Kingscote as the only reminders of
where little Elizabeth Beare was placed ashore.
Cape du Couedic Lighthouse
The first Europeans to arrive on Kangaroo Island in 1802 were a group lead by Matthew Flinders looking for water and fresh meat (which they had been without for four months) near the present day Penneshaw. They hunted the small kangaroos and gave the island that name.
A year after this French explorer Nicholas Baudin passed on the opposite side of the island naming the south western point Cape du Couedic after his friend and famous French sea captain Charles Louis, Chevalier du Couedic de Kergoualer (1740-1780).
This coastline off Flinders Chase was to become the final resting place for 14 ships which came to grief on the rocky shores.
An underwater reef with and two islands - the Casuarinas (The Brothers) extended some 35-40 km south of Cape du Couedic on Kangaroo Island.
The need for a lighthouse in that area had been a great one for many years, as the treacherous waters already boasted a number of casualties.
Weirs Cove to where fresh supplies were offloaded by boat for the lighthouse keepers.
The goods were hauled up the cliff with a flying fox, including animals & people.
Our next venture was to Admirals Arch which has been made easier to get to by a series of wooden stairs in a spiral to view the Arch and NZ fur seals on the rocks.
Our next venture was to Admirals Arch which has been made easier to get to by a series of wooden stairs in a spiral to view the Arch and NZ fur seals on the rocks.
Look carefully to see the NZ Fur Seals.
We visited Emu Bay Lavender Farm which was interesting as they make all products on site.
Below: Frenchman's Bay - Kingscote
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
FLEURIEU HERITAGE EXPERIENCE - 3 modes of Transport
On
Sunday 7th May 2017 we (Drew, Colleen Dean and myself) purchased our
tickets to travel on the Cockle Train from Victor Harbour to Goolwa
Wharf, from there we have time for morning tea then onto the PS Oscar W
for a one hour cruise. We then have 75 mins for lunch.
We then board the Cockle Train back and then board the Horse Drawn Tram to Granite Island and back. It is only one of two places on earth that you can ride on a steam train, steam boat and horse drawn vehicle. The other is Lucerne in Switzerland.
Finally in 2001 the Alexandrina Council took over the ownership of the Oscar W and the barge Dart and
they were used in historical and community celebrations on the lower
river and lakes. The vessel's centenary was celebrated in October 2008.
In 1914 Wallin sold the Oscar W to
Permewan Wright and Company and until 1919 it was engaged in the wool
trade, continuing to operate on the upper river system. Amalgamation of
several companies kept the Oscar W in the wool trade on the Darling River, but also as a supply vessel for the construction of the lock system.
By 1943 the Oscar W was
in the hands of the South Australian Highways Department and being used
for ferry maintenance work. Her boiler was changed in 1945 to oil
burning. Sold again in 1959 the paddle-steamer was employed by her new
owners in the tourist trade.
VICTOR HARBOR HORSE DRAWN TRAM The
Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram was originally established in 1854 to
link the Murray Darling pastoral riches coming into the river port of
Goolwa, the salt-water port of Port Elliot and to the international
markets. When Port Elliot failed to provide safe anchorage, the railway
was extended to Port Victor and by wooden causeway, across to the
sheltered anchorage off Granite Island.
We then board the Cockle Train back and then board the Horse Drawn Tram to Granite Island and back. It is only one of two places on earth that you can ride on a steam train, steam boat and horse drawn vehicle. The other is Lucerne in Switzerland.
The Cockle Train is a transportation service in Australia that travels along the oldest steel railway which was constructed back in 1887. The railwaytrack from Goolwa to Port Elliot was the first public railway in Australia which was laid in 1854, after 10 years the steel tracks was extended to Victor Harbor.
The paddle steamer Oscar W was built in 1908 by Franz OAt the time Oscar W was built, Wallin already owned the steamers Australien and Julia and the barges Adam, Federal and Impulse, he later went on to own a number of other vessels.
In 1914 Wallin sold the Oscar W to
Permewan Wright and Company and until 1919 it was engaged in the wool
trade, continuing to operate on the upper river system. Amalgamation of
several companies kept the Oscar W in the wool trade on the Darling River, but also as a supply vessel for the construction of the lock system. By 1943 the Oscar W was
in the hands of the South Australian Highways Department and being used
for ferry maintenance work. Her boiler was changed in 1945 to oil
burning. Sold again in 1959 the paddle-steamer was employed by her new
owners in the tourist trade.
In 1914 Wallin sold the Oscar W to
Permewan Wright and Company and until 1919 it was engaged in the wool
trade, continuing to operate on the upper river system. Amalgamation of
several companies kept the Oscar W in the wool trade on the Darling River, but also as a supply vessel for the construction of the lock system.
A conversion back to wood burning, Oscar W was
sold to the South Australian Tourism Department in 1985 and extensive
repair work was carried out: the paddle-steamer's new life would be as
the flagship for the Murray Interpretive Centre at Goolwa.The paddle-steamer Oscar W with its barge Ada still holds the record for the largest cargo of wool bales brought down the Darling River: 2, 208 bales.
`The
causeway, breakwater and cutting at Granite Island were part of an
ongoing programme to establish Victor Harbor as the sea port for River
Murray trade. A jetty 640' long was built in 1864, concurrently with
the building of the rail extension from Port Elliot.
Work
carried out on the jetty included the provision of a shed capable of
holding 8 loaded trucks awaiting shipment at the end of Victoria Pier,
as the jetty was named. A
description of Victoria Pier at the time of opening is as follows: It
is entirely constructed of colonial Gum. The erection of the pier took
nearly 2 years and cost about £8,800. The railway continues up to the
end of the jetty where cranes are to be placed for loading and unloading
cargo. Victor Harbor developed rapidly over the next 5 years as a town
and port. Soon it became obvious that shipping arrangements needed
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Trip from Victor Harbour to Hahndorf South Australia
We travelled the 83.7km to Hahndorf on 3rd May 2017.
History of Hahndorf is interesting, where during the 1800's, religious persecution in Europe was so extreme that many Lutherans in Eastern provinces of Prussia emigrated. In 1838 some of these migrants reached Port Adelaide in the "Zebra". Captain Hahn the Master was so concerned for his passengers that he helped them find suitable land. They finally chose an area 29kms from Adelaide in the beautiful Adelaide Hills and established the delightful township of Hahndorf - in gratitutude for their captain.
History of Hahndorf is interesting, where during the 1800's, religious persecution in Europe was so extreme that many Lutherans in Eastern provinces of Prussia emigrated. In 1838 some of these migrants reached Port Adelaide in the "Zebra". Captain Hahn the Master was so concerned for his passengers that he helped them find suitable land. They finally chose an area 29kms from Adelaide in the beautiful Adelaide Hills and established the delightful township of Hahndorf - in gratitutude for their captain.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Mt Gambier
Our
first stop was to the tourist information centre which we found was now
called Lady Nelson Visitors Centre as out the front of the centre is a
replica ship of the Lady Nelson which was a 60 ton sailing vessel built in the year 1799. This was the first ship to sail along the coastline of South Australia.
We
decided to visit the much heard about from other travellers and on TV
travel shows is the Umpherston Sunken Gardens. It didn't disappoint as
it was rather lovely what they had done with the sinkhole.
VALLEY LAKE
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