Wendys King and Flinders Island

Our Bass Strait Adventure – Wendy & Betty

Aurora Coach Tours left brochures at the village advertising that we would be picked up at the door and deliver us back here. Betty and I decided to try them out and take the tour to King and Flinders Islands Although both islands are in Bass Strait they are quite different. We flew via Melbourne to the airport at Currie, on King Island.

King Island is in western Bass Strait in the path of the roaring forties and therefore very windy. Along its rugged coastline there are sandy beaches and fantastic views. Over 60 known ships have been wrecked along its coast. In 1861  Australia’s tallest lighthouse was built at Cape Wickham.

King Island is well known for its fine foods, particularly cheeses, beef and crayfish. Both beef and dairy cattle are farmed and crops grown on the undulating farmland. Bull kelp is harvested, dried and milled before being exported. Islanders use the kelp to produce craft.

One night we dined at Wild Harvest Restaurant in Grassy overlooking the harbour. In 2021 it was named the second best fine dining experience in Australia.

Wildlife abounds on the island. There are hundreds of wallabies, echidnas, possums, blue tongue lizards and poisonous snakes. There is a large variety of birds, including black swans, ducks, geese, peacocks, pheasants, wild turkeys, cockatoos and smaller birds. There are several rookeries of Little Penguins. Mutton birds or Short tailed Shearwaters also breed on the island.

Despite the fact that it is very windy on the island, there are several golf courses of world renown. I think they must lose lots of golf balls.

There are no commercial flights from King to Flinders Island. We had a chartered plane which accommodated our small group of 18 plus our leader, Scott. Flying in gave us a great view of the many islands of the Furneaux Group.

Flinders Island is the largest of these 52 islands and is situated off the north-east coast of the mainland of Tasmania. The coastline is rugged and about a third of the island is mountainous. There are many walks – we only did the short easy ones! There are long sandy beaches and wonderful views. Soldier settlements were established after WW2. Sheep and cattle are farmed.

Flinders is also the home to many wildlife. There are many species of birds including Mutton birds and Cape Barren Geese. Our first stop on Flinders was to meet Kate Mooney, the wombat lady of Flinders Island. She rescues orphaned baby wombats. As wombats are among my favourite animals I was delighted to nurse a tiny wombat and have him snuggle into me.

We were there during the Flinders Festival and attended the street market.

The sad history of Flinders is that it is the island where from 1830 the remnants of the Tasmanian Aboriginal population we exiled at Wybalenna.

After eight enjoyable days of beautiful coastal views, mountains and lakes, abundant wildlife and fabulous food (King Island) we can recommend Aurora Coach Tours. They cater for seniors and look after all the details.

Check out their next brochure.