The post is second in a series about the trip to Kangaroo Island.

It was cloudy and windy during breakfast. But after an hour when we got out of the van in the north of the Kangaroo Island it was hot and sunny. We arrived at Rare Breeds Farm – first of its kind, there are unique domestic animals, which are threatened with extinction. It could seem weird that domestic animals could be breeds, but yep, it’s true, for example different types of sheep, pigs, cows, and goats. The farm is large and quiet, it reminds me of countryside of US (well, not sure, but as I know it from some movies). Will, owner of the farm, is very kind and gentle to his pets, he loves them and they do too.

Learning at Lathami Conservation Park

After that we departed to Lathami Conservation Park – home of the Glossy Black Cockatoo. There are only 300 of them left on the planet and they live on the Kangaroo Island – no wonder that there are several organizations that help to protect the birds. Cockatoos have many predators, and the main one is the possum. Another sad fact is that they lay only one egg per season, and it takes 5 months before the chick can fly. Black cockatoos are very specialized in food – they eat only the seeds of casuarina tree. The birds get everything that they need from these seeds. Unfortunately we didn’t see any cockatoos that day.

Students pay a visit to Kangaroo Island

Then, after a quick brunch we arrived to Stokes Bay, the second most beautiful beach on a Kangaroo Island after Hanson Bay. To get there we had to walk through caves, between rocks, and finally we saw a large shore with waves falling down on it. Some of us climbed up the rocks to enjoy that remarkable view while others walked on the stones towards the horizon. Sometimes when you step on a high rock you feel like the Lion King 🙂 We didn’t get a chance to swim, we had to hurry up to visit Pure Island Sheep Dairy Farm.

It is a large rocky farm. I always thought that farms, especially if the main animals are sheep, have to have grass. This farm seemed sandy and dry to me. They produce different types of cheese, yoghurt, and milk. We learned how they make it, and we have even tasted it. It tastes a bit different because it is fresh and homemade, and you notice this immediately.

After the Island Pure Sheep Dairy farm we went to Clifford’s Honey Farm. It has been producing honey since 1973. We learned a lot about honeybees and how they make honey. For example a queen bee can lay 2,000 eggs in one day, she can live for 5 years, and lay one million eggs in her lifetime! I didn’t know that pure honey does not have an expiry date – it could be stored for ages. We even got a chance to taste each of three kinds of honey that this farm produces – tea tree, mallee and stringy bark. I loved the first one. Everybody bought some honey there except for the two kiwis in our group. They also have honey farms in New Zealand and, as they say, their honey is even better

We got back to our hotel, and after a delicious dinner, we walked down to the beach and explored. It was another day full of amazing events on Kangaroo Island.