Some visitors to Western Cove notice the fig tree on a vacant allotment on the Esplanade and head for it.

The figs ripen progessively from mid March to early May and make tasty eating. The owner has apparently not complained and the figs otherwise go to the birds or fall and rot.

On this day I encountered Norma, Vincent and Virgil, originallly from the Philippines but now living in Tenant Creek, Northern Territory. Virgil (third in the first photo) said he has lived in Australia for 26 years.

They were on Kangaroo Island for three days and staying at Western Cove, making it their base for touring the Island.


On the other side of the fig tree (second photo), on a five-day visit to KI, lurked Joseph Smiech. He is from Germany but grew up in Adelaide and is now retired.

This was Joe's first trip to Kangaroo Island since the 1970s when his brother owned a shack at American River.

On the morning of the day the photo was taken Joe intended to drive his Holden Astra 16 kilometres from Kingscote to Western Cove but forgot his map, took a wrong turn, and found himself at Vivonne Bay on the south coast of the Island!

He asked for directions at the General Store where a helpful young man explained a "short cut". More than fifty kilometres of dust, gravel and corrugations later Joe reached Western River Cove on the north-west coast. After inspecting the area he realized that Western River Cove is not Western Cove and figured he might be lost.

To cut the story short, Joe got to Western Cove late in the afternoon and found the fig tree — and he likes figs.

Joe had intended to travel only on sealed roads during his five days on KI and see places between Stokes Bay and Penneshaw but by getting lost saw much more of the Island than planned!