May 7th, 2016

Day 39: The Limestone Coast

After a HUGE delicious brekky, Stephanie and Craig gave us detailed directions for our trip along the Limestone Coast. We bade a fond farewell to the Victoria House and hit the road.

 

A big brekky by the garden – we are ready to face the day!

Highly recommended for anyone driving the GOR – Victoria House B&B

First stop was Mount Gambier – a little town with two big volcanic craters, both filled with lakes. One of the craters had a small wildlife area were we went looking for koalas – we found them high in the trees, sleeping. We have come to the conclusion that koalas are boring, and entertained ourselves with the local birds instead. The Swamp Hens were very friendly (especially when you feed them pretzels), and the Cape Barren Geese are very feisty (especially when you flap your jacket at them – apparently that is a sign of aggression that they will respond to!).

Blue Lake in Mount Gambier

 

Hanging out with the Swamp Hens on the shores of Valley Lake – inside a crater

Igor being friendly, and then not so friendly, with the Cape Barren Geese

While Mount Gambier has a bunch of caves, we were still a bit caved-out from New Zealand, so we decided pass. Our final stop before hitting the road again was the Umpherston Sinkhole. Not as big as the one we missed in New Zealand, but it had a very pretty garden at the bottom.

 

Such a pretty garden – lovely use of a sinkhole.

We stopped for lunch on the beach in Robe – another quaint village, similar to Port Fairy – and took a quick walk to view their distinctive lighthouse.

Admiring the lighthouse in Robe

 

A mini-London Bridge! The sea is getting stormy – time to hit the road.

The final stretch of the Limestone Coast was the Princes Highway through Coorong National Park – a 130km road of nothingness, with a lonely little gas station halfway through.

A long, long, long stretch of road on the Limestone Coast

The huge lagoon of Coorong National Park

Salty beach in Coorong National Park – reminded us of the lagunas in the Atacama Desert

Once we reached the Fleurieu Peninsula, we hopped a short ferry at Wellington, and arrived at the Port Elliot YHA – a gorgeous beach house that had recently been renovated into a stylish hostel. While Port Elliot doesn’t have many dining options open for dinner, we ordered the Mushroom Madness pizza from the Cockles Café – one of the best pizzas we’ve ever had! Great ending to the day.

Catching the free ferry in Wellington, SA

This pizza was stupid good.