Kangaroo Island had long been on the top of my ‘places I want to travel’ list and with the state border closures from Western Australia banning anyone outside the state from entering due to covid (eye roll), we changed our travel plans and flew to South Australia instead and what a gem it proved to be.
If you’re interested in a travel guide to Kangaroo Island then you can read that here otherwise continue on for our in-depth stay on Kangaroo Island. As noted in my previous blog post, we decided to explore KI in it’s “regions” which you can read all about below.
Day One: “The Middle”
Kingscote, American River & Local Produce (Friday)
Arriving late afternoon, we headed straight to our lovely airBnB ‘Sea Loft’ located on the outskirts of Kingscote with beautiful views overlooking the Bay of Shoals. Home for the next two nights, the property was peacefully surrounded by nature and wildlife including kangaroos & echidnas right on the door step. It was a chilly night so we lit the fireplace and took it easy before our first day of exploring.
Waking up to an overcast morning, we decided to explore ‘the middle’ of the island and check out the local produce the island had to offer. First stop was a lovely breakfast at the Cactus Cafe in Kingscote before heading to Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery. The cafe at the back of the eucalyptus distillery is also the cellar door for Kangaroo Island Cider. Next was the Island Beehive but they didn’t have any tastings due to covid so we purchased the Honey Ice Cream and Honey Wheat Beer to enjoy later on.
American River was a cute little seaside town. The main reason for our visit was lunch at the Oyster Farm – really recommend as everything was delicious, especially the pippies! Unfortunately it was just out of season for the oysters. We followed the tourist drive around town signposted by Pelican Pete before driving out to see Red Rocks. This headland can actually be seen across the water from Kingscote. It’s meant to be a breathtaking spot at sunset but we visited during the day and took the rocky path down to the beach to wander below the huge red rocks that towered above us. We stopped in at KI Spirits on our way back to Kingscote for a lovely gin tasting.
The afternoon weather was absolutely beautiful so we decided to save some of the other KI local produce spots for another day and headed to Emu Bay. What an absolutely beautiful beach! The whitest sand and bluest water, it would be rude to not hop in for a dip. This beach also had 4×4 access.
Breakfast @ Cactus Cafe
Lunch @ The Oyster Farm Shop
Dinner @ Vino E Cucina, Kingscote
Stay @ air BnB ‘Sea Loft’, Kingscote (2 nights)
Day Two: “The North Coast”
Emu Bay, Western Cove, Snelling Beach & Stokes Bay (Saturday)
The wind was favourable for the North Coast so we decided to check out all the gems. We started the morning for breakfast and a walk at the Emu Bay Lavender Farm. Make sure you order the oversized lavender scone with lavender jelly, homemade jam and fresh cream! They aren’t lying when they say oversized. We spotted so many koala’s lazing about the eucalyptus trees on our drive into Emu bay so keep your eyes peeled!
We head straight for Western Cove so that we could wind our way back. The views were spectacular on the windy drive in. Western Cove was empty, I think we only saw one other car whilst we were there. It seemed like the rain from the week before blew black ash from the recent bushfires onto the beach as a local mentioned to us that he had never seen the place look like this before. It reminded us of the black sand beach Piha on the north island of New Zealand. Beautiful none the less! We explored the beach, walking tracks and the views from the top of the lookout.
Next was Snelling Beach; a really beautiful white sand beach that was also 4×4 friendly. We went down with our towels for a swim and noticed something swimming out not so far – a shark! We decided to film as he was heading right towards the rocks we were standing on. The shark turned away into the deeper blue waters but not soon after came swimming back, seemingly swimming straight towards this lady who was floating out about 10 metres from the shore. As the shark swam closer, the beach got a little bit eerier. We were waving our hands at the lady and yelling out shark to try and get her attention, as well as another group half way down the beach who noticed the same shark. The lady couldn’t hear us and some how, the shark swum slowly past her on the inside (the shark was closer to land than the lady). Once the shark past it looked like he was circling back, but at that point the lady either saw the shark or heard our calls and somehow calmly swum back to shore, untouched. So lucky !! We have no idea if the shark was actually going to attack or not but it was a close encounter that’s for sure! We think because she was wearing swimmers not a wetsuit, as well as her swimming calmly may have help her. I’d hate to know what would of happened if it was me out there as I don’t think I’d be able to swim that calm!
Next stop was Stokes Bay – the hidden beach and wow what a gem!!! You arrive to a little cove that doesn’t look like much. To the right, you’ll see a sign saying beach and pointing towards some tight sitting rocks. A walk through these coving rocks leads to a beautiful little rock pool and beautiful bay-style beach where we swam and relaxed the afternoon away.
On our way back into Kingscote we stopped at the Kangaroo Island Brewery to enjoy a tasting paddle of cold local beers.
Breakfast @ Emu Bay Lavender Farm
Dinner & stay @ Ozone Hotel, Kingscote (3 nights)
Day Three: “The West Coast”
Flinders Chase National Park (Sunday)
We woke early and headed straight for Flinders Chase National Park and found ourselves to be the only ones there. We stopped at Bunker Hill Lookout before driving the renowned windy road towards admirals arch.
As we drove into the carpark, a huge red belly black snake slithered towards the car – it was absolutely huge! That deterred me away from doing any bush walks that day. Heading down along the boardwalk with views spanning across the ocean, we kept an eye out hoping to spot a big shark that had been hanging out the past few days but none that we could see today.
As we got closer to Admirals Arch we could see the seal colony & all their playful seal pups that lived at the bottom of the stairs. Many seals can be seen relaxing and playing in the waters that lapped under admirals arch. Beautiful spot! We walked the track around the lighthouse and took in more beautiful views before the tour buses started to roll in and it was our cue to leave. On our drive out we stopped at Weirs cove which is a must before heading towards the Remarkables.
No Kangaroo Island holiday would be complete without a stop in Flinders Chase National Park where large rock formations sit above beautiful views of the ocean below. The Remarkables would have to be the islands most iconic landmark.
We stopped at Hanson Bay on our way back out of Flinders Chase NP for a lovely swim and was greeted by a friendly seal swimming in the bay. Head up the bush track at the other end of the cove for beautiful views.
We were yet to have lunch and were keen to try the famous whiting burger from Vivonne Bay General Store that we’d heard so much about. Unfortunately they were all out of whiting but we got the shark burger instead and it did not disappoint! We decided to share as we had dinner booked @ the Odd Plate and the food was absolutely amazing !!!!
Lunch @ Vivonne Bay General Store
Dinner @ The Odd Plate, Kingscote
Day Four: “The South Coast”
Seal Bay, Vivonne Bay and Pennington Bay (Monday)
Kangaroo Island is not short on wildlife and whilst most can be seen anywhere on the island without a fee, today we visited Seal Bay Conservation Park. This unforgettable wildlife experience had us purchasing a ticket before being led on a walking tour with a guide down to the beach and onto the sand amongst the seal colony.
On hot days, seals laze on the sand, fight and show off their swimming skills in the waves. On cold and windy days, they tend to head up the sand dune towards the visitor centre (and even go inside sometimes!) so keep this in mind when planning your visit.
After the walking tour, you are free to explore the boardwalk paths for more great views of the seals below but you need to join the tour if you want to go onto the sand.
We went back to Vivonne Bay (for another shark burger) before checking out Vivonne bay beach and the jetty.
Because the weather was absolutely amazing, we head to Pennington Bay to relax for the afternoon. I think this is my favourite beach on the whole island! The most beautiful blue water where dolphin’s & surfers shared the waves and rocks pools and coves were waiting to be explored.
Lunch @ Vivonne Bay General Store
Dinner @ Ozone Hotel, Kingscote
Day Five: “The East Coast”
Penneshaw and surrounds (Tuesday)
Penneshaw was a beautiful little coastal town & is the ferry port between KI & mainland Australia. We wandered along the Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail, spotting wallabies as we went. We enjoyed a wine tasting & the most beautiful views across the bay at Dudleys Wines before continuing on to explore Antechamber bay and Cape Willoughby lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in South Australia. A long lunch was enjoyed at Sunset Food and Wine. On our way back to Kingscote we stopped back in at Pennington Bay to relax the afternoon away on the beach as it really was our favourite spot.
Breakfast @ Millie Maes Pantry in Penneshaw
Long lunch @ Sunset Food and Wine
Dinner @ Queenscliffe family pub in Kingscote
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 