February 5, 2009. During mid January, my friend and Taree neighbor, Josh Maguire, spent a couple of weeks during the school holidays with his girlfriend Yvette on Kangaroo Island. Josh is 17 and captain of his high school. 2009 is his final year. Following graduation, he plans to study law at university. Meanwhile, he and Yvette are a very serious item despite their tender years.

So, why Kangaroo Island? Josh is no dummy ya know... Yvette has an aunt who lives and works as a nurse on K.I. so the temptation of free accommodation and transport was too much to resist. However, the young pair did fork out for their own air fares.

For Josh it was his first flight on a commercial aircraft - a Saab 340B operated by REX (Regional Express). "I was a bit nervous during take-off because of the turbulence but once we were up in the clouds it was awesome - just so cool!" The flight from Port Macquarie airport took the pair to Sydney where they caught a Qantas flight to Adelaide, then a connecting flight in a small aircraft to Kingscote, the capital of the island. "It's only  a tiny airport... just one small building."

From there, they were driven by Yvette's aunt to Emu Bay, where the aunt lives, and where the two lovebirds spent the next two weeks. "We pretty much kept to ourselves... walked the length of the beach (4 kilometers) a few times, went looking for penguins but didn't find any except one baby... plenty of burrows but no penguins, just lots of feathers." Penguins moult during the breeding season (this time of year) and can lose up to half their body weight.

But they did see seals, explored the Kelly Hill limestone caves (no relation) and checked out the unusual rock formations on the island. "The place was uninhabited (before white settlement). The local Aborigines never set foot there because they believed that's where all the evil spirits went."

I was surprised to learn from Josh that they saw a large tourist bus full of Asians. "Yeah, but you see that kind of thing everywhere," he said. Maybe so, but on Kangaroo Island?

Kangaroo Island is not a destination for tourists who want the glittering razzamazz of night life, rather it's a very quiet and peaceful place, perfect for relaxation and communing with nature. "One supermarket in town... that was it. And it was hot! It was 41 C when we arrived, and 42 C when we left." Obviously, Josh and Yvette availed themselves of the pristine beach for plenty of swimming and cooling off. "And we worked on our tans." I dunno what Josh is talking about... he's got a natural tan ALL OVER (so I'm told).

Josh assures me that he and Yvette had a great time... and I guess it helps if you have your favorite person on the planet to keep you company. By the way, Josh's pics don't include any of Yvette... he's not sure her folks would approve of her image on the internet.  Click here for the photo album.

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