#1: [02-Apr-00]

23-Mar-2011 -- While on holidays on Australia’s third largest Island, Kangaroo Island, we were hoping for a break in the weather so we could log this confluence. It was going to be interesting, as it was nearly 11 years since this Confluence was first logged and no one has bothered to revisit the location to see if things have changed in that time.

The days were damp and cool most of the time which was very unusual, as this time of the year the temperatures still should have been in the high twenties with clear days. After visiting the Kelly Hill Caves that are only a very short distance from the Confluence, the rain had stopped, so we made an on the spot decision that we would make the most of it not raining, even if it was after 4pm.

Checking Google Earth before we came over to Kangaroo Island, I could see that there was a cleared boundary track on the edge on the Kelly Hill Conservation Park and hoped that we could use this track to make quicker time while walking the 1.9 kilometres from where we parked our car. True to form this cleared fire break was inside the Conservation Park, as the cleared track adjacent to the Park, but on private property had a ‘Private Property, Keep Out, Trespassers Prosecuted’ sign on the fence and I did not want to see just how serious the farmer was.

The track in the Conservation Park had two signs which will help any future visits to this Confluence. The first sign was Gate 4, Grid : 804 161 and the second sign was pointing directly to the Confluence and was signposted ‘Douglas Hill Bdry Trk’. This cleared fire track gave us easy progress for most of the way, as I knew that the actual Confluence was 190 metres from this track. Along the way we sighted an Echidna and when it saw us approaching, it curled up into its protective ball, so it was clear that it did not want us to get a good photograph of it. There were also quite a few very small wildflowers which were very quaint.

Rising a small ridge on the walk, we could see a further sign in the distance and when were just 250 metres from the Confluence, we reached the sign and it read ‘No through Road’. It was then time to enter the very thick bush to reach the actual spot. The vegetation was very trying at times and if it was going to be like this, it was going to slow our progress greatly. This seemed like the longest 190 metre walk that we had ever walked, as we twisted our way and finally reach the spot when it was time to do the usual confluence dance.

With the required photos in hand, we made a compass course in a direct line back through the scrub and were glad to reach the boundary track again. On our return walk we again came across two more Echidnas, but this time they were too busy looking for ants that I was able to get quite a few pictures of them. The walk was very rewarding with the main wildflowers and wildlife that encountered along the way.