Image by photography by Michel Coutty / Getty Images

Kangaroo Island

From Cape Jervis, car ferries chug across the swells of the Backstairs Passage to Kangaroo Island (KI). Uninhabited when Brit explorer Matthew Flinders named the island in 1802 and long devoid of tourist trappings, KI is today a booming destination for wilderness and wildlife fans. It's a veritable zoo of seals, birds, dolphins, echidnas and (of course) kangaroos. Still, the island remains rurally paced and underdeveloped − the kind of place where kids ride bikes to school and farmers advertise for wives on noticeboards. Island wine and produce is a highlight.

Explore Kangaroo Island

0

Latest Stories from Kangaroo Island

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kangaroo Island.

  • National Park

    Flinders Chase National Park

    Occupying the western end of Kangaroo Island, Flinders Chase National Park is one of SA’s top national parks. Much of the park is mallee scrub, but there…

  • Nature Reserve

    Seal Bay Conservation Park

    'Observation, not interaction' is the mentality here. Guided tours stroll along the beach (or boardwalk on self-guided tours; adult/child/family $16/13/42…

  • Beach

    Snelling Beach

    The best swimming beach on the north coast, with a lovely arc of powdery white sand and sheltered shallows. There's not much else at Snelling by way of…

  • Landmark

    Remarkable Rocks

    At Kirkpatrick Point, a few kilometres east of Cape du Couedic, the much-photographed, rather Dalí-esque Remarkable Rocks are a cluster of hefty, weather…

  • Monument

    Frenchman's Rock

    When intrepid French explorer Nicholas Baudin surveyed the KI coast in 1803, he came ashore at what's now Penneshaw for a look around. He left his mark:…

  • Farm

    Clifford's Honey Farm

    It's worth swimming the Backstairs Passage for the honey ice cream (sourced from rare Ligurian bees) at this charming, uncommercial farm, which is a bit…

  • Market

    Kangaroo Island Farmers Market

    Has baked goods, chutneys, seafood, olive oil, honey, eggs, cheese, yoghurt and of course wine and dodgy buskers (including, once, a certain Lonely Planet…

  • Gorge

    Ravine des Casoars

    At Harvey's Return near Cape Borda, a cemetery speaks poignant volumes about the reality of isolation in the early days. From here you can drive to Ravine…

  • Nature Reserve

    Kelly Hill Conservation Park

    This series of dry limestone caves was 'discovered' in the 1880s by a horse named Kelly, who fell into them through a hole. Take the standard show cave…

  • Zoo

    Raptor Domain

    Check out some KI wedge-tailed eagles, barn owls and kookaburras (all in optimal condition) at a one-hour birds-of-prey display (11.30am and 2.30pm), or…

  • Lighthouse

    Cape Willoughby Lightstation

    About 28km southeast of Penneshaw (via an unsealed road) on a treeless headland, this tidy white turret started shining out in 1852 (SA's first lighthouse…

  • Area

    Rocky River

    Once a farm, Rocky River, the area around the park visitors centre, is now a rampant hotbed of wildlife, with kangaroos, wallabies and Cape Barren geese…

  • Museum

    US Schooner Independence

    In a big tin boatshed near the American River jetty, the timber ribs of the new US Schooner Independence are slowly starting to resemble a hull. A…

  • Beach

    Flour Cask Bay

    Down a well-maintained dirt road south of American River, this remote beach is just the spot for a little soul-searching, a breezy paddle in the brine or…

  • Lighthouse

    Cape Borda Lightstation

    On the northwestern corner of the island, the square 1858 Cape Borda Lightstation stands tall above the rippling iron surface of the Southern Ocean. There…

  • Winery

    Bay of Shoals Wines

    Out past Kingscote's cemetery, overlooking the shallow Bay of Shoals itself (yes, plenty of shoals), this established winery instills confidence with its…

  • Museum

    Penneshaw Maritime & Folk Museum

    Inside a 1922 stone school house, this salty museum displays artefacts from local shipwrecks and early white settlement (check out those girthsome…

  • Nature Reserve

    Little Sahara

    A turn-off 6km west of Seal Bay Rd leads to a rolling white dunescape towering above the surrounding scrub. Amazing! You can hire sandboards from Kangaroo…

  • Distillery

    Kangaroo Island Spirits

    One of SA's original gin distillers (there are now more than 20!), this fiesty little moonshiner makes small-batch gin with KI native juniper berries,…

  • Gorge

    Admirals Arch

    At the far end of the road within Flinders Chase NP, a boardwalk weaves down to Admirals Arch, a huge archway ground out by heavy seas, and passes a…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Kangaroo Island.

  • Activities

Featured videos