Cape Borda Lightstation on Kangaroo Island.

most of these amazing images of the Cape Borda area are from the Flickr site

After living overseas for about 6 years we are trying to reacquaint ourselves with life in Australia and what it has to offer. We have already seen quite a bit of the country having done two trips "around Australia" over the years. 

But the one place we have not been to is Kangaroo Island.

Booking accommodation for the trip to Kangaroo Island was not simple, easy or cheap, as seen in one of my previous blog posts .  But first of all the priority was accommodation on the island as our plans included the Easter and Anzac Day break. We would worry about the rest later!

I spent all morning going through TripAdvisor for accommodation of any kind ... there was nothing available. Probably because I was quite specific as to the dates.  We are to leave on Saturday 18th and return on Saturday 26th April.  We wanted three nights / four days on the island itself, with a couple of nights traveling either way.

The nights we were wanting were Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday.

absolutely nothing available.

at any price anywhere.

Well that is apart from the Luxury Southern Ocean Lodge where their rooms START at $990.00 for a twin room PER PERSON PER NIGHT and they advertise it as:

"Rates as quoted are PER PERSON PER NIGHT and include all dining, open bar with premium wines and spirits (cellarmasters list additional), in-suite bar, signature experiences and island airport transfers"

but that was a little beyond our budget.

Would be rather amazing to stay there though!

by the way, the top price is $1800.00 PN PP in a twin room. But if you wanted just a single room for yourself, the cost would be $2700.00 per night with a minimum of two nights! Remember it does include all meals and an open bar.

They do get amazing reviews at TripAdvisor.

anyway, I digress .....

accommodation on Kangaroo Island, oh yes, where was I?

We tried the National Parks of SA (South Australia) website as well and nothing came up. I had tried the accommodation page all morning, so gave up ready to hit the phone and computer again in the afternoon.

Lo and behold, put the same dates in and up popped Cape Borda Lightstation!

images from Flickr and the National Parks of South Australia

location of Cape Borda Lightstation on Kangaroo Island

There must have been a cancellation, so whoever you are, thank you!!

On the National Parks website they 'advertise' Cape Borda Lightstation as:

Set within Flinders Chase National Park, Cape Borda Lighthouse is perched on cliffs overlooking Investigator Strait. Located on the north western corner of Kangaroo Island, this unique square lighthouse was built in 1858 and is steeped in European history.

To discover the maritime history of the area you can take a tour of the lightstation. The lighthouse area features a restored signal cannon, a museum and kiosk where refreshments and souvenirs are available. Don't miss the daily cannon firing on the 12.30pm tour.

After exploring the lighthouse, enjoy a stroll along one of the walking trails around the park including the Cliff Top Hike. This short trail through a picturesque rock garden takes you to a stone lookout that provides an ideal vantage point for spotting whales and dolphins.

and for the accommodation it has:

Flinders Light Lodge - Cape Borda

The beautifully restored Flinders Light Lodge is an ideal romantic getaway for couples or retreat for families. This gracious stone homestead comfortably sleeps up to six guests in three bedrooms with one queen size bed and four single beds in two rooms, living and dining rooms, kitchen, and veranda with views of Cape Borda Lighthouse.

Set within the Flinders Chase National Park, Cape Borda offers a special kind of peace and tranquility. Enjoy stunning sunsets and spectacular views across Investigator Strait.

Explore the park's walking trails or join a tour of the lighthouse and discover Cape Borda's maritime history. Phone +61 8 8553 4410 or email kiparksaccom@sa.gov.au if you experience difficulties making a booking.

We can accommodate 2 infants (under 4 years old) at no charge including complimentary cot and High chair loan, please call or email to add infants and requirements to your booking.
 

of course I immediately booked the three nights that were available. 

I checked the Flickr site for images of the area of Cape Borda and came up with quite a few here, and yes, I can definitely see us here for three days of photography, peace, quiet, reading, walking and whatever else comes our way!

When looking for places to travel to I always use Flickr to give me an idea of what the area is like and what we can expect to see (as seen in the first image above)   .... it is as good as using TripAdvisor to verify accommodation!

Also had another look at the TripAdvisor reviews for Cape Borda Lightstation. It looks as though everyone has been happy with their stay and am sure we will be too..... even the 30klms of corrugated road will not deter us! Well that's what we are saying now, stay tuned and we will let you know on our return at the end of April. :)

the 30klms of corrugated road we are to expect!

After booking our accommodation, I had to make sure we were able to board the SeaLink Ferry .... the booking process was quick and easy, though we did find the cost of the ticket rather expensive at $428.00 in total for two passengers and our vehicle. It did however include QBE Travel Insurance for the ferry journey which covers cancellations etc. But still the actual ticket costs $184.00 each way for a 45 minute trip!

What I will add here is that the Ferry ticket to Tasmania (in total) for two adults in a cabin, plus a vehicle is just $479.00!

images from the SeaLink Website

We did notice some accommodation places included the ferry ticket in their pricing, so if you are able to get that, then do so!

We have now booked all the accommodation for our journey to and from Kangaroo Island but will tell you about that in our next post.

Apart from all the reading, walking, eating and sleeping I intend to do, I am so hoping I can manage a photo or two just like these by Egui from Flickr:

another amazing image off the Flickr site by Egui_

so yes, stay tuned or subscribe to my posts or follow me on google+ and hopefully you will get to see photos like the above later on in April. 






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one door closes another will open!

we are still here in Singapore sorting, packing and generally getting ready to repatriate to Australia .... and then on to Ballan.

We were very apprehensive about moving to a small town after the vibrancy of Singapore, but starting to come to terms with the move and just today we talked about the new adventures that await us ....

its a bit like as one door closes another will open!

There has been a lot involved in the move back to Australia, there is the sorting through all our belongings and arranging for a removalist to get everything shipped back.


We have a villa in Indonesia and there are quite a few things (including furniture) we need from there that has to be shipped to Singapore in time to be shipped to Melbourne with the rest of our things on February 21. But the hold up is on the Indonesian end .... so we wait and wait .... and wait some more, for they need to decide when this is going to happen. In the meantime we are getting a little stressed as each day goes by and the time is getting closer. We want some definite dates!

I have recently uploaded a blog post on packing - or more to the point - what not to pack on my other blog. You may care to read that posting here: Living in Singapore.

John has been extra busy getting his business up and running. With his deep appreciation of cultural diversity in Asia and Australia's changing role in the region, I can see his  business leaping ahead!

John Fabre and Associates is a boutique agency focused on how consumers and businesses can genuinely benefit from our changing world. I choose to work with associates in applying creative, communication and business management skills to align brand aspirations and consumer needs in an experience consumption driven world. We all bring different skill sets.
 

 

                                 Oscar

Oscar (our Tenterfield Terrier) now has his flight booked for February 20 and will be in Quarantine at the Spotswood Quarantine Station for one month.  This particular part of the move has been incredibly stressful for us both .... Oscar will be 14 years old in March and has a few health issues. The Australian Quarantine were not happy to allow his entry into Australia, citing his health issues on such a long flight. We have written to them explaining in great detail that even though he is old and has health problems, he is quite 'the fighter' and will survive the flight. We have agreed to a private vet assess him on arrival and accept all conditions they have placed on the permit that we now have.

We came to Singapore with two Tenterfield Terriers - our boys were brothers, they had the same parents - but Pokey died last July  we know that Oscar really has to go HOME and if we don't try, we will never know. We feel it is worth the risk, so long as he is not in any pain.


If you could see him running up and down the stairs here, there is no way he looks 'old'. The carer (from K9 Kennels) came today to bring the crate for Oscar to get used to. Even he was saying how healthy he looked and was playing with him. We are praying all will be well for him to travel home on February 20 and that he survives the following month in quarantine. We are allowed to visit him twice a week ... that is going to be hard on the three of us ... but lets hope that time goes by very quickly!!

Once he is out of there it will be party time ...... for it will be his 14th birthday!!

So yes .... we are packing and sorting getting ready for our move back to Australia and eventually to Ballan.  There is a lot of planning still to be done, but as one door closes another will open!  We have no idea what that open door will show us......

but we are ready for that next adventure!