On the first day we Landed in Adelaide at around 8am. Checked in at Intercontinental at around 9 and had breakfast there. First Impression of the hotel (actually second but that was a rather long time ago, I don't remember much back then) was that the atrium was very spacious and very cozy bar and waiting area. Although i have to admit it seemed rather old. However, the room was very cozy and had great views of the lake behind its vicinity.
(Grand Atrium, Intercontinental Adelaide, South Australia)
After breakfast we rested in the room for a couple of hours, awaiting the long journey we had to Kangaroo Island. It was around one and a half hours drive from Adelaide to Cape Jervis right at the tip. Boarding for the ferry was at 4pm. We arrived there at around 3:30pm with ample time for boarding, sad to say the ferry was delayed by thirty minutes, so we ended up sailing into the darkness instead.
(Driving to Cape Jervis)
(Sunset on Sealink ferry to KI)
We arrived at the island at around 5:30, by then the sun had set and it was pitch black. Staying at a luxurious hotel had its perks. Coming down to meet us was a young and very hospitable Irish lady at the ferry terminal. Transfers between the hotel (Southern Ocean Lodge) and the ferry terminal or airport at Kingscote was free of charge. From the ferry terminal, it would take us another 2 hours to drive in a south westerly direction to Southern Ocean Lodge.
Driving in such foreign land with no lights (except headlights) opened my eyes to experience new things. One of the most important rule I learned is that if you are going to hit a Wallaby or Kangaroo, then hit it hard cause you want it to go flying rather than crash into the car, or even worse get stuck under your car. It is pretty cruel, i have to admit. But with so many wild animals on that island, it is a way of naturally controlling the population. Of course, try and avoid this situation at all costs!
On the drive up, we saw a dead Wallaby by the side of the road, a kangaroo and an echidna crossing the road. The only thing that stopped us from running them over was seeing their eyes reflect the headlights back at us. It made it looked like their eyes were stars.
