At the Mercy of The Mob

Kangaroo Island appeared ideal when we were looking for somewhere to get away from the hurly-burly for a few days, although the $400 return fare for a car and two on the 45 minute ferry crossing, seemed somewhat excessive - take note disgruntled B.C ferry riders. However, we quickly appreciated the solitude that money can buy when we saw the dozens of totally deserted pristine beaches…

… coupled with the spectacular views of the Great Australian Bight…

With just 4 thousand people on an island the size of Bali, (population 4 million), we expected to be alone in our cliff top home, but as we ate dinner on the terrace we had an uneasy feeling that we were being watched…

A few small figures had emerged from the shadows and started inching towards us… did they have concealed weapons? And then we spotted a couple of heavies sparring in the distance and knew we were in for a hit.

These mobsters were no patsies and we were just thinking that it was time for us to scram and call in the Feds when Big Joey Capone, the mob leader, called his henchmen together to plan the heist…

It looked like our garden salad was the loot they were after and Matilda, Big Joey’s broad, was the bait…

Here’s the plan: while we were snapping mugshots of Matilda and her cute little punk, Joey Capone Jun., the hitmen would rush us, mob-handed, and snatch the booty.
O.K. So here’s the scoop. The 75 kangaroos who visited us every evening weren’t at all threatening and we loved living amongst them on their island. Kangaroo Island, just 16 kms off the coast of South Australia, has fabulous scenery, fascinating wildlife, beautiful beaches and wonderful weather, and if it were more accessible it would be overrun with resorts, casinos and beach bums. As it is – there is little here but a few stores, a café or two, some artists’ studios and a whole mob of adorable kangaroos...

We are now at the furthest point from home on this trip. We are back on the mainland and it’s all uphill from here as we work our way to Sydney along the Great Ocean Road. We’ve left behind the island's cooling sea breezes and the thermometer has shot up from a pleasant 30 degrees to a steamy 39. A storm is brewing tonight and we hope our new found island friends find some shelter under the casuarinas trees and flowering banksias of the native gardens at Stokes Bay...