Kingscote in 1879

KINGSCOTE, KANGAROO ISLAND.

Very few people are acquainted with the advantages possessed by Kingcote as a harbour of refuge, a port of call, and a place for picnics. The telegraph established there enables a ship master to communicate with his owners in any part of the world, and in the case of sailing ships this knowledge would sometimes save pounds in cash and days in time. With a strong wind from the north, or with a dead calm, it will sometimes take a sailing-ship several days to beat up Gulf St. Vincent, and by the time the master has communicated with the agents in Adelaide (when he will possibly be ordered to some other port) the wind will have changed to the south, or perhaps there will be none at all; and thus more time will be lost—wages and other expenses going on all the time—all of which losses might be avoided by using the telegraph at Kingscote. It is also worthy of note that around Kangaroo Island the calms are very seldom of long duration, whilst further up the Gulf they sometimes last for days.

As a harbour of refuge Kingscote has no superior anywhere. Nepean Bay is divided into two large harbours, one of which is called Eastern Cove, at the extremity of which are situated American River and Pelican Lagoon; and the other is named Western Cove, at the western end of which is to be found Kingscote and the Bay of Shoals. The eastern point of Nepean Bay is called Kangaroo Head, and the Eastern Cove is divided from the Western by a point jutting out bearing the name of Ballast Head. Close along the shore from this head right up to Kingscote the water is deep; but from Point Morrison—the western extremity of Nepean Bay—a long spit extends eastward for say three miles, which at the western end is high above water at low tides. Behind this spit a teacup might almost ride out a gale without swamping but if further safety is wanted, the vessel can run up to the end of a spit extending from Kingscote towards Point Morrison, and turning the end of it in a ten-fathom channel, ran behind into the Bay of Shoals, where she will be as safe as a new hat in a bandbox. There is a buoy at the end of the outside spit from Point Morrison eastward, and the bay opposite Kingscote is from half to three-quarters of a mile wide. At the Telegraph Station there is a very good landing-place and a small stage, but further up the shore is muddy, and the mud is of a very soft nature.

As a place for picnics Kingscote is one of the prettiest ports within the Gulf. The hills, rising about twenty to forty feet direct from the water's edge, are covered with the greenest of shrubs and the prettiest of pines. From the tops of these little rises we can obtain a most extensive view of the Gulf, of the distant points of the island, and of the mainland, including Cape Jervis and Rapid Head. 

In front is the Bay, as smooth as glass, and to the left is the beautiful Bay of Shoals with its many little islands and its calm still waters, on the surface of which float the stately pelican, the lordly swan, and the wary teal, whilst the curlew with its curved hill and the redbill utter their shrill cries at intervals, and the gull, shag, and cormorant sit lazily on the jutting points. Beneath the surface of the water myriads of fish are sporting, and on the shoals may be seen fiddlers and stingrays by thousands, affording to those who are inclined for that kind of sport unlimited fun with the harpoon and grains. Some of the stingrays are large enough to tow a dingey through the water at the rate of knots when struck, and the fiddlers are so plentiful that wagons could be loaded with them if they were of any use. 

As a place for recuperation, or for quiet retirement from the of business, there is no equal in the Gulf to Kingscote, and it is sufficiently out of the way of ordinary civilization to render it a desirable retreat for those who do not care to go with the crowd. The inhabitants are very honest and extremely hospitable, but there is no public-house or accommodation for travellers, so that any person going there for a holiday would need to make some provision in the way of a tent, provisions, and "medical comforts." The telegraph gives the holiday-maker every opportunity of communication with friends if necessary, whilst the distance renders it impossible for his business connections boring him with anything which is not urgent. The steamer now trading to the island gives every reasonable facility for going and returning, and now and then a sailing-vessel affords the same convenience.