Kangaroo Island is one of our favourite places in all of Australia, because it basically is a giant wildlife park minus the gates. No wonder the island is also known as nature’s playground. The island is surprisingly large, being 155 kilometres long and 55 kilometres at its widest, so staying at least two nights on the island is highly recommended.
Highlights
Walk among a sea lion colony: At Seal Bay Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island’s south coast you can walk among endangered Australian sea lions. You can join a Boardwalk tour and walk along a 900 metre wooden boardwalk and see the animals on the sand and in the ocean, or you can take a guided 45 minute Seal Bay Experience tour onto the beach itself. Or, take a two hour Twilight Beach tour, which is not only longer, but also has fewer people.
If you feel like taking a swim yourself, the safest are off the north coast. Emu Bay, near Kingscote, is one of the most popular thanks to its clear waters and long shoreline. Stokes Bay offers a nice sea pool enclosed by rocks.
Be surrounded by wildlife and spot wild koalas and kangaroos: You are likely to see native animals and birds anywhereon Kangaroo Island, but there are some extra special places where native Australian animals regularly gather. Take the Koala Walk at the Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to spot some koalas hanging out in the trees. You can find short-beaked echidnas and large goannas all over the island, and look out for troops of black swans around American River and dozens of Australian pelicans at the wharf in Kingscote. Take an ocean cruise to find seals, bottlenose dolphins and whales.
See unusual natural landmarks: On the western side of the island, you can find the Remarkable Rocks, a collection of orange coloured boulders carved into strange shapes by millions of years of rain, wind and waves.
It took thousands of years of erosion to create the distinctive rock bridge on the southwest coast of the island to build Admirals Arch. The boardwalk leading to the Admirals Arch is nearly as scenic as the landmark itself and the viewing platform is an ideal place to observe the New Zealand fur seal colony that has established itself below the landmark.
Explore the wilderness of Flinders Chase National Park: Flinders Chase National Park is surrounded by steep cliffs and remote beaches. The National Park is accessible by normal cars and is cut by plenty of walking trails. The Ravone de Casoars Hike leads you through a wooded valley to a remote sandy beach. Try to spot a platypus on the two hour Platypus Waterhole Walk, or walk through bushland on the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail.
How to get there
Kangaroo Island is located 13 kilometres off the coast of South Australia or 30 minutes by plane from Adelaide.We like to recommend to visit Kangaroo Island for two to three nights after or before travelling along the Great Ocean Road. Kangaroo Island Sealink operates a daily ferry service from the mainland to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island. The ferry departs from the town of Cape Jervis, which is a 90-minute drive south of Adelaide. If you prefer to fly, the airline Regional express operates daily flights to the island, and you can then rent a car on Kangaroo Island.
Best time to go
Kangaroo Island is best visited from October to March, because in the Australian winter months it can actually get quite cold. The island is fairly exposed to the elements, and with the next closest land mass being Antarctica, this is understandable. The wind is typically the largest factor here, so so bring a protective jacket should you visit in the colder months.
