Kangaroo Island Part One

As I mentioned yesterday, we visited Kangaroo Island over the past week.  I took loads and loads of photos, and I must admit when taking them I kept thinking ‘Oh…this shot will be good for the blog’.  I took hundreds of photos, and whilst I’m not going to burden you with all of them, I thought I’d show you some.

Kingscote, Kangaroo Island.  This is the jetty.  My children are fascinated with jetties.  I guess it must be because they are one hundred percent children of the river, not the sea. 

I thought this was the mainland.  I was wrong – we were in a cove and this is the island wrapping back around.  We travelled 2000 kilometres over this little tiny island, I was amazed when I realised that.

This is the first jail in Kingscote, which is the largest town currently on the island. 

In 1802, Matthew Flinders discovered Kangaroo Island, closely followed by a French explorer, Nicolas Baudin (who I imagine was always one step behind him – how infuriating for Baudin!).  After Flinders left, Kangaroo Island was settled by a rough group of sealers who caught the island’s many seals for their skin and meat.  I’m fairly sure a jail would have been required, though I don’t know if this one served the purpose for that.  The only problem we found with KI (Kangaroo Island) was the story boards everywhere had rusted away from the sea air, and any trace of words was long gone.

It was easier to find an old, old house than it was to find a modern one.  Of course, I was in heaven.

KI is now very motivated by tourism, and there are many, many places to visit.  One of the more common things to do, not only in SA but else where is to restore an old house to what it looked like at the time.  Hope Cottage Museum is in Kingscote, and we had a blast there.

This bedroom layette was crocheted by a lady (didn’t take the details) who came from a family of sixteen, of which eleven were girls (their poor mother!).  She took it upon herself to crochet a bedspread as a wedding gift for each of her ten sisters. 

I don’t need to tell you my head was spinning.  It looked as pristine as the day she must have made it. 

Don’t you just want to buy a bed like this?  I was in awe.  And how would you keep a quilt like that clean?  I guess it was kept for ‘best’ because in those days, the men would be dirty when coming home from work.  And no washing machines either. 

But that quilt!  And the work involved?  Imagine doing the same massive task ten times over?  My head spins.

I just about leapt through the display to get a photo of this divine quilt.  It was behind glass, and not easy to see but I think the logs on each block were finished at no more than 1/2 inch, if that.  It was hand pieced (I think) and I would have stolen it if it had fit in my handbag, just between you and me.

Didn’t they just make things right in those days?  How glorious is this clock?  None of your cheap plastic crap in those days.  Everything was a work of art.

Ohh lookie, another quilt!  Truth be told, whilst there were only a few quilts, there were lots of areas of interest to us girls.  I didn’t take photos of much of it, because it just wasn’t looking any good on the camera, but there was hand made lace, wedding dresses, hats – all of it lovely.

I took the girls downstairs to show them the cellar carved out of the stone.  This chest, used as a fridge blew their minds.  They have no concept of life without electricity, or Ipads, or laptops…..

They wanted me to tell you they didn’t like the cellar.  I found it oddly calming and restful there – a great place to sit out a storm.

Apart from the house, they had a display hall filled with interesting bits and pieces.  I have an iron like this, I use it as a door stop.  Jolly heavy – much credit goes to the women who did their ironing with one of these things!

Despite its’ dilapidated state, this typewriter really took the attention of my eldest.  I understand totally – can you remember the soothing tap tap tap of a manual typewriter?  She wants me to buy one.  I wish I hadn’t chucked out the one we had when I grew up.  Who would have known it would be such an antique so soon?

We had one of these in our fruit shed, attached to all the houses on our fruit block.  I think my uncle may have rigged it so it was just a local connection, rather than paying for phone bills.

I love these old buildings.  I love the stone.  It explains why I built our house out of stone.  Classic.

How many hands have pumped water from here?  The well was long since boarded up but the romance of the pump is still there.

This cottage is called Hope Cottage.  The story goes that two brothers made their fortune on the goldfields in Victoria, came to KI and built three matching cottages, Faith, Hope and Charity.  Hope is being used as a museum, one of the others is a private residence and the final one has fallen down many years ago.

It featured this lovely enclosed front yard, filled with the classic English garden – roses, lavender, violets. 

The original flagstone, telling the date of the building’s erection.  In the history of South Australia, 1859 is fairly well right at the start. 

One can never tire of lavender, yes?

Wow, way more photos of Hope Cottage than I imagined I would post.  Hope you enjoyed it, I always love seeing pictures of far off places, and I really want to share our local area with you guys. 

Till tomorrow, (with more photos!)

Suzie