With the last (free) morning dawning on us, I found the motivation deep within me to suppress my urges for sleep. Instead, an early morning for a little photoshoot around the place. It's not everyday that you have the opportunity to take self portraits in such a beautiful shoot location -- this was a place that I didn't anticipate I'd be able to visit very frequently.
So this happened.
Wandering around the place, you know what I was faced with? Another absolutely-gorgeous rainbow. One spanning the entire horizon, soaring across the sky (and even a hint of a double-rainbow).
The weather at Kangaroo Island (for some reason that I do not yet know) seems to produce an expansive rainbow every morning. And every morning it never ceased to amaze me.
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| Somewhere under the rainbow |
Soon after my family arose from the slumber of the bed we drove out searching for a beach, and bumping into some empty endless roads.
It's not every day you have the opportunity to stand in the middle of a road with looming light-blue skies and meadows of vibrant green fields. Filled with wild kangaroos, of course.
Reaching the beach, we were faced with a splay of rounded boulders, stretching far out towards the ocean. "Woah! Look at how nice the rocks are!" we gasped, before turning left and coming face-to-face with a sight like this:
You could count the cumulative gasps emanating from our mouths as we all turned to face this sight. This amazing view that we had only seen in paintings and movies (granted, with special effects most of the time) was sitting right in front of our eyes. And it was only 8:30am in the morning.
We found a little pathway with a sign pointing to it ("Beach -->") leading through a rock-formed cavern. Naturally, with our curiosity, we headed into it.
And we emerged on the other side with a proper beach, stretching far into the distance. Pleasant and mindful waves made for a nice, relaxing view of the ocean.
And then, faced with a massive rock face and many tempting boulders, we decided to explore a bit. Of course we climbed them.
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| Involved in this photo: a bit of courage, reliable joggers, and a sneaky camera angle. |
It was about time to head back so we could begin our Day 3 official activities. With more time to spare (really only about ten minutes), my brother and I rushed down to the dried pier to take a few sibling photos.
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| A great deal of time was spent trying to find a patch that wasn't covered in faecal matter. |
A treehouse was always that childhood goal; that quaint get-a-way where you could escape the homework, the clutter, and the nagging parents. But, of course, it was never a reality because of suburban life and time-constraints and whatever other excuse you can think of.
But here, those obstacles are mostly gone. All you need is a goal, motivation, and hard-work.
And in a time-span of forty days, something like this was erected.
Let me just say, this is a two-story treehouse.
And look at the interior!
Granted, it was designed by professionals and decorated just as well.
Just as the rain hit, we sprinted the final few steps and huddled into the hide-away. It even had a small fireplace for those chilly winter nights.
I was standing inside the dream that I had never fulfilled as a child.
Next stop was to head up into the hills and 'check out the view'. That was all we were told. I wasn't quite sure how 'great' this infamous view would be, but nonetheless we hopped into the 4WD and braved the slopes.
I assure you, it was a struggle. There were times I thought the car would flip.
We arrived, and yes, the view was nice, but the weather made it a struggle. Cold winds, a light drizzle (not just any rain -- it was that annoying splatter of rain, as if someone's spitting in your face) really made it difficult to even see the view, let alone take photos.
But remember, this is Kangaroo Island, where the weather changes in a flash.
A patient wait of ten minutes revealed a much brighter day; more blues and hues. It was spectacular, and 100% worth the wait. All good things come to those who are patient?
There were moments when I felt I was the photographer taking that iconic Windows Wallpaper photograph.
I'd already had my breath taken away about three times. And it wasn't even 11am.
But we had no time to stop and regain our breath, for there were many more places to visit before lunch. Today was the jam-packed day we had been waiting for, and it took all our energy and speed to get through it all.
A wildlife park, of course! No trip out away from the city is complete without that, especially on such a suitably-named place like 'Kangaroo Island'.
Made a few good mates here and there.
I'm going to take the opportunity and say that koalas are a lot softer than you think they are. Their fur is just like stroking clouds.
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| No, we didn't get to hold these guys. |
The entire wildlife park itself was amazing; so many different animals, and much GoPro action happened. With the rain starting to fall again, we hustled our way back to the entrance and hopped into the car.
It was lunchtime and we were starving.
But, as we know, this is Kangaroo Island, so there are really only a few places for lunch. And by that I mean there are two restaurants.
So we drove the hour to the other side of Kangaroo Island to try these infamous burgers. They were great, and a nice filler-upperer after such an exhausting morning already.
By the time we had finished up, it was approaching 2:30pm and we knew we had to get a move on if we wanted to fit in the last two places on our agenda.
More driving! Along the seemingly endless roads.
Getting out of the car at the next stop, we were told to 'Pack on all your clothes. Get the winter gear out'. It was going to be cold.
In fact, that's soft-serving it. It wasn't just cold, it was freezing, hypothermic, glacial, numbing... it was damn fucking cold. I kid you not. The photos seem to suggest otherwise.
In saying so, I was so engrossed by the sites that I neglected my bitten extremities.
One of the best solutions to the cold? Going for a jog. I found myself running along this wooden construct just to warm myself up, but it also meant I had run ahead and it allowed for some shots.
The only way to brave this was to huddle -- minimise surface area in any way possible. Point proven in Exhibit A.
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| Exhibit A. |
But the waves! The rocks! The sunlight licking the surface of the ocean, creating an eminent glow. It was worth the cold, and those are strong words coming from someone who loves summer.
But let's get to the actual point of where we were! We were at the south-most part of the island, where the New Zealand Fur Seal Breeding Sites were located.
They were adorable! Like little mammalian slugs of blubber jiggling around.
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| Zzzzzzz... |
And let's not forget to give due mention to the sites.
A natural formation of stalactites, forming such a picture-perfect view of the ocean. My jaw dropped as I emerged to face this.
Natural framing. Beautiful views. Sea breeze spraying. Sunlight filter.
In that moment, Mother Nature had become a professional photographer.
A good while spent here in awe of the view was justifiably interrupted for we had many more places to reach before the sun set.
It was a fast walk back towards the car (mostly because we were starting to shiver).
The last location; with the race against the setting sun, we arrived at the Remarkable Rocks.
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| "Wow, these rocks are so remarkable!" |
But the real Remarkable Rocks were only just approaching around the corner.
Who would have known that the natural forces of weathering and erosion could create something so wonderful??
"This stunning work of nature has been shaped by the erosive forces of wind, sea spray and rain over some 500 million years" -- [x]
As the sun began to set in the distance, looking out into the distance revealed a spectacular view.
And of course, much fun was had with the ingenious rock shapes. Natural framing devices, everywhere!
With the sun shining right behind us, I saw the calling. The calling for silhouette photographs.
And, I'm not going to lie, the best silhouette photos I've ever taken.
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| Bro, pick up your jumping game |
As the sun blanketed the Earth with a thin mist of yellow, we headed back home after a long and severely exhausting day.
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| But first, let me take a panorama. |
But as tiring as it was, we were still bursting with energy and ready to keep going. The night was still young, and there was still some unfinished business I had to take care of.
The stars eluded me the last two nights.
I had been amazed by the stars already, and it was finally time to try and capture that for memory's sake. This was the sole, entire reason I had brought my tripod. I knew this would be the last opportunity for a while, and I wanted to make it count.
It was also cold as cold could be (not really), and so braving that was another obstacle that took a warm heart to face.
But it was worth it. Completely. The view was incredible.
I still don't believe I did it justice. I think it's very difficult to do reality justice in a photograph -- these sights are so much more incredible and mesmorising when seen with the eyes, but I did my best.
Let me tell you, I could have laid right on the floor and fallen asleep under the stars, if it weren't for the cold temperatures and slightly-concerning rustling coming from the bushes (I swear I'm not making this up).
It was such a perfect moment -- a way to end the day that I had never thought would be possible. The skies made me wonder, they reassured me that in the end, I am just a speck in the Universe and that's okay, because the Universe is brilliant.
The beautiful sky with its diamonds covering the entire field of view. My eyes felt as if they couldn't take in enough of it.
Reluctantly, it was time to leave and I had to turn my eyes away from the night sky. It was the last night on Kangaroo Island, and I had wished so hard that I could have stayed longer. But reality calls.
But one thing's for certain -- although I may have left that sight behind in Kangaroo Island, that sight will never leave me.
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