Out And About Around The Dudley Peninsula

There are two main roads out of town; one is the main road to Kingscote and the other to Cape Willoughby. Our route will start on the Kingscote road, but we will loop back and circle the Dudley Peninsula and come back in on the other road. The first two things to note as you head out of town are the cemetery and the desalination plant. Both the people in the cemetery and water have played a big part in our settlement Heading up over the hill past Charing Cross and through a magnificent stand of Kangaroo Island Narrow Leafed Eucalypts, you dip down to Grassy Flat and here you can turn left , through Blue Gum dirt road, past a plaque in memory of August Fiebig. In 1881 Fiebig established an apiary here and introduced the Ligurian strain of bees from Italy which today gives us our special honey. Further on is Pig’s head corner, so called because a sealer buried some nails by a tree in about 1840 that had a pigs head near it, but when he returned to get them, there were so many pig’s skulls and so many trees, he never did find them. Locals kept the story alive by placing any skulls of pigs that were slaughtered on a post there.

Returning to where you turned off to view the plaque, (or having given that a miss) you can continue to the top of the American Beach Hill where the Sunset Winery with cellar door sales and wine tastings as well as magnificent views over Eastern Cove can be enjoyed . The beaches extending to Pelican Lagoon include American, Browns, Baudin, Crabby Jacks and Island Beach. All are sheltered and have the sun shining in until late in the day. Brown’s has a gas BBQ, picnic shed and toilets.

Continuing past Pelican Lagoon, one gets to the narrowest point of the Island where Mount Thisby, or Prospect Hill, as named by Flinders rises. Its just a huge sand hill, but worth the climb to the top via a wooden walkway and steps. This is the view Matthew Flinders saw. Turning left at the bottom of Prospect Hill, Pennington Bay comes into sight with its clear blue sea and surfing waves. Facing the Southern Ocean, its not as safe for swimming as the beaches on the North coast, but very beautiful.

Returning back along the road as far as Browns Beach, a turn off to the right takes you onto a dirt road that leads through Willson River to Cape Willoughby and Antechamber Bay. A turn off to the right and a rough track will get you to the Mouth Flat or further East to False Cape. These are not for the faint hearted. Willson River is home to three important vineyards. On the left is the Hog Bay River vineyard (the name that preceded Willson River) and another new 40 acres of vineyard, False Cape, on the other side of the road. A little further along is the Porky Flat vineyard and winery where all of the Dudley Partners wines are made. They have an outlet at the Cape Willoughby Café, where the views are as good as the wines.

Cape Willoughby lighthouse is reached by turning right at a Tee junction or turning left to get to Chapman River and Antechamber Bay. The lighthouse is worth a trip. It has guided tours, is the oldest light in the State and the nearby café is a must.

Turning back you can make your way to Chapman River and through the dunes to the glorious Antechamber Bay. This is the area where sealers kept their boats and not far away one of them, Nat Thomas, created his farm. The river is quiet and a great place to picnic or fish, especially for children.