Back to South Australia

We drove back to Perth yesterday from Margaret River, stopping off at beautiful Cottesloe Beach for a quick visit before settling in at our airport hotel ready for the (very) early morning flight back to Adelaide today.

We'd seen another episode of the ABC's Great Southern Landscapes series this week focussing on Narelle Autio's iconic photo "Splash" - taken at Cottesloe Beach in 2004.

We weren't there as the sun was setting over the Indian Ocean so my photo of the same spot is just a pale, boring imitation .... ....

Autio's photo was taken on a scorching hot summer's day. Mine was taken on a cold early Spring day - with lots of seaweed on the beach too! But it was a thrill to be here and experience the locale (and Autio's picture) in our own way

Sculpture by the Sea is staged at Cottesloe Beach, after it's done its time at Bondi - even on this early Spring (work) day the whole place had a very cool vibe.

We had to leave the hotel by 5.30 this morning to get to the airport on time and return hire car etc. But the flight was quite endurable, and we and our bags arrived in Adelaide on time a bit before noon, after putting our clocks forward an hour and a half.

Our Tiguan was waiting for us exactly where we'd left it, and in no time at all we were in Willunga, in the McLaren Vale wine region on the way to Victor Harbor, our destination for the night.  Willunga is an attractive small town, one of South Australia's oldest - and it shows!

We stopped for a delicious lunch at de Rose Kitchen in Willunga's High Street.

We're spending the night in Victor Harbor on the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula about 82 klm south of Adelaide.

These days Victor Harbor's chief attractions are its beaches, marine environment and beautiful Granite Island (Nulcoowarra), connected to town by a 630 mtre long tram/pedestrian causeway. Today the tram service was being provided by Elliott and Isabelle who work for the Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram Co.

This is Isabelle, a 12-year-old Clydesdale - and an absolute beauty!!

We walked over the causeway to Granite Island .... its only 62 acres so it's possible to walk around it in less than an hour

Looking out towards Rosetta Head (the Bluff) from the island.

The granite boulder formations on the island are so photogenic .....

Albatrosses and ducks were everywhere on the island ......

And spectacular lichens were covering the rocks on the southern (ocean facing) side of the island - a beautiful sight! 

Coming to the end of our circuit of the island we had the wonderful experience of some up-close wildlife encounters ........

and there were pods of dolphins frolicking/feeding in the protected bays around the island's jetty/groyne.

And at least one small seal ....

My best dolphin shot .......

and my best albatross shot ......

Fairy penguins are known to visit Granite Island at certain times, but we weren't lucky enough to see them today - but we were so very thrilled with what we did encounter.