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Kangaroo Island

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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.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Flinders Chase National Park
Kangaroo Island
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…
Seal Bay Conservation Park
Kangaroo Island
'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…
Snelling Beach
Kangaroo Island
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…
Remarkable Rocks
Kangaroo Island
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…
Frenchman's Rock
Kangaroo Island
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:…
Clifford's Honey Farm
Kangaroo Island
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…
Kangaroo Island Farmers Market
Kangaroo Island
Has baked goods, chutneys, seafood, olive oil, honey, eggs, cheese, yoghurt and of course wine and dodgy buskers (including, once, a certain Lonely Planet…
Ravine des Casoars
Kangaroo Island
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…