This morning we woke up to an absolutely beautiful sunrise. Light caught mist as it rose from the ocean, and we were treated to a beautiful vista. We got dressed and made our way to breakfast, taking in our beautiful surroundings. Once we finished our breakfast, we went back to our room, grabbed our jackets, and returned to the lobby area to depart for the Wonders tour. We all loaded onto a small bus and left the Southern Ocean Lodge property to drive along the main road to a koala sanctuary. On the way there, we saw many wallabies hiding in the underbrush beside the road and were lucky enough to see a few kangaroos hopping a few meters off the road. We arrived at the koala sanctuary and walked around what seemed to be a eucalyptus forest. Koalas constantly feed on eucalyptus leaves while they’re awake – a whopping four hours of the day. The other twenty hours they spend sleeping. We learned this is because of two things: 1) koalas eat an extremely large quantity of eucalyptus leaves, and 2) eucalyptus leaves have cyanide in them. Koalas evolved with the ability to digest these leaves without dying – if other animals tried to eat this plant, it would kill them. Still, the cyanide does slow down their digestive systems, leading them to sleep for a large portion of the day. Consequently, koalas have no fear of being endangered because other animals do not covet their food source.
We continued along with our tour, driving into Flinders Chase National Park, all the while seeing fascinating animals, like the wedge-tailed eagles, which actually prey on kangaroos! We learned that the majority of Kangaroo Island is split into protected areas, and Flinders Chase suffered a fire caused by lightning in 2007. While most of the land has healed, we could still see spots of vegetation not completely healed as we drove by. Flinders Chase encompasses the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, both of which we visited.
The Remarkable Rocks are naturally formed rock formations sitting on top of a granite outcrop next to the sea. I was amazed to see the impact wind and water erosion has on the land; the variety of color, shape, and texture intrigued me. Admirals Arch is home to not only another fascinating natural formation, but also a colony of New Zealand fur seals. With pools of water and lush cliffside, Admirals Arch is a beautiful place and fitting home for the fur seals to play and feed. The namesake of Admirals Arch is, of course, the naturally formed arch somewhat hidden beneath the cliffside.
We ended the day by getting up close and personal with kangaroos. We visited a piece of land which kangaroos are known to frequent. When approaching a kangaroo, we moved slowly and quietly as not to frighten or disturb them; we had to stand completely still when they looked at us. Simply being there and being able to see these amazing animals with my own eyes was enough for me.
This tour shed much more light on sustainability practices for wildlife and the environment. Kangaroo Island is truly a sanctuary where people can come to see animals in a natural habitat, free to roam as they will, and to witness the raw elements of nature. Australia has recognized that it needs to take steps to ensure its endemic species not only survive, but also thrive here, and Kangaroo Island is definitely a place where we can see steps toward that goal being taken.
We continued along with our tour, driving into Flinders Chase National Park, all the while seeing fascinating animals, like the wedge-tailed eagles, which actually prey on kangaroos! We learned that the majority of Kangaroo Island is split into protected areas, and Flinders Chase suffered a fire caused by lightning in 2007. While most of the land has healed, we could still see spots of vegetation not completely healed as we drove by. Flinders Chase encompasses the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, both of which we visited.
The Remarkable Rocks are naturally formed rock formations sitting on top of a granite outcrop next to the sea. I was amazed to see the impact wind and water erosion has on the land; the variety of color, shape, and texture intrigued me. Admirals Arch is home to not only another fascinating natural formation, but also a colony of New Zealand fur seals. With pools of water and lush cliffside, Admirals Arch is a beautiful place and fitting home for the fur seals to play and feed. The namesake of Admirals Arch is, of course, the naturally formed arch somewhat hidden beneath the cliffside.
We ended the day by getting up close and personal with kangaroos. We visited a piece of land which kangaroos are known to frequent. When approaching a kangaroo, we moved slowly and quietly as not to frighten or disturb them; we had to stand completely still when they looked at us. Simply being there and being able to see these amazing animals with my own eyes was enough for me.
This tour shed much more light on sustainability practices for wildlife and the environment. Kangaroo Island is truly a sanctuary where people can come to see animals in a natural habitat, free to roam as they will, and to witness the raw elements of nature. Australia has recognized that it needs to take steps to ensure its endemic species not only survive, but also thrive here, and Kangaroo Island is definitely a place where we can see steps toward that goal being taken.