Kangaroo Island is HUGE! It’s filled with an abundance of wildlife, farm land, breathtaking coastlines, mouth-watering food & wine and finished off with a laid-back vibe. Your stay will be both jam-packed and relaxing all in one. You can read all about our stay on Kangaroo Island on my next blog post or continue on if you are looking for those hidden gems and tips to plan your perfect Kangaroo Island itinerary.
Kangaroo Island Highlights
We personally think the best way to explore KI is to dedicate each day to a “region” which I have split up into five below including the must see highlights which can be done in no particular order.
☼ “The North Coast” ☼
Emu Bay: incredible blue waters and white sand beach with 4WD access.
Emu Bay Lavender Farm: make sure you order the oversized lavender scone!
Stokes Bay: hidden beach through rock caves (must see!)
Snelling Beach: another white sand crystal clear beach with 4WD access.
Western River Cove Beach: a boardwalk will lead you past a river to the cove beach. Head up the top of the cliff for a spectacular lookout
Cape Borda Lighthouse*
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park*
☼ “The West Coast” ☼
Flinders Chase National Park: Remarkable Rocks and the rugged coastline on the drive there. Admirals Arch (long-nosed fur seal colony live here). Bunker Hill Lookout. Cape Du Couedic Lighthouse. Weirs Cove
Hanson Bay: Walk the bay and climb the rocks for a beautiful view and look out for seals! Great spot for a swim.
Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary*
☼ “The South Coast” ☼
Vivonne Bay: check out the jetty and jump in for a swim. Be sure to visit Vivonne Bay General Store for the well-hyped fish or shark burger
Seal Bay: book a guided tour onto the sand amongst the seals themselves or wander on the boardwalk.
Bales Beach – Little Sahara* – Raptor Domain*
☼ “The East Coast” ☼
Pennington Bay: our favourite beach
Prospect Hill*
Penneshaw: The second biggest town on Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail
Antechamber Bay: Nice beach and drive along to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse
☼ “The Middle” ☼
Kingscote: Largest town on KI
Red Banks Beach: towering colourful cliffs. Would be a gem at sunrise or sunset
American River: seaside town. The Oyster Farm shop is a must for lunch.
Check out the local produce: food highlights below
* Even with our 5 full days, these were the things we missed out on but I’ve included in each regions highlights incase you want to check them out.
☼ GETTING THERE ☼
Kangaroo Island is located off the coast of Adelaide in South Australia. The fastest way is to fly from Adelaide airport to Kingscote (40 minutes) or catch the SeaLink ferry from Cape Jervis (2 hours drive south of Adelaide) to Penneshaw (45 minute ferry).
☼ HOW LONG TO GO FOR ☼
The more time you can spend the better! The island is a lot bigger than most people anticipate and keep in mind there is a lot of driving. Majority of the main roads are sealed but a lot of the roads are dirt & limestone so you might not fit as much into a day as you may think.
We spent 5 full days / 6 nights on the island which we found to be the perfect time to relax and enjoy what KI has to offer but you could manage the island in 4 full days or 3 at the very least (that’s if the weather is perfect every day and you’re happy to skip some sights or jam things in).
☼ GETTING AROUND ☼
A car is your best mode of transport in KI. If money allows, you could hire a 4WD as there are some beaches you can drive on but it’s not really necessary.
☼ WHERE TO STAY ☼
The two main spots to base yourself are Kingscote or Penneshaw. Kingscote is a bit more central to all of the attractions where Penneshaw is a little out of the way but close to the ferry terminal. Kingscote has the most dinner options, with both towns having a grocery store.
Another great option would be to hop your way around in a camper or stay at a different spot every couple of nights and enjoy the regions. There’s so many accommodation options to choose from on KI, from luxury all inclusive, to hotels, camping (or glamping) and airBnB so it truly depends what type of stay you are after!
☼ BEST TIME TO VISIT ☼
We visited in February which is summertime in Australia and had amazing weather! Even though weather is tricky to predict any time of year, we personally recommend the summer or shoulder seasons so you can best enjoy swimming and the beaches. Although I’m sure Winter would be just as lovely especially if you are more into hiking and walks. Wildlife will be around at different times of year too so I’m sure it really is an all-year-round kind of destination.
Closer to your stay, we recommend checking the weather forecast & the wind predictions. As you are visiting an island, if it’s windy on one side (blowing onshore) it should be beautiful and calm on the other side (blowing offshore). This helped us decide which days we were going to explore each region.
☼ WHERE TO EAT ☼
Kangaroo Island is renowned for it’s amazing food & wine. A few of the places we recommend:
Sunset Food and Wine (we went for a long lunch – try the ‘feed me’ menu)
The Odd Plate (wow – amazing. I’m still dreaming of the lemon meringue cocktail)
Emu Bay Lavender Farm (Order the oversized lavender scone with lavender jelly, homemade jam and fresh cream)
Vivonne Bay General Store (they were all out of the famous whiting burger but the shark burger did not disappoint!)
The Oyster Farm Shop, American River (the pippies were delicious)
Cactus Cafe (great breakfast)
Dudley Wines (beautiful views and wines to match)
It’s also worth setting aside some time to check out the local produce including some of the highlights like Emu Ridge, Honey Farm, KI Spirits and Kangaroo Island Brewery just to name a few.
Above: Dudleys Wines / Lavender Farm / KI Spirits / The Odd Plate
Keep an eye out for the next blog post of our more in-depth stay on Kangaroo Island.
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 