AustralAsia > Australia > South Austraila > Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is the ideal getaway for anyone visiting Australia. It has everything, swimming, surfing, diving, hills, wildlife, fishing and beautiful scenery. .

It was named by Matthew Flinders in 1802, after he and his crew had had a nice kangaroo meal on the island. It is Australia’s third largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island near Darwin.

Thanks to its isolation from the mainland for the past 9,500 years, it has some of the most native and unique wildlife in Australia. Also because of its fortuitous isolation, lots of endangered animals like the koalas, wallabies, platypuses were introduced to save them from extinction. Though the island was unoccupied when the settlers arrived, there is enough evidence to show that it was occupied 11,000 years ago all the way till 2,250 years ago. The early settlers were mainly sealers, whalers and escaped convicts.

Kingscote is the largest town on the island and was settled in 1836. There is great swimming in the tidal pool in the town, but for a really good swim, head out to Emu Bay. Pelican feeding time is every evening at 4 pm and you can discover penguins on a Discovering Penguins Walk. Don’t miss out on the islands sheep dairy and cheese factory to shamelessly dig into the goodies. The last Eucalyptus Distillery left on the island is also worth a look.

The Flinders Chase National Park is by far the best park on the island. You’ll find loads of wildlife and lovely tall forests. There are nice walking trails, a cemetery and even a lighthouse built in 1858 that has some interesting stories to tell. If you're into diving, then diving tours are available along with abseiling, canoeing, rock climbing and scuba diving even for beginners.

Check for tours of Seal Bay, Kelly Hill Caves Conservation Park, Cape Borda and Cape Willoughby. Thanks to lots of shipwrecks off the coast of Kangaroo Island, scuba diving can be a very interesting experience. You can also dive with fur seals and bump into 30 cm long sea dragons. You could do a coach tour or by a 4 Wheel Drive and carry on the short cruises, walking tours, farm trips etc.

Getting there: You can get here by air to the capital, Kingscote, or by ferry which departs from Cape Jervis, near Adelaide. Cars, buses, motorbikes are all allowed onto the ferry. Book in advance. Around the Island itself you could hire a car or rent a bike, but drive carefully for most of the roads are narrow and have gravel surfaces. Buses will take you from the airport and quay to the capital Kingscote. Once again, get your travel agent to make bookings.

Accommodation: There is plenty of accommodation on the island, apart from the usual hotels, hostels, guesthouses, caravan parks and B & Bs; there are also historic cottages that are for rent in the National Parks.

The island’s Tourist Gateway Information Centre is on the road to Kingscote. The main NPWS office is on 37, Dauncy Street in Kingscote. You can get passes here to visit the National Parks. Get a pamphlet on fire safety rules as well especially if you are camping between December to April, when lighting a fire illegally can land you in jail.