5 unmissable autumn experiences on Kangaroo Island
March to May is the perfect time to explore Kangaroo Island.
The warm, sunny weather provides ideal conditions for bushwalking and the calmer seas are great for fishing trips and family days on the beach. The changing colours and native blooms also provide unparalleled backdrops for spotting wildlife.
Here are our five unmissable experiences this autumn on Kangaroo Island.
1. Flinders Chase National Park and Ravine Des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area
No visit to Kangaroo Island is complete without a visit to this vast wilderness, featuring Admirals Arch and a long-nosed seal colony. Remarkable Rocks, the island’s best-known landmark, also sit within the park. These 500-million-year-old granite boulders have been sculpted over the ages by wind and water, leaving behind stunning shapes. With the autumn light hitting the sprawling coastline and orange rocks, it’s a view not to miss.
2. Seal Bay
Step foot onto this unique breeding colony of around 800 sea lions. From May, you might see the first of the season’s seal pups. Seal Bay is only place in the world that you can walk on the beach with these endangered animals — it’s an experience like no other. For those who’d rather admire from afar, Seal Bay has a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk leading to a number of well-placed viewing platforms.
3. Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail
Spend hours or days walking in nature on this 61 kilometre trail. Experience uninterrupted views of some of the most rugged, remote and spectacular coastline of the Southern Ocean, located predominantly within Flinders Chase National Park. There are four campsites to break up your journey or settle into to enjoy the most botanically unique part of South Australia. There are plenty of autumn blooms to admire with colourful peapods, banksia, common heath and flame heath beginning to blossom in autumn.
Delve underground and learn about the caves’ history before embarking on an underground adventure. Formed over millions of years, Kelly Hill Caves offer some of the most spectacular limestone formations in the world. Whether it’s adventure caving, or a walk through the show cave, these chambers will delight young and old.
5. Wildlife
Home to hundreds of native species, Kangaroo Island has been called Australia’s zoo without fences and is a wildlife-lover’s paradise. The calm waters and milder weather makes autumn the best time to explore Kangaroo Island from the water. The Sponge Gardens Sanctuary Zone is a fantastic place to dive, providing habitat for iconic species such as blue groper, harlequin fish and southern blue devil, as well as large sponges. In autumn, Cape Barren Geese prepare to nest Flinders Chase and nearby lagoons and Double-banded plovers arrive from New Zealand to settle in the tidal flats. The cooler autumn nights make for perfect conditions to see the Island’s colony of Little penguins settle into nesting.
Don’t forget to book online before you head to Flinders Chase National Park, Seal Bay and Kelly Hill Caves Conservation Park. Looking for the most cost effective way to visit the island? Check out the Kangaroo Island Tour Pass.
Whether it’s long days on the beach with the family, enjoying uninterrupted views of the coastline or tasting local produce, autumn in Kangaroo Island offers an experience like no other.
Where to stay: Where to stay in Kangaroo Island’s national parks (environment.sa.gov.au)
