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Fleurieu Peninsula & Kangaroo Island
Holiday Destinations & Towns SA
CAPE
JERVIS
At the very tip of Fleurieu
Peninsula is Cape
Jervis. It was charted
in 1802 by Mathew
Flinders who named
it after the then
first Lord of the
Admiralty. The coastline around
Cape Jervis is rugged,
the result of glacial
action and aeons of
elemental weathering. The surrounding cliffs
and coves are great
for exploring. On
most days, the outline
of Kangaroo Island
can be clearly seen.
The waters around
Backstairs Passage
can be treacherous
and Cape Jervis lighthouse
is still important
to shipping.
Several ferries depart
from here daily for
Kangaroo Island, sixteen
kilometres away. In
addition to fishing
and boating, the district
is a popular venue
with hang gliders.
GOOLWA
Population:
2.360 This is an historic
river Port on the lower
reaches of the River
Murray, the last before
it empties into the
Southern Ocean.
It was once a thriving
port, built to funnel
the trade in wool,
grain and merchandise
from up-river to Port
Adelaide and interstate.
A busy shipbuilding
industry provided
and repaired paddlesteamers,
whilst the first public
railway in the country
was built to carry
the goods cross country
to Port Elliot and
later, Victor Harbor.
However, by the turn
of the century Goolwa
had lost its significant importance
- railways built from
Adelaide to the River
Murray and from Melbourne
to Echuca quickly
siphoned its trade
from the 1880s. As
a tourist destination,
Goolwa has a unique
claim to fame - it's
the only place in
Australia where paddlesteamers
and an historic train
join forces to provide
a double- barrelled
adventure in steam
transport.
The town is a junction
for the Cockle Train,
a holiday maker's
train of historic
carriages that travels
between Goolwa and
Victor Harbor. From
Goolwa, the paddlesteamer
Mundoo' and a number
of other vessels depart
on day trips or longer
to cruise the lakes,
Coorong and river
reaches.
Hindmarsh Island,
a large island impeding
the flow of the River
Murray before it reaches
the ocean, is accessible
only by ferry, making
it an ideal escape
destination as well
as a point from which
to see the Murray
Mouth. A large marina
has been constructed
on the island.
STRATHALBYN
Population:
1,924 Strathalbyn is
one of South Australia's
most beautiful towns
and has some fine colonial
buildings. Many of its
founders were Scottish,
and the town's architecture
reflects this influence
- not to be missed are
the Old Courthouse Museum,
the Old Police Station
and Saint Andrews Church
which overlooks the
tree-lined River Angas.
The town's old-world
charm is best experienced
on a walk through its
wide streets guided
by a walking tour booklet
available at the Tourist
Office and other retail
outlets. Strathalbyn
is also renowned for
its Craft and antique
shops.
VICTOR
HARBOR
Population:
5,318 This is the South
Coast's Premier holiday
resort, and has been
since last century.
It is also the largest
town. The area was first
settled in 1837 to service
the whaling industry.
Had it been for Governor
Hindmarsh, the colony's
first governor, it would
have been the capital
of South Australia,
but on Colonel Light's
insistence, Victor Harbor,
or Alexandra as it was
first known, was rejected
as a possible site.
For a few years, Victor
Harbor was a major
South Australian port
of export for the
River Murray trade.
A railway linked Goolwa
and Victor Harbor
but when the trade
died tourism became
an important part
of the Victor Harbor
economy. The historic
railway track is still
in use, this time
to carry the popular
Cockle Train between
the two towns.
AMERICAN
RIVER
Population:
Approx 250
This is one of the
state's oldest resorts.
Mathew Flinders' first
called here in 1802
at nearby Pelican Lagoon.
A year later, 33 years
before South Australia
was settled, an American
brig visited the estuary
and stayed to build
a 32-tonne schooner,
the 'Independence,'
from native pine.
On the edge of Eastern
Cove, American River's
beautiful blue waters
are a haven for birdlife,
especially pelicans.
Holiday-makers are
never short of things
to do - there's plenty
of birdwatching, sailing,
canoeing or fishing,
bushwalking or horseback
riding. At night,
wallabies and other
nocturnal animals
come out of the bush
and can be spotted
around the town.
In August, the entire
town is ablaze with
the blooms of Ereesias
whilst wildflowers
provide a continually
changing carpet of
colour along the road
and through the bush
trails.
KINGSCOTE
Population:
1,450
This was the first
settlement in South
Australia. It was first
named Angas, after George
Fife Angas, one of the
colony's founders, but
a dispute saw it renamed
after Henry Kingscote,
another of the founders.
On the shore of beautiful
Nepean Bay, Kingscote
is the island's capital,
and its centre of commerce
and tourism.
To the north of the
town, steep cliffs
provide a good vantage
point for views over
the town, the bay,
and Western Cove.
Yachts and fishing
boats dot the water.
At the base of the
cliffs is Reeves Point,
the colony's first
landing-place. To
the south, the cliffs
give way to beach
and swampland near
the mouth of the Cygnet
River where birds
nest and breed in
profusion.
PENNESHAW
Population:
300
Penneshaw is on
the north-east coast
of Dudley Peninsula,
a small, pretty town
overlooking Backstairs
Passage. The mainland
is a mere sixteen kilometres
away, and vehicle ferries
from Cape Jervis dock
here daily. Hog Bay
has an excellent swimming
beach and jetty, and
its picnic spots make
it a destination favoured
by families.
PARNDANA
Population:
500
The only major town
on the island not on
the coast, Parndana
is a good central base
from which to explore
all parts of Kangaroo
Island. It sits on the
Playford Highway, forty
kilometres from Kingscote
and services the grazing
land and western end
of the island. It is
a relatively new town,
having been settled
by soldier-settlers
after World War II.
Its country town atmosphere
provides a good contrast
to the coastal resort
towns of Kingscote and
Penneshaw.
For further travel information on: Kangaroo Island | Fleurieu Peninsula
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