Granite Island (South Australia)

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Granite Iceland is a small island in the Encounter Bay, which, far from Adelaide is near the Victor Harbors in South Australia. The island with a size of 25 hectares is visited by more than 700 000 visitors per year, making it the most frequently sought recreation park in South Australia.

Description

Granite Iceland is an uninhabited island which consists of granite, which has rounded shapes assumed by Wollsackverwitterung. Originally the island was connected to the mainland, the land connection eroded. The granite quarries, which was created 480 million years ago, extends to a depth of ten kilometers into the Earth's crust.

About Granite Granite Iceland, the Iceland extends Recreation Park, where there is a restaurant. The visitors especially want to see the more than 2000 fairy penguins that live on the island and breed. After dark, you can take a guided tour to observe the penguins located on the island of Penguin Conservation Station.

The island is connected by a 630 meter long wooden bridge with the mainland, which they either on foot or with a double-decker horse tram, which can be Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram achieved. Furthermore, the access by small boats or yachts is possible at a pier. Around the island leads a promenade along the coast. In the southern winter months from June to September are from the island or on special boat trips to watch whales.

History

On the coast of Encounter Bay survived the Aborigines of Ramindjeri clan. The island was very important for them because they thought that it was created by a javelin of creation being Ngurunderi. The Dreamtime story about Ngurunderi is told by the Aborigines of the area of the lower Murray River up to Kangaroo Iceland.

The first Europeans who came into the bay in 1802, were the explorers Matthew Flinders on the ship Investigator and Nicolas Baudin on the Géographe named after him on the Baudin expedition. They had a peaceful encounter in Encounter Bay, despite the fact that France and Britain were at war at that time - that's why the Bay of Encounter Bay Flinders was ( German: Bay of encounter ) called.

In the bay operated Europeans whale and seal hunting, which was abandoned in 1872 because fewer animals came there. Wool and other agricultural products were shipped on the Murray River to Victor Harbor, then transported further with the horse tram to Granite Iceland where they were loaded onto ships. The transport of assets was abandoned by the end of the 19th century and only used the horse-drawn tram of tourists. 1956 it has ceased operations, but since 1986 she moves back daily to this day.

Gallery

Horse cart on the pier to Granite Iceland

Seat cover car of the horse-drawn trams

Horse tram with Clydesdale Kaltblutferd