A short trip to Kangaroo Island -Day One

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Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

A couple of months ago we booked a trip to Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island is a short drive from our beach house and then a ferry ride of about 45 minutes. A welcome short break away from my studies. 

We left Adelaide just after lunch and drove to our beach house about 90 kms from Adelaide, rather than an early start from Adelaide the next morning. Second Valley is stunning and we never tire of the view.  We are lucky because we are able to enjoy Second Valley anytime, but if Kangaroo Island is on your wishlist, stopping a night on the way at Second Valley and having dinner at Leonards Mill Restaurant makes a great start to the trip.

After breakfast, we made the 15 minute drive to the ferry terminal at Cape Jarvis. We were early, so after checking in we had time for a coffee. We were called to drive the car onto the ferry about 20 minutes before we departed. They ask the drivers to go to their cars to drive them on and the passengers’ board separatley.


It’s only 16kms to Pennyshaw across Backstairs package, it was windy meaning the boat rolled a little on the 45 minute trip. I don’t have great sea legs so it would be fair to say I was happy that it wasn’t too rough. I’d have preferred it to be pan flat as it was one day when I rode my bike across to Cape Jervis and saw a group of jet skiers riding across.

We were quickly off the boat and headed to the Fat Beagle for an awesome coffee. Friendly staff and awesome coffee – the best we had on the Island. As well as enjoying the coffee we used the time to think about the day as the weather was not great. From there we headed across to Frenchman’s  Rock about 2 minutes away. The rock has an inscription made by Nicolas Baudin’s crew on their mapping expedition in 1803. 

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I’m still here just buried in my research!

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I love this pen!

When I started this blog it was part of my transition to retirement strategy and it was the vehicle I would use to write. A commitment that I would have to some imaginary group of people who might stumble on my blog and find it interesting.

My personal commitment was a post at least once a month and at least one thousand words. I’ve been pretty faithful to that commitment however in the last few months my PhD has taken over. I have a deadline and it is getting near. I’m writing every day and my PhD is coming together.

So for the next few months posts will be even more sporadic as I work on finishing my PhD.

The first pop song I ever heard

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I was in the car with my daughter with the car radio tuned to Cruise 1323, a local hits and memories AM radio station and on came “It”s Good News Week” the 1965 hit by British pop band Hedgehoppers Anonymous. As the opening beat commenced I knew exactly what it was and said to my daughter that it was the very first pop song I ever recall hearing.

It would have been on a large sideboard type valve radio my Grandfather had given to me. I was lying in bed, with the with radio tuned to 5AD. As I write the memories flood back of the time and DJs Big Bob Francis and John Vincent flood back. They are both now dead but were icons of our local radio scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Vinnie continued well into the 1980s when commercial FM launched in Adelaide. Big Bob was a late night talkback radio host for many years. 

Its Good News Week, just two minutes and five seconds long, Continue reading →

A published author!

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I received some great news at Easter an academic journal accepted an article I submitted for publication. Finally, I will be a published author.

It gets better. I have also just received an email from the editors of a soon to be released book on family business that my chapter for their book has also been accepted.

So after 4 years of submitting various articles, I am to be published not once but twice.

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My sports memories – The story of one Sturt supporter

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With no sport on anywhere I’ve realised just how much a part of my life sport plays. It’s not a life or death matter but it is an ever present in my life.

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a sports fan. Never much of a player; a very average footballer (Aussie Rules) and a slightly better cricketer. Both my football and cricket careers if you could call them that were ended in my early teens due to an eye injury caused by a flicked towel in the eye by a friend in the change rooms. It caused a series of eye problems that meant contact sport was out. I then took up golf which I also was OK at, but one “B” Pennant Match and “C” Grade Club Championship signifies that I was at best run of the mill. No matter.

I grew up in Tiger heartland. About a mile from the Bay Oval where, Glenelg, The Tigers, played in the SANFL. Back then we only had a vibrant state league that dominated interest. The SANFL was not as strong as the VFL ( which subsequently became the AFL our national competition). When I started going to the football we had a 10 team local league, dominated by Port Adelaide. Attendances were pretty good in those days around 50,000 across the 5 games. Games were played on a Saturday afternoon starting at 2.20pm except when there was a holiday Monday or Anzac Day when there was always a game between the previous years Grand Finalists.

Like so many kids, I looked to my father and supported the team he did – Sturt. He barracked for Sturt, largely because a number of his friends had come from the Riverland to play for Sturt. Dad stayed on the River and played country footy. He said he was at best a Second 18 footballer (whether that’s true or not I have no idea).

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