Kangaroo Island
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Everything was booked and paid for - airfares, hotels, rental cars, entry fees to Uluru. We were only days away from packing our bags. And then - "In a week's time the country goes into a full lockdown." Local travel ceased, let alone international travel, even across the Tasman Sea. Our carefully crafted trip to Adelaide then the Red Centre Way to Uluru was off, stopped, cancelled. This was April 2020 and the COVID-19 virus had arrived.
We did get all of our money back - eventually. So in 2024 we flew into Yulara Airport and spent 3 days at Uluru, walking and drving around the Ayers Rock area. But this was not Adelaide and we needed to spend some time there. On a brighter note, our 2020 plans were to include a few days at Kangaroo Island, just off the Adelaide coast, but early that year the island was devastated by wildfires. Now, in 2025, the scars have healed and the wildlife has recovered. We also planned to spend some time in Adelaide, not to see the sights but to spend the time in the archives section of the State Library of South Australia, where family history files are stored.
So in May 2025 we headed off to Adelaide by Air New Zealand and then to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island for a few days. Then back to Adelaide for 4 nights to search the archives and then a roadtrip to Melbourne.
Paul and Colma, May 2025
Our Itinerary
| Day: with link to Photo Diary | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Tuesday 20 May 2025 | Overnight in Auckland ready for the early flight to Adelaide. |
| Day 2 | Wednesday 21 May 2025 | Flight to Adelaide departs 0825, arriving in Adelaide at 1055. A few hours in Adelaide, including a trip on the tram to the beach at Glenelg, then by bus to Cape Jervis, ferry to Penneshaaw on Kangaroo Island and then rental car to Kingscote. |
| Day 3 | Thursday 22 May 2025 | Kangaroo Island - Flinders Chase National Park |
| Day 4 | Friday 23 May 2025 | Kangaroo Island - Wildlife Park, Seal Bay, Emu Bay and the Bay of Shoals Winery. |
| Day 5 | Saturday 24 May 2025 | Early start to return the rental car and meet the 0830 ferry back to Cape Jervis. Bus to Adelaide, walk to hotel then a few hours in the State Library. |
| Day 6 | Sunday 25 May 2025 | A walk to Light's Vision for a view over Adelaide, passing the Adelaide Oval with its crowds amassing for an Aussie Rules match. A nice day but a storm was forecast so we took the opportunity to take Popeye's River Cruise on the Torrens River. The afternoon was spent in the archives. |
| Day 7 | Monday 26 May 2025 | Time in the archives. |
| Day 8 | Tuesday 27 May 2025 | More time in the archives. |
| Day 9 | Wednesday 28 May 2025 | Road trip to Hahndorf then on to the coastal town of Robe. |
| Day 10 | Thursday 29 May 2025 | Road trip to Melbourne. |
| Day 16 | Wednesday 4 June 2025 | Flight to Auckland, flight to Tauranga cancelled due to the weather so an unplanned overnight at Auckland airport then a rental car home. |
Last updated: 30 July 2025