Everything you need to know to have a remarkable family holiday on Kangaroo Island

Known as Australia’s zoo with­out fences and with beau­ti­ful scenery at almost every turn, Kan­ga­roo Island can also be an afford­able South Aus­tralian hol­i­day destination.

Vis­it nation­al parks on the island for unique accom­mo­da­tion, incred­i­ble wildlife expe­ri­ences and icon­ic landscapes.

Until Fri­day 11 Decem­ber kids go free at two of the island’s best expe­ri­ences – Flinders Chase Nation­al Park and Seal Bay’s board­walk tours.

Kan­ga­roo Island is just 30 min­utes by plane from Ade­laide, or a 45-minute fer­ry from Cape Jervis (which is a 2‑hour dri­ve from Adelaide).

Here’s how to access the kids go free offers and plan your stay:

Watch Aus­tralian sea lions sun­ning them­selves on the beach

Seal Bay offers vis­i­tors an unfor­get­table wildlife expe­ri­ence with Aus­tralian sea lions.

There are no cages or enclo­sures in this wild colony and no expec­ta­tions are placed on the ani­mals – their loca­tion and behav­iour changes from day to day.

A vis­it to Seal Bay gives you the oppor­tu­ni­ty to immerse your­self in the beau­ti­ful sur­rounds of this colony – think white sands, blue skies and unspoiled vistas.

The board­walk self-guid­ed tour wel­comes you to take a stroll along a 900m return boardwalk.

It mean­ders through lime­stone cliffs and dunes, and show­cas­es the stun­ning coastal scenery for which Seal Bay is famous.

Along the way you’ll stop at view­ing plat­forms to watch Aus­tralian sea lions surf­ing the waves or sun­ning them­selves on the beach.

The Board­walk Tour is self-guid­ed, which means you can set your own pace.

It is ful­ly wheel­chair acces­si­ble and there are inter­pre­tive signs along the way where you’ll learn about the habits and behav­iour of the Aus­tralian sea lion, such as hunt­ing, rest­ing and reproduction.

The look­out offers amaz­ing views of Cape Gantheaume and the wilder­ness area.

Top tip: Before you go, read our sto­ry about sea lions and their pups for lots of cute and quirky insights.

Kids go free!

Pur­chase one adult tick­et to receive one kid’s tick­et free on the board­walk self-guid­ed tour until Fri­day 11 December. 

This offer is valid for chil­dren up to 15 years old and can be pur­chased on-site at the Seal Bay Vis­i­tor Infor­ma­tion Cen­tre.

The board­walk tour dura­tion is about half an hour and can be tak­en at any time while the park is open (from 9 am with the last entry at 4 pm). 

Seal Bay is a 45-minute dri­ve from Kingscote. 

Vis­it the icon­ic Remark­able Rocks

Trip Advi­sor review­ers rate Flinders Chase Nation­al Park as the num­ber one thing to do on Kan­ga­roo Island – and it’s lit­tle won­der with icon­ic tourist draw­cards open for self-dri­ve vis­i­tors and tour guests to expe­ri­ence includ­ing Remark­able Rocks, Weirs Cove, Cape du Couedic light­house and Admi­rals Arch.

These sites are now open fol­low­ing the dev­as­tat­ing 2019 – 20 sum­mer bush­fires, which burnt 96 per­cent of the park and the adjoin­ing Ravine Des Casoars Wilder­ness Pro­tec­tion Area.

Vis­i­tors to the park can trav­el a safe route through the park on Cape du Couedic Road – includ­ing the part which has become one of the most ins­ta-famous roads in South Australia.

Once at the sites you can browse around them on-foot. 

Green shoots are tak­ing hold in the park fol­low­ing win­ter rain, offer­ing vis­i­tors a unique oppor­tu­ni­ty to expe­ri­ence the land­scape regen­er­at­ing after fire.

The park is open from 9 am until 5 pm dai­ly, with last entry at 3 pm. It takes 25 min­utes to trav­el from Remark­able Rocks and Admi­rals Arch to the park gate, which is locked at 5 pm.

As Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice South Aus­tralia con­tin­ues to rebuild bush­fire impact­ed areas there are lim­it­ed facil­i­ties in the park.

You’ll need to pack enough water and snacks for your vis­it and remem­ber to take your rub­bish with you as there are no bins in the park.

The park has lim­it­ed toi­lets, there is no food or drink avail­able for pur­chase, and alco­hol is not per­mit­ted. Pets, includ­ing dogs, are not permitted.

Top tip: Read our sto­ry to learn how Flinders Chase is recov­er­ing post-bush­fire.

Kids go free!

Book online before you go and pur­chase one adult tick­et to receive one kid’s tick­et free until Fri­day, 11 Decem­ber with the code 1FREECHILD. This offer is valid for chil­dren up to 15 years old.

Be a light­house keep­er for a night

Look­ing for a quirky stay? Cape Willough­by is a spe­cial place where you can be a light­house keep­er for a night.

There are two cot­tages set on the rugged east­ern point of Kan­ga­roo Island over­look­ing the treach­er­ous Back­stairs Pas­sage, locat­ed about a half-hour dri­ve from the fer­ry ter­mi­nal at Pen­neshaw, or an hour from Kingscote Airport.

Built in 1927 and refur­bished in tra­di­tion­al style, they’re per­fect for a fam­i­ly get­away with kitchens equipped for cook­ing your own food, cosy lounges with board games and sea views from the spa­cious front verandahs.

Each cot­tage has five bed­rooms and sleeps up to nine peo­ple. Up to two infants (three years old and under) can stay at no extra charge and a cot and high chair can be pro­vid­ed, just include the request when you book online.

While you’re there you can step back in time and take a guid­ed tour to learn about what it was like to be a light­sta­tion keep­er at Cape Willough­by. Light­sta­tion His­to­ry and Light­house Climb Tours depart each day on the hour between 11am and 3pm.

Curi­ous about the wildlife you might encounter on your vis­it? Check out our sto­ry aboutsome of the island’s best wildlife expe­ri­ences.