...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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up the Wallaby Track ....

The Central Highlands and Goldfields area of Victoria provide ideal cycling and walking conditions. There are some fantastic hill and bush tracks for mountain bikers as well as great options for tourers.

Whatever transport you use to get around the Goldfields area, you will find walking is ideal. The network of National and State Parks all have walks ranging from short loops around the picnic grounds to overnight expeditions like the 18klm Pyrenees Walking Track in the Pyrenees State Forest or the 21 klm Beeripmo Walk in the Mt Buangor State Park.

The premier walk - the Great Dividing Trail, also called the Goldfields Track - traverses the Goldfields from Bendigo to Daylesford where it splits into two legs: from Daylesford to Ballarat and from Daylesford to Bacchus Marsh.

magic scenery wherever you look!

Located in central Victoria, west of Melbourne, this 270 kilometer trail passes through what was once the richest gold mining area of the world. The trail design itself is very unusual as it has three arms, which meet at the historic town of Daylesford. This means that if you walk this as a through track, you will only complete two of the arms.

Smaller sections are also designed to be accessible to day trippers.

The Goldfields Trail - is a multi-use track through the historical Goldfields region of Victoria to the north-west and west of Melbourne. The trail passes along the southern most parts of Australia's Great Dividing Range. The trail combines goldrush heritage and natural beauty. Its a pathway to the Goldfields hidden treasures!

The community managed trail has four major tracks, each of which is in turn separated into thermic walks that can be easily accessed for a day or shorter walks. Many sections of the trail are suitable for the casual stroller and there are some very rugged parts as well, such as the Lerderderg section.


The Wallaby Track (92klm) formerly known as Federation Track, runs from Buninyong, via Ballarat, Creswick and Mollongghip to Daylesford.

so much to see! so much to do!

 

most of the above information comes from the above book as well as the following URL's:

1. The Goldfields Track - Wallaby Track

2. The Goldfields Track - Wallaby Track

for maps and guides click HERE

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Ballan Cycling Classic - 18th Nov 2012

The annual

Ballan Cycling Classic

will be held on

Sunday, November 18, 2012.

This year’s event will again raise much needed funds for our local hospital, Ballan District Health & Care, our Volunteer Country Fire Authority Brigade and the Ballan Red Cross.

The Central Highlands Region of Victoria offers superb scenery and a variety of fantastic and challenging cycling routes catering for both the novice and serious cyclist.

A choice of four routes is available, catering for a range of rider abilities and fitness levels.

The 150km ride will follow a challenging revised route with testing hill climbs, undulating roads, enjoyable flat sections all combined with magnificent scenic views. Recommended for the experienced rider.

The 100km ride presents a shorter, yet a still challenging and scenic route for the more serious cyclist.

The 50km ride presents a challenging, yet easily achieved ride for those with more advanced riding skill and fitness. The beautiful Central Highlands scenery provides a truly wonderful backdrop to a memorable cycling experience.

The 25km ride is a great ride for the novice rider who is looking for a new challenge and cycling experience travelling a beautiful route passing through rural farmland and stopping at the small village of Gordon for refreshments.

The Ballan Cycling Classic is a charity event to raise funds in support of the Ballan Hospital (Ballan District Health & Care), the Ballan Volunteer Country Fire Authority Brigade and the Ballan Red Cross.

For further information on the ride, the routes, the ride details, the proceeds or the entry form, please check the website below:

Ballan Cycling Classic website


Ballan Cycling Class Facebook Page

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where is Mount Bonan Yowing?

Last weekend we drove from Ballan to Mt Buninyong (Victoria, Australia) via Mt Egerton and Yendon as seen in the following blog posts:

Ballan to Mt Egerton

Mt Egerton to Yendon

Our destination was Mount Bonan Yowing or better known as Mt Buninyong, an extinct volcano that rises to 719 metres (2,359 ft) above sea level. We had not been here for many years and we were anxious to explore this area again.

The views are still magnificent, the weather in winter is still as cold as ever, though I must admit, we were lucky.  Even though the day was cold, we had no rain at all.  It often snows here in July, so it is worth noting to keep away from there over the next few weeks!

The following images show just how beautiful the scenery is from the Mt Buninyong Road:

... and did you know that Mt Buninyong was originally named Mount Bonan Yowing? It is said to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning a man lying on his back with his knee raised. It was from the peak that Thomas Learmonth and a group of squatters first viewed the Ballarat area in 1837.

The road is quite safe, it is narrow and only 'one way', but do take it slowly as there are many walkers and tourists in the area, especially over the weekends.

 

Mount Buninyong, located in Buninyong is one of the more recognizable landmarks in the entire Goldfields region and is used as an antenna site for radio, TV and telephone equipment. The summit has been a minor tourist destination and picnic spot for over 140 years. The major part of the mountain was cleared for agriculture or housing, but widespread protests during the 1980s led to the preservation of native forest cover on much of the upper portion.

When visiting Mt Buninyong or walking the trails, do keep your eyes open for the 'hidden beauty' as seen in the images above. Be it fungi, dead gum nuts, a leaf, a branch of a gum tree or moss on a fallen branch .... there is beauty all around us and we can only see this when our eyes are open.

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” 

 ― Dr. Seuss

Mt Buninyong is also part of the Ballarat Cycle Classic - Mt Buninyong Classic Challenge of 60 km and in January (usually) the Cycling Australia Road National Championships are held. Though do check Cycling Australia's website for "up to date" events as the Buninyong Cycling website is often out of date.

The following are a few URL's that maybe of interest:

Mt Buninyong

Walks on Mt Buninyong

Mt Buninyong Recreation Reserve

Mt Buninyong LandCare

Museum Victoria's images of Mt Buninyong

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Road Trip (Mt Egerton to Yendon)

...... continuing on with yesterdays 'road trip' from Ballan to Mt Buninyong, this post being on the section between Mt Egerton and Yendon as seen below:

Fabulous scenery in this area including an historical bluestone bridge that crosses over the Moorabool River on the Yendon-Egerton Road, as seen below:

the following black and white image of that same bridge was taken from the State Library of Victoria's website, here you can see the area underneath....

It is worth making the journey along this section of the road as the scenery is quite diverse with the historical towns of Mt Egerton and Yendon, the many farms, rivers, old buildings, fencing etc along the way ....

when driving on this road, do be cautious as there are some areas where it is quite narrow and steep, in particular if cycling along this section ...

This section of the Yendon-Egerton Road is only 12 klms, so it's not long before you enter the small village of Yendon ...

next blog post will be on the drive around Mt Buninyong!

URL's of interest:

Road Trip (Ballan to Mt Egerton)

Visit Moorabool - Mt Egerton 

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