MELBOURNE TO HORSHAM

Welcome to our tour to stunning Kangaroo Island. With chauffeured pickup from home, we are transferred to meet our O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours coach and crew. Following our morning tea break, we travel to Ararat for our lunch break before commencing our scenic drive through the Grampians National Park.  We overnight in Horsham settling into our motel and freshening up for dinner.

OVERNIGHT: Horsham International hotel, HORSHAM

HORSHAM TO NORMANVILLE

From Horsham we head to the town of Coonalpyn to admire the breathtaking images of 5 local children at play, painted on the town’s 30m-high Viterra grain silo by artist Guido Van Helten. We now travel on to the “Heritage Town” of Strathalbyn. The railway reached Strathalbyn in 1884 and copper was smeltered in the district until 1914. Today the quaint town is popular for its architecture and pleasant atmosphere. We continue on to our lovely accommodation at the Lady Bay Hotel.

OVERNIGHT: Lady Bay Hotel, NORMANVILLE

NORMANVILLE TO KANGAROO ISLAND

This morning, we take the scenic drive to Cape Jervis where we board the Sea Link ferry  across Backstairs Passage to Penneshaw on the eastern end of the Island. It takes just 50 minutes to complete the crossing. As we disembark the ferry we board our coach and begin exploring the Dudley Peninsula. Our first stop is at Dudley Wines where we are spoilt with a wonderful outlook as we are lead in a tasting of their fabulous wines and enjoy a light lunch. Now we meet Rob and his Kelpie dogs, at Robs Shearing and Sheepdogs, as they share this most Australian experience with us. Enjoy learning about the many aspects of farming in an educational and down to earth manner, including sheepdog mustering and yarding, sheep shearing, wool classing, hand spinning and history. We now head to Kingscote, the island’s main town, where we check into our next four nights’ accommodation.

OVERNIGHT: Kangaroo Island Seaside Inn, Kingscote, KANGAROO ISLAND

KINGSCOTE AND AMERICAN RIVER

This morning we enjoy a tour of Kingscote, Australia’s first free settlement with a local expert. Learn of its early history and how it was abandoned after only 4 years due to lack of water and suitable building timber only to be replaced in favour of Adelaide. Venturing on, we will be introduced to some unique Kangaroo Island ventures - the first one is Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery where we take a very interesting tour of the plant and equipment involved in producing eucalyptus oil and product. After lunch here, we stop at Clifford’s Honey Farm for a honey ice cream and to learn about the unique Ligurian Bee. We continue to American River, which was named after American sealers that stayed on this part of the island for four months in 1803 and there is a memorial plaque in the main town to commemorate this. We visit The Oyster Farm Shop for a talk about the Oyster Farm and the history of the area. We then visit The Rebuild Independence Project where a volunteer group is recreating the 45ft United States Schooner "Independence", built by American sealers in 1803. This was the first vessel ever built in SA and an interpretive display details the adventures and fate of the boat.

OVERNIGHT: Kangaroo Island Seaside Inn, Kingscote, KANGAROO ISLAND

KANGAROO ISLAND WILDLIFE

We start the day travelling to Seal Bay for a chance to walk along the beach amongst the colony of Australian Sea Lions who live here all year round. It is an unforgettable experience to be guided by a National Parks Ranger, along the beach, within metres of the bulls, cows and seal pups as they rest on the beach. Next stop is Raptor Domain for their free flight birds of prey demonstration. The show is interactive and a very rewarding experience. Enjoy lunch here and then it’s to the western end of the Island to visit the Flinders Chase National Park. Witness its natural rugged beauty and the spectacular Remarkable Rocks, Cape du Couedic Lighthouse and Admirals Arch where, via a spectacular board walk, we can see close up a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals who live in the sea and the rocks just below us.  It will be a day of remarkable experiences!

OVERNIGHT: Kangaroo Island Seaside Inn, KINGSCOTE

ANZAC DAY ON KANGAROO ISLAND

It’s ANZAC Day today so you may wish to participate in the Dawn Service in Kingscote. After breakfast we can look forward to another interesting day on tour. Enjoy morning tea at the Emu Bay Lavender Farm - a farm gate cafe set amongst rows of lavender. Here they make and package an extensive range of lavender products on site. The cafe is famous for its oversized lavender scones and handmade ice cream!! We head west of the island to the Old Wisanger School, officially opened in 1885. Walking through the building we view photos and textbooks in their original setting. Our delicious lunch today will be enjoyed at the Rockpool Café. After lunch, we can take a stroll along the waterfront, or for the more adventurous, we can make our way through the rocks to the “secret beach” at Stokes Bay - it is a stunning hidden gem!  We head towards the centre of the island now to arrive at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park. There are approximately 600 animals in the park covering 150 species. Owners Sam and Dana have a long wildlife background and take pride in the opportunity to support conservation through the park.  It is not often that the park is without young animals that have been injured, rejected or orphaned so there may be babies to cuddle or feed also.

OVERNIGHT:  Kangaroo Island Seaside Inn, KINGSCOTE

LOWER FLEURIEU PENINSULA

This morning we say farewell to Kangaroo Island and board the ferry at Penneshaw for our return journey to the mainland.  Departing Cape Jervis, we take the scenic route, following Range Road through the farming areas of Parawa and Waitpinga, making our way to Victor Harbor. After lunch, we take the horse drawn tram across the causeway to Granite Island. We now have some free time to explore “Victor”, as the locals know it. From here we meander our way back across the Peninsula through Inman Valley and Yankalilla to Normanville and the Lady Bay Hotel.

OVERNIGHT: Lady Bay Hotel, NORMANVILLE

SPIRIT OF THE COORONG CRUISE

Following breakfast we travel through to the old river port town of Goolwa where we board the “Spirit of the Coorong” for an informative and relaxing luncheon cruise. Our cruise takes us along the riverbank as our Captain tells us of some of the history of the area. At the Goolwa Barrage we pass through the lock – keep an eye out for the resident fur seal colony! We’ll enjoy morning tea as we cruise down the final stretch of the Murray River to the Murray Mouth and across into the Coorong National Park. Passing a series of barrages our Captain explains the man-made weir and lock system before we stop for a guided walk to hear about the cockle industry and the Ngarrindjeri aboriginal people who lived in this area. Back on board, we’ll enjoy lunch as we cruise further into the Coorong, past the spectacular sand dunes and birdlife of the Younghusband Peninsula, with commentary by our captain on the passing features, bird-life and history as we go. Arriving at Long Point Wharf we rejoin our coach and drive to Mount Gambier.

OVERNIGHT: Presidential Motel, MOUNT GAMBIER

MOUNT GAMBIER TO MELBOURNE

We’ll take in the sights of this South Australian town; of particular interest are the craters of extinct volcanoes, including the famous “Blue Lakes”, the source of Mount Gambier’s water supply. We also visit the beautifully landscaped Umpherston Cave. Continuing our drive to the beautiful seaside city of Warrnambool, we stop for lunch on the shores of Lady Bay. More than 100 ships and boats were wrecked within 80 kms from Warrnambool, hence the current name for the area - The Shipwreck Coast. Our afternoon journey sees us travelling via Geelong, across the Westgate Bridge towards home. As always, our limousines will be there to greet us and return us safely to our doorstep – all part of the O’Shannessy’s Quality Tours superior service!