Autumn often produces the best weather in South Australia, but it was extra special the week of our April kayak trip along the western coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Paddling for 5 days from Cape Jervis to Aldinga Beach, I was smitten by the clarity and calmness of the water and, like a well-worn record, I was regularly moved to comment on the glassy surface that is so pleasurable to paddle through. Layered and contorted rock formations were regular features of the trip, with some glowing golden in the late afternoon sun and reflecting their goldenness onto the coastal waters. Towards the end of our first day on the water, and with the sun dipping below the horizon, we were paddling with some determination to reach our designated beach for the night. Approaching Cape Rapid, a slapping sound caught our attention … and again and again we heard the sound until we eventually saw a long upraised flipper like a salute that commanded attention. Two whales!* We had made an error in locating our beach so we had to turn back and pass the whales again. This time they crossed in front of us with one breaching barely 10m away, which was closer than you might want but we trusted that the whales were very well aware of where we were. New Zealand fur seals were plentiful in the marine reserve south of Second Valley either basking on rocks or casually bobbing impossibly near the base of cliffs and rising and falling unperturbed by the swell. Landing on a beach was a somewhat precarious affair with the tiniest of waves having the power to turn your kayak over and prematurely deposit you on the beach (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8OKy6_hNdsM). But the weather was warm enough that being soaked was no problem, and my landing skills were greatly improved by the end of the trip. This stretch of the coast is blessed with small, secluded beaches that are only accessible from the water, and some only by kayak. Small caves abound and creeping carefully into the dark you might find a capitaled “HELLO” left above the tide mark by a previous visitor. The coast is surprising and offers many delights and, as Greg kept repeating, it’s not more than 2 hours from South’s Australia’s capital city.

Check out Greg’s 35 minute video of our trip to see more of the adventure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKob4J4vq1M*

* The Whale Watch Centre later revealed we had seen the first confirmed sighting of the season of a pair of humpback whales.