Timber Creek Walk
Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park
Directions - Located towards the middle of Kangaroo Island, from Kingscote, head east along Playford Highway, continuing south on Birchmore Road. Turning left onto South Coast Road, follow this until you reach a right turn for Hawkes Pass Road, sweeping around a bend as it becomes Seagers Road. The Timber Creek Walk car park is located on the side of the road, with a small gravel loop near the trail head.
The Hike - With a planned trip to Kangaroo Island at Easter with Caris' aunt and uncle, my mind immediately started thinking about hikes to do on the island, as it always does when these trips occur. Knowing about the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, but not much else about the massive island off the coast of South Australia, my initial research came up with a list of about a dozen or so walks that looked like they would be appealing. Candy and Hal had also bought the walking guide to Kangaroo Island from my publisher (Woodslane), and that added to the number of possible walks. After spending a day exploring Adelaide, we made our way to Candy and Hal's hotel, to load into their Land Rover for the drive down to the ferry.
Staying at Vivonne Bay, we would soon discover that everything on Kangaroo Island is a bit of drive, so we would have to do some planning about what we wanted to do, so we could group activities together. On our first full day of exploring, I decided as Holiday Hike Planner, that we would ease into the hiking, starting out with a couple of gentle walks after we had finished exploring Kingscote. First up was the Timber Creek Walk, a 2.5-kilometre jaunt through the paperbarks towards Murray Lagoon, with the promise of some bird life. From the trail head I was already enjoying the walk, as one of my favourite photo opportunities is the long tunnel of vegetation that forms over a track. This was a good first impression, and not long after starting, I was on my knees lining up that shot. Knowing I was going to be a pain by stopping all the time for photos, I let everyone go ahead, so I could have an empty track. Enjoying the initial walking, the tunnel effect along Timber Creek doesn't last forever, and soon you can see the wide open plains that surround Murray Lagoon. Switching between the tunnel, and one side being exposed, this section leading towards the loop was quite enjoyable.
Arriving at the start of the loop, you enter a much thicker section of paperbarks, which adds a spookier vibe to the walk. Following the trail markers, head in a clockwise direction to wander through the vegetated tunnels. Being just after the long, dry summer period, I wasn't expecting to see much in the way of wildflowers, but it's now habit to scan the floor for anything of interest. With only a solitary fungi, I was happy when there was a break in the paperbarks, and I could get a better view towards Murray Lagoon in the distance. I always love a "big sky" vista, and this was a spot where I could get that in spades. We could hear a lot of bird life around, but getting photos was a lot trickier than I was hoping for. Finishing the loop, I joined the others to head back towards the start, where we were rewarded with a couple of birds that were willing to pose for a photo, with a Superb Fairywren and a Willy Wagtail flittering on or just off the trail. Back at the trail head, Hal was waiting for us, ready to head to the next walk.
Final Thoughts - Not a bad introduction to walking on Kangaroo Island, but far from the best trail in terms of scenery or points of interest.
I'm a fairly easy-going hiker, and being a photographer, I'm probably more likely to enjoy a trail like this than the casual tourist might. It won't blow you away, and being a fair distance from Kingscote, think of this as a bonus activity while you're checking out nearby places.
Get out there and experience it!
If you've found this page or the website helpful and you want to show your support then consider making a small donation by visiting our Ko-fi page. You can give as little as a dollar with no sign-up required and everything will be put towards the website, creating new content and promoting the trail community.