In most of my travel overseas, a visit to the city or town main market is a must as it’s the best place to get a feel and dynamism of the locale.  A market tells a lot about the country that you are visiting. In Adelaide, a visit to the Central Market is a definite must-do. It has been described as a “multicultural hub with fresh produce, gourmet goods and lots of heart” in the South Australia Travel Idea Travel Ideas webpage.

Other than “lots of heart”, I can attest this market has certainly loads of fun too, even more so as it’s my 1st visit. But I have to attribute the fabulous experience was due in a large part by my affable host, Cheryl Turner from Food Tours Australia, who took us on a discovery tour around the market, uncovering nuggets after nuggets of information from a local’s perspective. For a travel blogger and photographer, this definitely cut short the lead-in time taken to ‘warm up’ to a new venue.

Established in 1869 and now with more than 90 stalls selling a wide range of local produces and attracting more than 8 million visitors annually, you know you are in for an adventure that transcends tomatoes and carrots. It is touted as one of the largest under cover market in the Southern Hemisphere.

 The Market Entrance

The market main entrance. Most visitors on self-drive road trip will access this entrance via Gouger Street. When you see where the stream of people are going, it will lead to this entrance. Do be mindful of parking at the roadside parking lots alongside this street as the parking warden is very timely on his rounds.

Stalls at the Market

The market carries a huge range of the freshest food like fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, cheeses, bakery, small goods and health foods, along with some of Adelaide’s most popular cafes and eateries. With over 8.5 million visitors every year, the Adelaide Central Market remains the hub for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce.

Talk about Sausages! Did someone said, “you never know what you gonna in a stall of sausages”? Well, I bet Forrest Gump would say that if he had visited this sausage stall. The types of preserved meat are just mind-boggling.

The walking lanes are actually like those tarmac roads that we drive on. Clean and generously spaced for a good walk at the market.

Our host, Cheryl Turner from Food Tours Australia showing us a selection of meat.  Looked like the usual sausages till you see the tags- Venison, Emu and Kangaroo. Are you “game” for some alternative meat? Pardon the pun.

Now that’s a food with a difference. It’s Limey Green Tree Ants. No seasoning, just washed and placed in the fridge. And it tasted like Lime ! Yes, those green dots are the abdomens of the Limey Ants. What a way to take in Vitamin C, certainly an intriguing introduction to bush tucker cuisine.

Bush tucker condiments. Amazing to taste those salty shrubs, herbs and plants. Really educational I must say. Cheryl definitely make the vibrant market even more alive with her in-depth knowledge.

What??? Durians ??? Yes, my eyes did a double take when I spotted these durians. The market essentially retails local produce. But those imported ones, it will be prominently stated. But this is not imported, it’s grown locally in Australia northern territories. This batch retails at AUS35/kg. We didn’t get to try as there is no free sampling.

Cheeses ! Blue vein, Cheddar, Emmental, Brie and what great Aussie humour here, the shop’s name is The Smelly Cheese Shop.

Looks closely – Crocodile Tail Fillet, Emu sausages! Magpie Goose! Game Burgers! we are talking wildlife cuisine here! Crikey mates! 

Seafood anyone? sashimi lovers? Loads of fresh food from the sea awaiting the marine gourmands.

A last quick stroll at the lovely market before making way for our journey to Cape Jervis, where the ferry awaits to transport us and our car across to Kangaroo Island.

Food and beverages outlets at the market

Paella ! Paella is a Valencian rice dish that has ancient roots, but its modern form originated in the mid-19th century in the area around Albufera lagoon on the east coast of Spain, adjacent to the city of Valencia. Care to try some? Wallet please.

Lucia, one of the famed eateries at the market. Lucia’s Pizza Bar was the first pizza bar in Adelaide.Today, Nicky and Maria continue in the traditions of their mother Lucia, using her traditional Italian recipes.Lucia’s is famous for its pizza, spaghetti and traditional Italian dishes

As usual, whenever you see healthy crowd or queue, the food is good. We satisfied our hunger pangs at the Zuma Caffe. Awesome Continental food, Certainly a great start to the day.

I don’t usually take eggs for breakfast, but this perfectly poached eggs on champignon with toast was fabulous.

Conclusion

The Adelaide Central Market is definitely a must-visit when in Adelaide. Vibrant, bustling and fabulous introductory venue to ease any visitors to the beautiful Southern Australia state. Do take note of the opening hours and days though:
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday 7.00am – 5.30pm
Wednesday 9.00am – 5.30pm
Thursday 9.00m – 5.30pm
Friday 7.00am – 9.00pm
Saturday 7.00am – 3.00pm
Sunday CLOSED

Thanks for reading the article. For visitors keen on self-drive vacation in South Australia, please do visit my self-drive adventure in Kangaroo Island which commenced after this market visit. Or perhaps swim with tuna in Victor Harbour.

Footnote: All pictures used in this travelogue are copyrighted to Jensen Chua Photography and Jetabout Holidays and all rights reserved. The opinion expressed is factual, objective and that of the author.

The post Adelaide Central Market – A Must-Visit When in Adelaide appeared first on Jensen Chua Photography.

Beautiful coastal views, fabulous scenic drive routes, great dining and adventure pit-stops are some ‘ingredients’ necessary for a memorable road trip. Kangaroo Island in South Australia has all the attributes for a perfect laid-back yet exciting vacation. So it comes as a surprise to me that most people would think of this beautiful island as a day-trip or a 1-night stopover destination. I hope my blog based on my recent travel there will encourage more visitors to stay longer and explore this gem of an island.

Kangaroo Island Location & History

Source: http://southaustralia.com/places-to-go/kangaroo-island/brochures-and-maps

Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third-largest island, measuring about 4,405 km², after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is situated in the state of South Australia, 112 km southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Point in Backstairs Passage which is 13.5 km from the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The island was once part of the mainland and inhabited by Australian Aborigines, who dispersed when the land evolved into an island following rising sea levels several thousand years ago.  Sealers and whalers in the early 19th century subsequently settled intermittently and the island was established as the colony of South Australia in 1836. The island’s economy has been mainly agricultural, with a southern rock lobster fishery and with tourism gaining in importance. The local population is just about 4500 based on a 2011 census with Kingscote being the largest town and administrative centre. The island has several nature reserves to safeguard the remnants of its natural vegetation and native animals, with the largest and best-known being Flinders Chase National Park at the western end.

Day 1:  Adelaide to Cape Jervis and Kangaroo Island

Access to the island requires a transfer via the Sealink Ferry, which operates twelve hourly trips daily (except on Christmas) at Cape Jervis. Sealink operates two large, modern vehicular cum passenger ferries, Sealion 2000 and Spirit of Kangaroo Island, with the shutter taking just 45 minutes for the 16km crossing. The lounge sells snacks and beverages and comes with free WiFi. For those without a car, Sealink also operates a coach pick-up service from Adelaide.

The Sealink Ferry getting ready for vehicles to be directed onto the deck. Passengers in cars at this juncture are required to alight and proceed to the lounge, leaving only the driver and be reunited after the vehicle are parked on the deck. The ferry staff manages the loading order of vehicles. It was an exciting experience for a first-timer like me. I discovered that many locals prefer to drive in last so that they can disembark first upon arrival at Kangaroo Island.

The deck filling up fast and orderly. Ferry staff are on hand to safely guide each vehicle to maximize the limited space. The “first-in-last-out, last-in-first-out” meant those parked at the innermost section will leave last. But the vehicle flow and pace were very brisk upon disembarkation and takes less than 8-9 minutes to clear.

Cuisine pit-stop – The Oyster Farm Shop

After a quick visit to the Kangaroo Island Information Centre, our first stop on the island was to check out the popular Oyster Farm Shop at 483 Tangara Drive, American River, just about 30min drive away. This shop is the farm-direct processing and packaging facility for Kangaroo Island Shellfish, the island’s largest commercial oyster farm. Local oysters are shucked and sold fresh from the water along with Shellfish’s truly authentic sheok-smoked oysters.

The shop nondescript facade belies what’s within. The shop features a Local Produce Tasting menu which includes fresh oysters and highlights Kangaroo Island aquaculture and local sustainable seafood – Kangaroo Island Abalone, Abalini, King George Whiting and Marron. They also produce their own delicious Smoked Oysters, Smoked Oyster Dip and KI Kilpatrick sauce.

Jetabout Holidays travel manager, Cindy Loo, browsing the shop menu.  The opening hours are from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm daily including weekends and public holidays! Last orders for Produce Tasting Menu are taken at 2.30pm, so do visit early as the business are usually brisk.

The freshly shucked Pacific Oysters were superbly fresh and reasonably priced. An oyster lovers’ heaven indeed.

My order of King George Whiting was fresh and delicious. This coastal marine fish forms the basis of one of southern Australia’s most important commercial fisheries, reportedly worth over five million Australian dollars per year. The species is also heavily targeted by recreational anglers, who value the whiting for its sporting and eating qualities.

A pair of Superb Fairy Wrens cosying up on the shop ledge just inches from us, separated by a window. The male is the one with beautiful blue plumage. We could not have asked for a better introduction to Kangaroo Island wildlife.

Seal Bay Conservation Park

With our hunger pangs satisfied, we drove straight to one of the island key highlights at Seal Bay Conservation Park, a protected area located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island and home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations on Kangaroo Island. To safeguard the colony, visitors are only permitted on the beach by paying to go on a guided tour.

The Seal Bay Conservation Park entrance. While waiting for our scheduled guided tours to commence, we experienced a short passing hail storm with gusty winds which subsided just as the tour commences. Such is the local weather at Kangaroo Island, “just observe the clouds” as advised by a local.

The boardwalk leading to the beach. Only those on paid guided tours are allowed to access this section of the boardwalk which leads to the beach.

Once on the beach, our guide kept our group participants (limited to a maximum of 25) close so that we maintain a safe distance from the mammals. Seal Bay is home to the third largest colony of Australian sea lions with an estimated population of 800. This is about five percent of the world’s total. The Australian sea lion was nearly hunted to extinction in the 19^th century.

A juvenile seal yawning widely after returning from a swim. Australian sea lions are part of a group known as ‘eared’ seals. They use their front flippers to prop themselves up and their back flippers to help them to ‘walk’ on land. In the water, their back flippers function as a rudder. These fascinating creatures are one of the rarest species in the world and their entire population is estimated to be less than 12,000. Of these, 85 percent live in South Australia and the other 15 percent in Western Australia.

A timely shot of a seal returning to shore. When feeding, male sea lions will travel up to 100km and females up to 70km from their breeding colony. These trips average about 3 days and in that time a sea lion will dive 900-1200 times. The paid guided tour is certainly value for money and photographic opportunity as it let us observe the seals right on the beach.

The gorgeous beach scenery at Seal Bay is good even for those who opt not to go on the paid guided walk. A stroll on the boardwalk (see bottom left of picture) will let them spot the seals, which laid everywhere, among the coastal fauna.

Recommended stay – Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat

With its close proximity to the Flinders Chase National Park, this cosy nature lodge is the ideal choice for accommodation, cutting down on travel time and freeing up more time at the park. The lodge itself is a nature park with great walking trails and wildlife sighting.

The retreat reception building is the only area to get fair Wifi connectivity. The signal in the accommodation area was erratic at best and practically non-existent. But beyond this, the rooms are comfortable with good amenities. With therapeutic massages (Swedish and Filipino style), free guided nature tours and a restaurant featuring excellent food cooked with local produce, it was a great experience while being immersed in nature.

Ample parking and convenient access to the rooms meant less struggles with our pieces of luggage. Accommodation in Australia generally doesn’t come with porter service.

Day 2 – Flinders Chase National Park

The Flinders Chase National Park is the main nature reserve on Kangaroo Island. Within this huge reserve are iconic landmarks such as the world-famous Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, which are the island’s  ‘must-visit’ venues. It was said that no amount of pictures or words can justify the beauty of the island. Having seen the spectacular nature works, I certainly think so.

After about an easy 20min drive through scenic routes from the nature park office, the vista opens up to a spectacular view of the coastal area. Low lying lush vegetation on the inland and wide expanse of the Great Australian Bight on the right, it is my favourite moment on the entire road trip.

The Remarkable Rocks are naturally sculptured formations precariously balanced atop a granite outcrop. To art aficionados, they allude to the works of British artist Henry Moore. This venue has been featured in many movies like the December Boys starring Daniel Radcliffe.

Visitors to this amazing spot will love the photographic opportunities when exploring the various angles for truly instagrammable moments.  It took an impressive 500 million years of wind, rain and waves to carve out these huge and peculiar granite boulders into the odd shapes we see today. Many are covered in bright orange lichen giving off a lovely golden glow during sunrise and sunset and the black mica, blue quartz and pink feldspar that make up the granite make them a lot more colourful than they first appear. Depending on the timing of visit and weather condition, they can glow with red and orange hues late in the day, or look starkly white against the blue sea when the sun is in full force.

An Australian Silvereye taking a dip in a water puddle at the park. The reserve is a mecca for nature lovers and bird photographers. Kangaroo Island is famed for its abundant and beautiful wildlife but finding some of the more reclusive residents may require some local knowledge. So do consider engaging a local nature tour specialist for a better experience.

Enroute to the Remarkable Rocks, I had my first sighting of wild Koalas among the eucalyptus trees along the road. This Koala had her joey with her so it was a double bonus. Spotting wildlife in their natural habitat is definitely a more rewarding experience than in the confines of a zoo. The entire Kangaroo Island has been described in some travel journals as an “open-air zoo”. I certainly agree to that.

Enroute to the Admiral Arch, you will see the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse which was constructed between 1906–1909. It consists of a tower built from 2,000 pieces of local stone, together with three four-roomed cottages to house the head keeper and two assistants with their families. The cottages now serve as holiday accommodation.

From the carpark at the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse is the Admirals Arch, one of Kangaroo Island’s most iconic spell-binding and unusual natural landmarks. It took thousands of years of erosion to create this distinctive rock bridge. The boardwalk leading to the Admirals Arch is as amazing as the landmark itself. The viewing platform is also a great spot to observe the New Zealand fur seal colony that has established itself below the landmark. Summer is the main breeding season and the rock pools underneath the arch are a favourite place for seal pups to play. Between May and October, you can spot whales on their migratory route but dolphins are frequently spotted year round. Admirals Arch is just one of 27 officially designated geological monuments situated throughout Kangaroo Island.

A couple of New Zealand fur seals resting beneath the arch. The local conditions like strong waves and rugged habitat are harsh but the seals have perfectly adapted to the environment.

Spectacular scenery amid harsh coastal environment. The wind is strong and with high powerful waves constantly pounding the cliffs. You will develop instant respect for the workers constructing this fabulous boardwalk.

The boardwalk leading to the Admirals Arch is simply a beautiful work of human labour itself. You can best enjoy this scenery during sunset. But do take note that the drive out of the park takes about 30min and you need to factor in the fast falling light condition as driving in the night is discouraged with wildlife foraging on the road.

The coastal scenery is truly memorable that you will want to come at least twice during your stay at Kangaroo Island, for sunrise and sunset. This is just one reason why Kangaroo Island deserves a longer stay.

Plants on Kangaroo Island, like most plants in Australia are extremely hardy and can tolerate many environmental conditions, such as wind, heat, cold, salt, droughts, floods and particularly fire. KI is home to around 890 species of plants, 47 of which are endemic to the island, meaning they are found nowhere else except on the island.

On the way back to our car, I had my picture taken at the boardwalk by my travel mate. Just look at the gorgeous landscape, definitely one for the album.

Cuisine stop – Marron Cafe for lunch

This famous dining venue was one of our list of “must-visit-must-dos”. Located in the middle of the Island and a very convenient stop over to or from Remarkable Rocks or the Western end of the Island, this is a brunch, lunch or afternoon tea venue. The Marron (a large Australian freshwater crayfish which lives on the sandy bottoms of rivers and streams) is the signature dish of this restaurant.

My lunch order of The Marron on Pasta with seafood was delicious and certainly worth the 1-hour drive from Remarkable Rocks. While the crayfish flesh may not have the springy chewy texture of marine lobsters that we are used to, the flavour, presentation and freshness of the dish are spot on.

For those preferring non-meat dish, their portobello mushroom dish on Barley Couscous is a very healthy and sumptuous option indeed.

The Marron cultivation factory, just steps from the restaurant where you get to view the various stages of the breeding process.

Now in the tanks, soon to be on the table Marrons. The freshness of dish is guaranteed.

Kelly Hills Conservation Park – Caves Tour

Just 3omin away from Marron cafe, we visited the Kelly Hill Conservation Park, which showcases unique old-growth woodlands. This park serves as a vital link in a high biodiversity vegetation corridor traversing the south coast of Kangaroo Island.  A guided tour of the limestone cave system which takes hundreds of thousands of years to form is recommended as you walk amidst ornate cave formations and discover the caves and the spectacular decorations. The cave tour is cosy with the perfect temperature of around 16 degrees Celsius and 70-80% humidity regardless of external weather.

While not as spectacular as the Jenolan Caves at the Blue Mountains, its still a nice introduction to limestone cave system, formations and for visitors to admire the array of stalactite, stalagmite, helictite and column formations.

Cave tour gets more interesting through the guide as they narrate interesting information and history of the structure. Our cave guide Adam certainly spiced up the occasion with his humorous antics and stories, like how early cave explorers were lost and trapped in the cave for days in total pitch darkness. He switched off the cave lighting system thereafter to let us experience what’s total pitch darkness.

I finally got to meet a wild Echidna at the park. It was searching for fat juicy ants under the ground. Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are egg-laying mammals. Echidnas are very timid animals. When they feel endangered they try to bury themselves or if exposed they will curl into a ball, both methods using their tough spines to shield themselves.

Sand Boarding at Little Sahara

From Kelly Hills, we drove just 27min to Little Sahara for a quick session of sandboarding before retiring for the day. This venue is a dune system in the gazetted locality of Vivonne Bay. It is a naturally occurring sand dune system covering some two square kilometres. The dunes vary in size with plenty of small dunes and the highest dune is approximately 70 metres above sea level. Little Sahara is one of twenty geological features on Kangaroo Island that have been listed as a geological monument by the Geological Society of Australia.

The first thing that struck me was how huge and beautiful the place was. With the flowing sand and clouds formation, one might mistake this place to be the real Sahara Desert. Just add camels and some Bedouin costumes, you have people thinking they are really being teleported. Can see the two visitors in the picture at the left side of the dune? That’s how huge the sand dunes are.

The clean lines and contrasty colours of the dunes make great photographic opportunities. I had Cindy to do some advertorial pose, just for fun.

I did not do too well at the sand boarding. Instead of gliding down the dune, I was more like tumbling down. But it was all great fun.

At Little Sahara, I finally got the chance to fly the drone for some aerial footage, as the rest of the island nature parks are a no-drone zone. This is one venue drone pilots will love as the area is huge and obstacle free.

The Kangaroo Island Outdoor Action owner, Brenton Davis, showing us the sandboard. The sports centre at this venue also offered quad bikes (ATV) and kayaking.

Recommended stay – Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat

Day 3 – American River

Day 3 saw us doing a relaxed day schedule as we head eastward to the American River, located on the western shore of Eastern Cove of the island. Known locally as ‘The River’, Kangaroo Island’s American River region sits on the western shore of Eastern Cove and also includes the Pelican Lagoon. The region is named after American sealers that stayed on this part of the island for four months in 1803 and there is a memorial plaque in the main town to commemorate this.

The main village sits on a hillside surrounded by bushland and boasting spectacular views of the cove and mainland Australia. The channel houses Kangaroo Island’s most protected harbour where numerous yachts, sailboats and fishing boats dock. The outer bay offers some superb sailing and fishing, while the 2.5 miles long Island Beach is ideal for swimming and sunbathing.

The inner bay, also known as Pelican Lagoon, is a protected Aquatic Reserve thanks to its natural fish nursery. It is here where visitors will find the Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park, a 397-hectare nature reserve just south of the region’s main town. The park is spread across the island and includes five small inlets that provide habitat for woodland and wetland birds. (KI tourist.com)

The lake has a big resident flock of swans on the lake. In fact, it would sound good if they call this place “Swan Lake”. But it is certainly a bird photographer’s heaven.

The resident flock of Australian Pelicans. Unlike their North American cousins, Australian pelicans have some peculiar properties – for instance, apparently they can’t dive underwater, they just float. They can also contort their bills into all sorts of shapes.

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

This is the oldest lighthouse to be built in South Australia in 1852. It is located at the eastern end of Kangaroo Island. Like all lighthouses it operated to prevent shipwrecks from occurring, however, the irony was that it did not prevent many as evident by the number of ships which sank off the coastline, remnants of which can still be found in the area. Cape Willoughby Lighthouse is steeped in maritime history so a guided tour is encouraged where you will get to enjoy spectacular panoramic views across Backstairs Passage from the top of the lighthouse.

Lighthouses, while serving an important nautical function, is always a favourite photographic subject. The ambience of a lighthouse always evokes a romantic feel and imagery of a bygone era.

A Kangaroo with her joey at the lighthouse fringe. Although Kangaroo Island is named after this iconic animal, we did not spot much of them during our entire trip, possibly about less than ten. In fact, we saw more wallabies than their bigger cousins.

Cuisine stop – Dudley Wine

Prior visiting the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, we made a pit-stop at the gorgeous award-winning Dudley Wine. This is Kangaroo Island’s pioneer winery, established in 1997 and makes a 100% KI product. As we were on a self-drive trip, we did not do any wine tasting. But the key attraction was the spectacular view.

The dining area at the winery with a superb unblocked view of the Great Australia Bight. The land in the distance is Cape Jervis on mainland Australia.

This is the restaurant with the most gorgeous view at Kangaroo Island. It helps that the kitchen serves top-notched food too.

Our order of pizza was wolfed down to the last grain. Fresh ingredients, balanced taste and texture combined to make the pizza just that much more memorable. But the restaurant carries a good range menu with matching wines to satisfy any gourmands.

Side trip to Clifford’s Honey Farm

This quaint bee farm was started by its owner, Dave with a couple of hives as a hobby in 1973. During the 1980s when the wool prices dropped, Dave and Jenny diversified by expanding their fledgeling honey industry. They opened the shop in 1993 and it has been a buzzing success ever since. The farm now runs approximately 300 honey producing hives and it is increasing each year. With help from daughters Bev and Sharon and son-in-laws Tony and Greg, the farm can extract up to 20 tonnes of honey annually.

Just fresh from unloading the pollen at its nest (look at the clean legs), this Ligurian bee back for more pollen

A beehive “showcase” built in the wall of the farm showroom. These are Ligurian Bees, hardworking bees from Italy. Kangaroo Island is the only place on the earth to have purebred Ligurian Bees.

All ready to be purchased. Pure honey crystallizes while in storage, you know you have bought pure honey. The flavour of the honey is subject to the flowers in season.

Farm proprietor’s daughter, Sharon, giving us a run-down of the bee story. Very enlightening, indeed.

The honey farm retail shop with lots of knick-knacks and snacks to buy but most will buy the pure honey. The home-made honey ice cream is awesome too.

Recommended stay – KI Seafront Resort

This double-storey 4-stars boutique sea-facing resort is the perfect last-day accommodation as it is just a 1 min drive away from the ferry terminal. Staying at this resort lets you wake up later and have a better start to the day. The Seafront is situated in Penneshaw – Gateway to Kangaroo Island and overlooks the magnificent Backstairs Passage.

The KI Seafront Resort facade. The resort has a pizzeria – Sorrento’s Pizzeria which serves very good food.

Certainly a lovely place for a cuppa and a pizza and pie. Just soak in the serenity and beauty.

The sea facing room is cosy and well furnished. WiFi signal strength is good too. And the sleep quality is fabulous.

Just 2 min drive away from the resort is the Christmas Cove where you can experience beautiful sunset and landscape of the surrounding area.

Day 4 – Depart on morning ferry

Just before departing Kangaroo Island, breakfast at Eatalians Kangaroo, which just 1 min drive from the KI Seafront resort is a great option to start the day.

The cosy Italian cafe, perfect pit-stop before departing the island.

Nice view of the Great Australian Bight. The human density here is low so it’s a relaxed atmosphere.

The cheesecake and latte are pretty good. So are their range of offerings like pies and scones.

Conclusion

What an adventure on Kangaroo Island! get off the beaten path and rediscover authentic Australia.

Our trip to Kangaroo Island was indeed superb and filled with pleasant memories of the beautiful island, steeped in nature and wonderful cuisine. In fact, it would be great to stay couple more days to explore other parts of the island at a relaxed pace. Should the opportunity arise, I would not hesitate to revisit this island. On the last day, our early departure from Kangaroo Island on the first departure allows us to have another unique adventure at Victor Harbour, where you can Swim with Tuna. 

Many sincere thanks for coming along my pixels journey.  Should any readers be keen to go on a similar self-drive trip in the future, please feel free to drop me a message or check out Jetabout Holidays package HERE!

Footnote: All pictures used in this travelogue are copyrighted to Jensen Chua Photography and Jetabout Holidays and all rights reserved. The opinion expressed is factual, objective and that of the author.

The post Your Ultimate 3 Days Road Trip Guide To Kangaroo Island – Australia’s Best Hidden Gems appeared first on Jensen Chua Photography.

We have all probably heard of or even experienced swimming with dolphins in a marine-themed park, whale sharks perhaps in Ningaloo, caged shark diving in South Africa or even swim with jellyfish in Palau. But swim with tuna? Now that’s new. This is Oceanic Victor, the latest marine-themed attraction at Victor Harbour, South Australia. The facility is located within a Habitat Protection Zone of the Encounter Marine Park. The facility opened to the public on 2nd September 2017.

Oceanic Victor is an Australian privately owned company established by Mick Dyer and his wife, Yasmin and their business partner and friend, Tony Santic, with the objective of giving others the opportunity to experience and understand the diverse marine environment that we lived in. They also hoped the attraction will serve as a platform for highlighting South Australia’s strengths as a source of eco-friendly and sustainable quality seafood for the world.

Our visit to the Oceanic Victor

We were fortunate to visit the Oceanic Victor on a quiet mid-week afternoon and had the entire place to ourselves.  The attraction is accessed after a less than 5min boat ride from Granite Island. The main attraction is a single modified 45m-diameter seacage moored to the seabed. Visitors have the chance to swim with and feed Southern Bluefin Tuna or observe up close via an underwater viewing deck. The sea cage contains up to five tonnes of the magnicient fish. 

The Oceanic Victor Off-shore Enclosure (viewed from Granite Island)

The seacage is located about 200m off Granite Island, making accessibility quick and easy.

In the water with the tuna

We were suited up with a 5mm neoprene wetsuit for the swim. Chris, the experienced crew was in the water to ease our “introduction” to the amazing tuna. Non-swimmers geared with additional buoyant float need just pull themselves along the rope further out to be closer to the action.

You can try feeding the tuna by holding onto a sardine. The sensation of a tuna whizzing by as it chomped up the sardine is certainly an adrenaline rush. It’s fascinating how swift and accurate the tuna are in snatching the sardines.

A tuna homing for its meal. This picture was a screen grab from an underwater video played in slow motion. Otherwise, it would have been an almost impossible task to shoot such footage. Southern Bluefin Tuna are among the fastest fish in the ocean. They’ve been clocked at up to 76 km/h!

Tuna Feeding Session

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Tuna were fed with South Australian caught pilchards (or commonly known as sardines). About 150kg of sardines are fed to the tuna daily.

Feeding the tuna by hand-holding the sardines will certainly be an even more unforgettable experience. Your finger will smell fishy after the session but it’s certainly worth it.

For those wary that the tuna might bite their fingers instead of the sardine, a feeding stick would be a safe option and you get avoid getting fishy smelling fingers.

The colonies of seagulls at the seacage muscling in for some of the sardines. Crew Fernando offered one of the birds before wrapping up the feeding session.

Undersea Observatory

The Oceanic Victor underwater observatory caters to those who prefer to stay dry or for young children. The best moment is during feeding time as you can observe tuna swooping in to gobble up the sardines.

Up close and still dry. The underwater viewing deck is like a National Geographic documentary played right in front of you. The weed at the viewing windows are cleaned weekly but it grows really fast, according to Fernando, one of the crew.

The Oceanic Victor Visitor Deck

The deck of the Ocean Victor. Ample seating and well designed for a great session which typically lasts 2 hours.

A couple of touch-tank aquarium with some marine life for visitors getting a tactile experience. Ideal especially for young children.

Well-organised swimming gears holding pen. Worthy of the world-class attraction accolade.

Equipment and accessories are stored and presented neatly for a pleasurable event.

The shower point. Ocean-friendly wash detergents are provided for the quick shower. But the water is not heated and can be chilly in cold season. However, I like the “ice-water” shower. It really perks me up after the swim. Towels are available for rent for those who forget theirs.

The Friendly Crew

The Oceanic Victor friendly crew (L-R) – Fernando, Peter and Chris, certainly enhanced the enjoyment of the session. When there more guests, more staff will be on hand to ensure everyone gets well taken care of.

Conclusion

The Oceanic Victor’s provides an exciting opportunity for those who otherwise may never have a chance to experience the fascinating Southern Bluefin Tuna at close quarters. Unless you are a certified scuba diver, where else in the world could you come up close with these magnificent fish? I hope this blog will encourage travellers to South Australia to visit this amazing activity and plan a swim with the tuna., which should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Footnote: All pictures used in this travelogue are copyrighted to Jensen Chua Photography and Jetabout Holidays and all rights reserved. The opinion expressed is factual, objective and that of the author. The visit to the Oceanic Victor is not a sponsored event.

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