The many moods of the Cape Borda lighthouse!

Cape Borda is a headland with a lighthouse on the west coast of Kangaroo Island, South Australia and is situated 70 km (43 mi) west of the town of Kingscote. It is named after the French mathematician, physicist, naturalist, sailor Jean-Charles de Borda (1733-1799).

The Cape Borda lighthouse was built in 1858, and is the third oldest remaining in South Australia. It is also the only square stone lighthouse in South Australia. 

The various images on this blog post were taken by myself while we were staying at Flinders Light Lodge which is part of the Cape Borda Lighthouse Keepers Heritage Accommodation.  An amazing place to stay which allows you to see the lighthouse at various times of the day and shows her many moods from dawn to nightfall.


The lighthouse was built to guide sailing ships arriving in to South Australia off the Roaring Forty trade-winds and into the Investigator Straits and on to Adelaide.
In the early days supplies had to landed by boat and hauled up long steel railway at nearby Harvey's Return.

The small cannon was put in place to be fired during fog to signal ships of danger before the introduction of radio. It was also believed that due to the Russian scare the placement of the cannon was symbolic of a small military presence, and therefore seen as a deterrence to invasion from possible enemy ships! Indeed one of the reasons for building the lightstation in that position was to be a lookout for Russian ships.


In late 1999, NPWSA restored the cannon and test-fired it at Midnight 2000 as part of a global exercise of time-signals at maritime locations around the world. The cannon was found to be Y2K compliant and has since fired every day at the traditional hour of 1:00pm.

Its focal plane is situated at a height of 155 metres (509 ft), the light characteristic is a group of four white flashes that occurs every 20 seconds. The lightstation was automated in 1989 and is still fully operational. In 1999 the original fog signal cannon was restored, today it is fired daily at 12:30 hours.

The lightstation and surrounding cottages are looked after by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources while the top floor of the lightstation and the light itself is the property of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Visitors are able to go on tours of the lighthouse and stay in the surrounding cottages. Which is what we did and the next blog post will be on staying at Cape Borda!

Most of the above information on the lighthouse is from the following websites and Wikipedia.


Useful URL's..

National Parks of South Australia - Cape Borda

Tour Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island (South Australian Tourism Website)

SeaLink Website

SeaLink Timetable

Boarding the Ferry

What is available on board

Help for those that suffer from Motion Sickness


my previous blog posts on this particular vacation are:

Driving to the west coast of Kangaroo Island

Crossing via SeaLink

staying at Cape Jervis Station

crossing the Mighty Murray by Punt

Beachport Jetty

stopping over in Mt Gambier

planning the journey to Kangaroo Island

our thoughts on staying at Cape Borda!



stay tuned for further blog posts on staying at Cape Borda, visiting the many bays of Kangaroo Island and much more!


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driving to the far west coast of Kangaroo Island...

The roads are in excellent condition for driving around most of Kangaroo Island ..... well certainly the main roads are.  There are also many gravel roads within the National Park areas and other more remote parts of the Island.  It is wise to drive with caution at all times. Apart from all the wildlife, there are cyclists, bushwalkers and many tourists traveling and especially the tourists from overseas that are unfamiliar with our roads, in particular the gravel roads!

So please drive with care and at a safe speed at all times.

Another 'suggestion' is to make sure your vehicle has enough fuel to travel at least 300klms ... KI is 155 klms long and about 47 klms wide. So if you are driving to Cape Borda, do make sure you have enough fuel for a return journey as there are only about two fuel stations (none anywhere near Cape Borda) and are very expensive at $1.89 per liter (April 2014)

There are fuel stations at Kingscote and Penneshaw.  The booklet that the Tourist Center give you lists where the fuel stations are located.

Driving from the east to the west coast will take approx two hours, if not longer. The road is well maintained until you reach the gravel section which is about 30 klms out from Cape Borda.

There is no easy way to 'ride the corrugation'.  If you have a 4 x 4 vehicle, then put it in 4 wheel drive and drive over the corrugation where possible. If driving a normal vehicle, slow down and watch for the extra rough areas. This section of the road will slow you down, but it is still a reasonable road ..... we have driven over far worse, that's for sure!!

Pull over and slow down when you see an oncoming vehicle ..... hopefully they will do the same.  It means less dust and less stones being thrown up on either vehicle.

When reading this blog and seeing these images, you might decide to not travel to Cape Borda due to the road conditions.  But it is well worth the trip and the road is really not that bad at all.  The images are here so you can decide for yourself as we found it difficult to locate photos such as these when we were in the 'planning stages'.  Hopefully these will help others!

Do make the effort to travel to Cape Borda, it is worth every single bump and every single kilometer.

 

 Watch out for the wildlife ... here we see a snake!

Even though it is only a few klms from here to Cape Borda, take the time to see some of the lookouts etc that are close to the main road .....

or stop by the cemetery just before reaching Cape Borda .....

 

back on to the main road and five minutes later you can see the Cape Borda Lighthouse!

That view alone makes the 30 klms of gravel road worth the drive!




NEXT BLOG POST ..... staying at Cape Borda!

Useful URL's...

Tour Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island (South Australian Tourism Website)

SeaLink Website

SeaLink Timetable

Boarding the Ferry

What is available on board

Help for those that suffer from Motion Sickness



my previous blog posts on this particular vacation are:

Crossing via SeaLink

staying at Cape Jervis Station

crossing the Mighty Murray by Punt

Beachport Jetty

stopping over in Mt Gambier

planning the journey to Kangaroo Island

our thoughts on staying at Cape Borda!

stay tuned for the blog posts on staying at Cape Borda, visiting the many bays, the roads of Kangaroo Island and much more!



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...and so our vacation begins!

We have arrived!

Yes, after our journey across The Backstairs Passage via SeaLink we have arrived on Kangaroo Island.  We started planning the journey in January and at long last we are here!

We departed the ferry without any problem and headed straight around to Kingscote to have some lunch overlooking the sea before driving to Emu Bay.

at this point we were surprised at how mild the weather was. We were sitting here by 11.00am on Monday 21st April and even though it was a little cloudy the temperature was 23deg.

Even though we had filled up with fuel near Victor Harbour the previous day we decided to top before driving to Cape Borda. We paid $1.68 for fuel at Victor Habour and here it was $1.72.5.  We were later to come across fuel at $1.88 per liter, so were lucky we topped up in Kingscote before proceeding inland.

We did a drive around to Emu Bay and by this time the clouds had cleared and it was just one of those magical autumn days .....

All the main roads on Kangaroo Island are in excellent condition, but it is wise to keep the speed well down as we came across a few cyclists as well as wildlife.  There are a few 'hills' but overall the main roads were well maintained.

The island is 155 klms long and 47 klms wide with 509 klms of coastline, so it takes - on average - 2.5 hours to drive from Penneshaw to Cape Borda, mainly because the final 30 klms driving into the cape is on gravel road with much corrugation!

But every klm is well worth the journey ....

Kangaroo Island has tough quarantine laws. When you are packing, leave any honey and all bee-handling equipment at home.

Pets are not allowed in national and conservation parks.

Potatoes, yes potatoes, must be in new, unopened packaging. Destroy any peels or unused potatoes. Please don’t bring vine cuttings or grapevine soil here. Ensure your vehicle, boats, camping gear and hiking boots are free of mud and seeds.

Kangaroo Island, it’s truly something special.


NEXT ..... getting to Cape Borda!


Useful URL's...

Tour Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island (South Australian Tourism Website)

SeaLink Website

SeaLink Timetable

Boarding the Ferry

What is available on board

Help for those that suffer from Motion Sickness



my previous blog posts on this particular vacation are:

Crossing via SeaLink

staying at Cape Jervis Station

crossing the Mighty Murray by Punt

Beachport Jetty

stopping over in Mt Gambier

planning the journey to Kangaroo Island

our thoughts on staying at Cape Borda!

stay tuned for the blog posts on staying at Cape Borda, visiting the many bays, the roads of Kangaroo Island and much more!




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Kangaroo Island via SeaLink

There is no bridge to get to Kangaroo Island which is just off the mainland of South Australia, so you need to fly or go via ferry!

The easiest is of course the ferry ... so you need to book via SeaLink which departs from Cape Jervis for Penneshaw every day.  There are up to 12 ferry services each day, but do check the timetable especially during busy holiday periods.

SeaLink’s two modern, air-conditioned car and passenger ferries, Sealion 2000 and Spirit of Kangaroo Island take just 45 minutes to cross Backstairs Passage between Cape Jervis and Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island.

on board the Sealion 2000

Both ferries are twin-hulled catamaran ferries complete with air-conditioned lounges, comfortable lounge or café style seating, a licensed café serving great cappuccinos and fresh snacks, outdoor viewing decks, wheelchair access, disabled toilets and baby change facilities.

 

The ferry terminal at Cape Jervis is open from 8:00am thru till 7:00pm between September and April and from May to August it is open from 8.00am till 6.00pm

There is a cafe serving coffee and snacks, free WiFi, restrooms, tourist information and booking services.

Boarding the Ferry:

When you arrive at the Ferry Terminal with your vehicle you must wait in the designated area. Decide who is going to be the driver before obtaining the boarding pass.  If you are towing a caravan, trailer, camper etc you will need to reverse the vehicle onto the ferry so it can be driven straight off at the other end.

a car with a trailer & kayak is reversing onto the ferry

On arrival at the terminal, the passenger will need to go to the Check-in Counter in the terminal with the booking number to obtain the BOARDING PASS.  Do this as soon as you arrive as it will be busy if there are coachloads of passengers arriving in from Adelaide!

foot passengers boarding the ferry

The passenger will need to walk on to the ferry, the driver of the vehicle is the only one permitted to be in the vehicle when boarding.

getting ready to depart

SeaLink also advise you to take out insurance for the crossing. The Ferry can be cancelled at a moments notice due to bad weather etc and it would be an expensive journey if you did not have insurance to cover you for accommodation and or another Ferry Ticket!

Our ticket cost us $428.00 return. That included two adults, one small car and our insurance.
We found it to be a pleasant 45 min journey both ways.

arriving at Penneshaw

the vehicles, trailers etc start to disembark

Useful URL's...

SeaLink Website

SeaLink Timetable

Boarding the Ferry

What is available on board

Help for those that suffer from Motion Sickness



previous blog posts on this particular vacation are:

staying at Cape Jervis Station

crossing the Mighty Murray by Punt

Beachport Jetty

stopping over in Mt Gambier

planning the journey to Kangaroo Island

our thoughts on staying at Cape Borda!

stay tuned for the blog posts on staying at Cape Borda, visiting the many bays, the roads of Kangaroo Island and much more!

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overnight on a sheep station!

Cape Jervis Station on Main South Road is set out in a beautiful rural setting. Settled in the 1840's, it was and still is an operating sheep station.

There is quite a variety of accommodation available there but as it was Easter most of it was booked out, so we had to take the King Room (as a B & B) in the main homestead.  I think if I went back there I would consider taking one of the self contained units or "The Stables". 

Their website has many photos of what is available and as it is situated on the main road in Cape Jervis it is ideal to stay over if catching the early Ferry across to Kangaroo Island.

They also have powered or unpowered sites available with hot showers and flushing toilets set on a grassed area overlooking the ocean.

The budget accommodation is a self contained cabin or a room much like a motel room, both with ensuite bathrooms.

There are four B&B rooms on offer where you can book just a room or inclusive of breakfast as well.

They also have cottages ranging from romantic cottages made for two overlooking Kangaroo Island, right through to a two bedroom two bathroom cottage perfectly suited for two families wanting to travel together.

Most of the cottages have full kitchens and BBQ's.

We stayed in the main homestead in one of the B & B rooms and the cost was $175.00 pn including a cooked breakfast.

The next morning it is just a short 5 minute trip into Cape Jervis to top up with fuel and board the ferry to Kangaroo Island.

I say 'top up' with fuel as you can purchase fuel in Adelaide or Victor Harbour depending on which way you come in, but its cheaper to fill up at Cape Jervis at $1.66 than on the Island where it is $1.76 to $1.85.


Cape Jervis Station


previous blog posts are:

crossing the Mighty Murray by Punt

Beachport Jetty

stopping over in Mt Gambier

planning the journey to Kangaroo Island

our thoughts on staying at Cape Borda!


stay tuned the blog posts on staying at Cape Borda, visiting the many bays, the roads of Kangaroo Island and much more!

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the journey to Kangaroo Island

the journey to Kangaroo Island .... well the one that we have planned!

A month or so ago I started organising our next vacation. We are planning on Kangaroo Island seeing as it is about the only place in Australia we have not been to!

Our plan is to leave home on the Saturday and head down towards Mt Gambier staying there overnight to break the journey and allow us more time to see the South Australian Coastline from Mt Gambier, via Robe to Cape Jervis.

Cape Jervis is where we board the SeaLink Ferry to Kangaroo Island.

We are staying in Cape Jervis on the Sunday night as the ferry departs on Monday morning at 9:00am.The Saturday night happens to be the Easter Weekend and it was a total pain to locate any accommodation as I mentioned in a previous blog post titled: neither simple, easy or low cost! Most places I contacted either directly or thru Zuji, Trip Advisor etc all required a minimum of three nights booking due to it being a 'holiday weekend'. Some of them didn't even bother to return my messages! After much frustration I called The Tower Motor Inn at Mt Gambier direct, what a pleasant experience that turned out to be. I had been on booking.com and knew the lowest price that the Superior Room was selling for, so when I asked him how much would he sell the room to me for, he gave me a higher price!  Told him the lowest price I had seen and he offered me the room at the same price and then proceeded to 'sell' me the Superior Deluxe Suite at a greatly reduced price and for the one night! ..... this man knows how to sell a room and he certainly knows about 'customer service'!

Impressive.

Thank you Gary Walters!

The Tower Motor Inn also had good reports on TripAdvisor, so hopefully our stay will live up to our expectations!  Will certainly let you know either way.  I gave him the cc details and the confirmation by email arrived by the time I put the phone down.

Must admit this is the sort of 'customer service' we should all expect and receive, but sadly it rarely happens in Australia.

Superior Deluxe Room at The Tower Motor Inn at Mt Gambier

Our next place for accommodation was to be around the Cape Jervis area as we had booked the SeaLink Ferry for the 9:00am crossing.  Again, we kept hitting brick walls due to the two or three night minimum booking.

Eventually we came across the Cape Jervis Station and Cottages.  Lovely receptionist on the phone, very helpful, especially with me asking many questions and then after the booking realised I had booked the wrong date!  Had to call her back and request the change .... she was very pleasant about it and told me it was a good learning experience for her too as it was her first day on duty. I certainly hope she is still there as she is more than just a good asset to their business.

We found this to be a little expensive at $175.00 with breakfast, but again, we had no choice due to the dates traveling. Will keep you up to date on the value after we have stayed!

though most of the comments on TripAdvisor are good:

We had booked for one night prior to going over on the morning ferry but ended up staying for two nights as the ferry was cancelled due to terrible weather (next time I will get travel insurance!). Accommodation was great B & B style in the homestead. Electric blanket was a blessing as it was freezing. Had dinner both nights and was lovely home cooked style with a lovely bottle of Shiraz from Kangaroo Island. The hosts were very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble.

Stayed here overnight for an early ferry to Kangaroo Island. The owners were very welcoming and showed us to our room with en-suite. The room was in the older homestead. We were the only people in that part of the complex. There are a variety of ways to stay on the property. They have caravan and motor home sites, log cabins and stone cottages. It is a working farm and the breakfast eggs were from the farm. Delicious. Nice and quiet, I did not hear any traffic noise myself.
Good to note the extra travel Insurance needed, am glad we have purchased ours already!

The downside - for Cape Jervis Station - was when I tried to get on to their website for some images and extra information, it kept coming up with the following message:

Now that is a very bad move for their business, either they need a better service provider or they need to extend their coverage!

I still managed to get a few images of the property and surrounds thru google maps and off TripAdvisor as seen below:

The Monday morning will see us up bright and early heading down to the Ferry Terminal at Cape Jervis to get the 9:00am Ferry ....

from Google Maps, view from the highway after leaving Cape Jervis Station

from Google Maps, view from the highway just before entering Cape Jervis.

and hopefully an hour or so later we are on our way to Cape Borda Lightstation !

My next blog post will be on our return journey from Kangaroo Island, Cape Jervis to Middleton and on to Naracoorte before returning home.

Make sure you subscribe to this blog for follow up posts on our journey to and from Kangaroo Island.

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