Fleurieu Peninsula & Kangaroo Island
Holiday Attractions South Australia
GOOLWA
BARRAGE
Built
between 1935 and
1940, this impressive
feat of engineering
consists of a concrete
structure which
sits on hundreds
of timber piles
driven into the
river bed. Complete
with a lock for
navigation, the
Barrage forms a
man-made barrier
between the fresh
waters of the River
Murray and the salty
ocean water.
MALLEEBAA
WOOLSHED
Telephone
(08) 8555 3638 Eighteen
breeds of sheep
are on display at
Malleebaa, a few
kilometres north
of Goolwa. The display
covers every facet
of the wool industry,
from sheep shearing
demonstrations to
woollen arts and
crafts, handspun
wool and woollen
products.
NATIONAL TRUST MUSEUM
Telephone (08) 8555
3908 This historical
museum in the town's
old blacksmith's
shop (c1872), exhibits
a collection of
artefacts relating
to the history of
Goolwa. On exhibit
are items salvaged
from ships wrecked
in the area, and
a dining room and
bedroom filled with
memorabilia.
SIGNAL
POINT INTERPRETIVE
CENTRE
Telephone
(08) 8555 3488 Beginning
with the time before
European settlement,
Signal Point uses
both the latest
technology and traditional
display methods
to tell the story
of the River Murray
to help spread awareness
of the river's role
and importance.
Artefacts, charts,
paintings and models
are displayed in
the River Museum
section. Other features
include the "Oscar
W," a restored
1908 paddlesteamer
and the Bird Hide,
which enables visitors
to see the varied
bird life of Goolwa's
wetlands areas undetected.
STONE
AND HAYWOOD STATIONARY
ENGINE MUSEUM
Telephone
(08) 8536 2053 In
Belvidere, you can
view a large collection
of stationary engines.
More than 500 working
models, the earliest
dating from 1898,
have been collected
from all over Australia.
Also on display
are vintage cars
and buses. Damper
and billy tea are
provided for visitors.
NATIONAL
TRUST MUSEUM
Telephone
(08) 8536 2478 The
collections of this
museum are spread
over two historic
buildings - the
old Police Station
(c1858) and the
Court House (c1867).
On display are old
photographs, paintings,
washing machines,
domestic and farm
implements, dresses
and other artefacts
from the Victorian
era. A feature of
the Police Station
is the walled courtyard
with three cells.
THE
BLUFF
A
few kilometres west
of Victor Harbor
is the Bluff, also
known as Rosetta
Head. This 200 metre
high granite outcrop
has good walking
trails and magnificent
views of Encounter
Bay, Victor Harbor
and the surrounding
countryside. A whaling
station was once
located at Encounter
Bay, which proved
a reasonably safe
anchorage for ships.
THE
COCKLE TRAIN
Telephone
(08) 8231 1707 This
is one of Australia's
most beautiful scenic
train rides. It
travels past beautiful
Southern Ocean beaches,
sandhills and through
historic towns along
Australia's oldest
public railway -
the sixteen kilometres
of track between
Victor Harbor and
Goolwa. The original
track was laid in
1854, between Goolwa
and Port Elliot;
10 years later it
was extended to
Victor Harbor. The
train normally consists
of an engine and
carriages built
early this century,
and the running
time is around 30
minutes.
GLACIER
ROCK
Fourteen
kilometres west
of Victor Harbor,
Glacier Rock is
a 500 million year
old (give or take
a few years) boulder
carved out by the
glaciers that once
covered the entire
area of the South
Coast.
GRANITE
ISLAND
Telephone
(08) 8552 1777 One
of Victor Harbor's
main visitor attractions,
the island is linked
to the mainland
by a causeway. A
horse tramway carries
visitors to the
island behind a
placid Clydesdale.
On the island, fairy
penguins hide beneath
rocks during the
day, coming out
at night to feed
and frolic. A chairlift
to the island summit
provides great views.
GREENHILLS
ADVENTURE PARK
Telephone
(08) 8552 1222 On
the outskirts of
Victor Harbor, Greenhills
Adventure Park covers
ten hectares near
the banks of the
Hindmarsh River.
Many kinds of recreational
activity are available,
including water
slides, go-karts,
a maze, half court
tennis, par 3 golf,
canoes and train
rides. A special
feature is the children's
farmyard and wallaby
enclosure. Kiosk
and barbecue facilities
are available.
MUSEUM
OF HISTORICAL ART
Telephone
(08) 8552 1564 The
museum features
a variety of historical
paraphernalia including
firearms, coins,
paper money, badges,
bottles and Aboriginal
artefacts. Also
on display are shells,
rocks, minerals,
moths and butterflies
.
THE
OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE
AND STATION MASTER'S
HOUSE
Telephone
(08) 8552 4081 Built
in 1866, this Georgian-style
house was the former
Harbour, Customs
and Station Master's
residence. Now on
the State Heritage
register, the museum
features five rooms
decorated with period
furniture and a
collection of memorabilia
including books
and photographs.
URIMBIRRA
WILDLIFE PARK
Telephone
(08) 8554 6554 On
the northern outskirts
of Victor Harbor,
Urimbirra Wildlife
Park has more than
seventy species
of Australian animals
and birds in their
natural settings.
Paths winding through
the park enable
visitors to see
the animals at close
range. Special features
are a nocturnal
animal house and
also crocodiles.
MOUNT
THISBY
Near
American River,
Mount Thisby was
originally called
Prospect Hill by
Captain finders,
who used it to survey
the island. Steps
take visitors to
its summit for startling
views of Pelican
Lagoon, American
River, the nearby
hills and the Southern
Ocean at Pennington
Bay.
PENNINGTON
BAY
Near
American River and
one kilometre off
the Kingscote to
Penneshaw road,
Pennington Bay has
an excellent surf
beach and offers
beautiful coastal
scenery. However
extreme care should
be taken by inexperienced
surfers.
ANTECHAMBER
BAY
Named
by Matthew Flinders
in 1802, Antechamber
Bay is a long sweep
of coast at the
eastern tip of the
island. Bounded
at its southern
end by Cape St Albans,
the beach is superb
while the tree-lined
Chapman River is
safe for swimming,
canoeing, boating
and has good fishing.
There are excellent
camping spots, barbecue
facilities and picnic
spots,with plenty
of walking trails.
Above the bay and
just off the road,
there are good views
of the mainland
over the beach.
HOPE
COTTAGE FOLK MUSEUM
Telephone
(08) 85522 308 This
museum contains
some rare artefacts
from Kangaroo Island's
past, including
the reconstructed
light from the Cape
Willoughby Lighthouse.
Its transport section
tells the story
of the island's
maritime history.
The collection is
housed in a restored
home built in 1859
by two brothers
who'd struck it
rich on the Victorian
goldfields.
JUMBUCK
SHEARING DEMONSTRATIONS.
Telephone
(08) 8529 072 This
364 hectare farm,
eighteen kilometres
from Kingscote,
provides visitors
with the opportunity
to learn the history
of shearing and
wool industry from
farmers whose families
have been on the
land since 1883.
Sheep shearing and
sheep dog demonstrations
are a special feature
and rare shearing
equipment is on
display.
KINGSCOTE
CEMETARY
This
is the oldest in
South Australia.
The inscriptions
on the headstones
tell a poignant
but fascinating
story of early pioneer
life.
PELICAN
FEEDING
Every
day at four o'clock,
Kingscote's pelican
population gathers
on the foreshore
to await the arrival
of Milton Turner,
a fourth generation
islander and his
assistant. They
know Milton carries
a supply of fish
morsels they so
covet. Rain or shine,
the spectacle occurs
every day on this,
South Australia's
island zoo without
bars.
REEVES
POINT
Just
north of Kingscote,
this is the site
of South Australia's
first official settlement
in 1836. The Kingscote
Pioneer Memorial
commemorates South
Australia's first
settlers who arrived
here on July 27,
1836 aboard the
Duke of York. The
colony's first fruit
tree, a mulberry
tree, was planted
at Reeves Point,
it still bears fruit
and the locals use
it to make jam.
A cairn at Peeves
Point also marks
the site of South
Australia's first
Post Office.
ST.
ALBAN'S CHURCH
Built
in 1884, St. Alban's
Church is the oldest
public building
on Kangaroo Island,
It was used for
council meetings
and also as a school
room. Its special
features include
beautiful stained
glass windows and
many memorials to
the island's pioneer
families.
PAUL'S
PLACE
Telephone
(08) 853 6232 Three
kilometres south
of Stokes Bay, Paul's
Place has a collection
of native and farm
animals, all of
which can be seen
at close quarters
and hand-fed. There
are walk-in aviaries,
horse rides and
displays of Aboriginal
artefacts, vintage
cars, a Ligurian
Bee colony and sheep
shearing demonstrations.
The property provides
good views of the
mainland and islands.
THE
PARNDANA WILDLIFE
PARK
Telephone
(08) 8596 050 Four
kilometres west
of Parndana, this
park has over fifty
aviaries with a
collection of native
birds and numerous
other birds found
in Kangaroo Island's
wilderness areas.
Of special interest
is the prized section
of rare and protected
birds that are native
to the island. The
park also has enclosures
of animals.
CAPE
WILLOUGHBY LIGHTHOUSE
Telephone
(08) 8531 191 Twenty
five kilometres
south-east of Penneshaw
on the eastern-most
point of Kangaroo
Island, the Cape
Willoughby Lighthouse
is the state's oldest.
Built in 1852, the
27 metre tower is
made of local limestone
and sits on a cliff
73 metres above
the sea. It has
been converted to
electricity.
CHRISTMAS
COVE
Captain
Matthew Flinders
landed near here
in 1802; a granite
boulder on the beach
bears a plaque commemorating
the event. The granite
boulders are glacial
deposits left there
millions of years
ago and glacial
striation marks
can be seen on the
rock faces at the
northern end of
the beach. For over
150 years this sheltered
cove has been a
haven for small
boats. It was once
a landing place
for coastal ketches
which brought goods
in and took out
produce.
FAIRY
PENGUINS
These
happy little creatures
conduct a nightly
promenade along
Penneshaw foreshore
as they return from
their day's fishing
at sea.
FOLK
MUSEUM
Telephone
(08) 8531 108 In
the former Penneshaw
School, this museum
houses items explaining
the district's history
of nautical relics
with remains salvaged
from shipwrecks.
The building, constructed
in 1922, is the
third on the site;
the first being
built in 1869 by
the community.
FRENCHMAN'S
ROCK
In
1803 French explorer
Nicholas Baudin
anchored here in
search of fresh
water. The crew
who came ashore
carved an inscription
in the rock. In
1906 a dome was
built over the rock
to protect it, but
to no avail. Twelve
years later the
deterioration was
so great a replica
was made to preserve
the historic location.
The original is
now in the Mortlock
Library, Adelaide.
NORTH
COAST BEACHES
Stokes
Bay is
perfect for picnics,
swimming and fishing.
An unusual walk
from the carpark
takes you through
a cliff of enormous
limestone boulders
and onto the sandy
beach, protected
on all land- ward
sides. A large rock-enclosed
pool, protected
from the surf, makes
a great spot for
safe swimming.
The beach at Emu Bay is one of the most
popular picnic spots
on the island. Emu
Bay was originally
intended to be the
main port of the
island, but the
water proved to
be too shallow and
exposed to strong
wind. The bay's
jetty was built
around 1916 and
until the early
1930s ships called
frequently to take
on island-grown
grain and stock
and to deliver merchandise.
Snelling Beach is
a fine beach at
the mouth of Middle
River. Its great
for swimming, surf
fishing and, at
the other end of
the beach, rock
fishing. Good picnic
spots can be found
beside the river.
Care should be taken
when swimming in
the river, as snags
and weed can provide
hidden dangers.
Good views over
the beach can be
had from Constitution
Hill.
VIVONNE
BAY
This
small settlement
is located on a
long sweep of clean
sandy beach which
is magnificent for
fishing, walking
and beachcombing.
Several areas have
been set aside with
barbecue facilities
and public conveniences.
VIVONNE
BAY WILDLIFE RESERVE
OUTDOOR EDUCATION
CENTRE
Telephone
(08) 8594 232 Covering
an area of 1700
hectares. the Vivonne
Bay Wildlife Park
is the largest private
park on Kangaroo
Island. There are
more than forty
kilometres of walking
and vehicle tracks
for visitors to
explore the coastline
and cliffs. The
Outdoor Education
programs provide
information on the
island's natural
and settled history.
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