Vivonne Bay to Flour Cask Bay

Saturday 2nd to Tuesday 5th May

Distance: Approximately 60km

From Tom & Jakes Diary

If you don't like any of the following - soft sand, protected waters, surf beaches, great fishing, adventure opportunities and crystal clear seas - you might eventually tire of Vivonne Bay.

We were shown around the town and it's nearby attraction by the great guys at Kangaroo Island Outdoor Action where you can hire surfboards, bodyboards, kayaks and canoes. They can even take you on quad-bike tours to some of the more rugged parts of the area.

It is a bit unfair to spend only one day at Vivonne Bay, but after filling up our catch buckets on the jetty we made tracks for Seal Bay where it is clearly breeding season with plenty of tiny pups flopping around on the sand. Not just in Seal Bay mind you, through Bales Bay beaches (which is a pristine aquatic reserve) and sections of the enormous Cape Gantheaume Wilderness Protection Area, there are many beaches filled with sea lions, bulls and pups.

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Fishing at Vivonne Bay Jetty - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Fishing at Point Ellen, Vivonne Bay - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Vivonne Bay, looking West - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)
Eastern End of Vivonne Bay - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)South Coast Limestone - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Cliffs of the Southern Ocean - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)
Cape Gantheaume is a great Wilderness Protection Area to go to if you don't want to see anybody, but there are no camping ground except for on the edges and extra water should always be carried. We saw some more great surf spots through Cape Gantheaume , teeming schools of salmon and numerous seal colonies, but we haven't seen any Southern Right Whales, so it must still be a little early in the season.

These words come from Flour Cask Bay, which follows the grand sweep of D'Estrees Bay - an enormous stretch of beach lined with limestone cliffs and is just magnificent to walk along at first light. Remember to pack some food though because it is bloody huge!

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Entering Cape Gantheaume, Bales Beach - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Cooking Fish at Bales Beach - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Overlooking Eastern Bales Beach - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)
Evening Campfire - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Cape Gantheaume Wilderness Protection Area. Note the New Zealand Fur Seals on the rocks below. - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Looking West from Cape Gantheaume - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)
Cape Gantheaume, looking East - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Perfect Break, D'Estrees Bay - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)Walking D'Estrees Bay - Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Click for larger image)