Kangaroo Island, Australia

Kangaroo Island is a island full of native wildlife, stunning landscapes and sensational wine & food. What more do you want in a great holiday?

The Facts on KI

Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third largest island, and located in South Australia, 13km from Cape Jervis, and 105km from Adelaide.

Kingscote is the Islands capital, ferries dock at the port in Penneshaw.

The Island is split into the regions of American River, Dudley Peninsula, Heartland, South Coast, West End, North Coast and Kingscote town and District.

The Island has a population of 4259.

National Parks

Among the favourite things to see and do are Flinders Chase national park, on the western end of the island, covered in natural eucalyptus forest. Come see remarkable rocks where erosion of the granite boulders has caused a remarkable sight to view.

Also checkout Admirals Arch, where a New Zealand fur seal colony calls the natural limestone arch home. After that you’ll have to see the Cape du Couedic lighthouse, built in 1909 to help ships navigate through the treacherous waters.

Then of course there’s seal bay, where Australia’s 3rd largest sea lion colony sun themselves on the beach and you can go on a guided tour to see them up close in their natural habitat.

Wildlife

Due to a lack of introduced species, the native wildlife thrives in the kangaroo island wilderness and its common to see possums, Koalas and of course Kangaroos in their natural wild habitat. Its also a great place to see the natural environment at its best, as more than half of the island is still natural bushland as it was never cleared for farming.

Beaches

There great beaches on KI, with protected swimming on the north side, great surfing on the exposed southern side.

There are plenty of adventure activities to be had on KI, with great sailing, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving on offer. There is plenty to do along the many kilometers of coastline.

Wine & Food

Visitors to KI have the opportunity to taste natures food at its best. Try Sheep’s milk cheese, Ligurian Bee honey, Fresh Fish and Freshwater crayfish. KI’s cafes and restaurants are intimate and welcoming with their rural hospitality. KI locally grown wines can round out your meal, with the temperate climate ensuring slow ripening of the grapes and hence strong flavoured wines.

History

Aboriginal people lived on the island from about 16,000 years ago until about 2,00 years ago. The island was separated from the mainland by rising sea levels about 9,000 years ago.

Matthew Flinders, commissioned by the British government to map the southern coastline of Australia landed on the island in 1802 and named it Kangaroo Island.

The Kangaroo Island council provides local government for the island.

Accommodation options

The accommodation options are extensive on Kangaroo Island, ranging from budget vacation rentals to luxury houses in seaside locations. Camping is a great option at the many national parks. Hostel accommodation for the budget conscious is available on KI as well.

Events

KI is home to many great events, including the Kangaroo Island Art Feast in October, Monthly farmers markets, Kangaroo Island Speed Shears festival in November, the Kangaroo Island Gourmet Gallop in January and Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival in February

Tour options

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Travelling around on KI

You can either bring your car from the mainland or hire one in Kingscote. A conventional rental car can access all the roads on the island, with some care.

Travel to and from KI

The Kangaroo Island Vehicle and Passenger Ferris from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw are operated by Sealink, with 4 departures daily. You’ll need to book, the trip takes about 45 minutes.

Visitors can also travel by air with 2 airlines, Air South and Regional Express provide daily 30 minutes flights from Adelaide to the destination of Kingscote airport, located 14 km from Kingscote.