It's the Great Penguin, Charlie Brown

One of the things I truly wanted to see on Kangaroo Island, South Australia was a wild penguin. While most people head to the Penguin Centres in Kingscote or Penneshaw on the eastern side of the island, I was convinced that I could stay cozily ensconced at Hanson Bay on the southern side and still see one. The rocks along the bay are supposedly a favorite roosting place, and Nikki at the blog Brave or Just Crazy happened to have a penguin walk out of the water and right up to her feet while she was taking pictures of her sons fishing at this bay. How awesome is that?

Come this way. There's sure to be penguins here.

Are you familiar with the classic TV special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?  In it, Linus remains perpetually hopeful that the Great Pumpkin will rise up out of the pumpkin patch on Halloween night even though, year after year, this pumpkin fails to make an appearance. Well, I began to feel a lot like Linus. Day after day, I'd head over to the beach in the hopes that I would one day find a penguin. Time after time, it never happened. At least I got some great pictures while I was fiddling around with my camera to pass the time.

Clouds filled the sky at the end of this day. No stargazing tonight.

Hanson Bay is a wild and rugged place. Like most of the island, it's pristine, relatively undeveloped and just a wonderful place to commune with nature. Wading into the chilly water, it marked the first time we set foot in the Southern Ocean. (This ocean wasn't on the map when I was a kid. I first heard of it when I helped my boy study for a geography quiz. As they say, the world keeps changing.) If you had the superpowers to swim directly south from here, the next land you'd hit would be Antarctica.

A beautiful January summer day at Hanson Bay

I never did see any penguins, but the kids and I had a good time playing on the beach. I'd try to persuade them to hang out a little longer, but they were less convinced that the Great Penguin would make an imminent appearance. On the other hand, we did spot these colorful arcs in the sky.

Double Rainbow and a chance to play around with photo software filters

We did see some other avian life...

Seagulls

Hooded Plovers
Fewer than 200 plovers are left on Kangaroo Island which means I captured 5% of the population in this photo.

Another night, we were eating dinner in our cabin having given up on seeing penguins that day. Suddenly, my son remarked that the sun was setting and that it looked pretty. I turned to gaze out the window behind me and saw the crimson and golden rays streaming out over the hilltop. Dropping our forks, we ran out the door and up the hill to get a better look at the view, making sure to grab the kids before they ran right off the tall cliff. Breathtaking.

While seeing a wild penguin would have been the icing on the cake, the cake was pretty awe inspiring all by itself.


Related Posts
Kangaroo Island's Koala Walk
Major Fail: Sitting Together on the Airplane
Kangaroo Island Highlights (YouTube)


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox, Photo Friday on Delicious Baby and Friday Daydreamin' at R We There Yet Mom? Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.