Your ultimate guide to Kangaroo Island

Just a short flight or fer­ry ride from the main­land, Kan­ga­roo Island (KI) is renowned for its rugged, nat­ur­al beau­ty and authen­tic wildlife encoun­ters. Fol­low­ing the ²⁰¹⁹⁄₂₀ bush­fires, the islands land­scape was impact­ed at a lev­el nev­er expe­ri­enced before. Ris­ing from the ash­es, the island has rebuilt big­ger and bet­ter, offer­ing a nature-based expe­ri­ence like no other.

Won­der­ing how to make the most of this spec­tac­u­lar island? We’ve put togeth­er a list of must-do experiences.

Seal Bay

For a nature-based tourism expe­ri­ence like no oth­er, head down to Seal Bay on the south coast.

With its stun­ning coast­line and windswept cliffs look­ing out to the South­ern Ocean, there’s plen­ty to point your cam­era at. But it’s the colony of Aus­tralian sea lions that real­ly steals the show.

Unique to South Aus­tralia and West­ern Aus­tralia, the species is endan­gered with a total pop­u­la­tion of approx­i­mate­ly 10,500, about 800 of which live at Seal Bay. It’s home to the third-largest colony of Aus­tralian sea lions and is one of the only places in the world where you can see them up close. Espe­cial­ly adorable dur­ing breed­ing sea­son, you’ll get to see new pups play on the sand and in the shallows.

Top tip: This world class attrac­tion gets pop­u­lar! Book your tour in advance to avoid dis­ap­point­ment. View the range of tours available.

Cape Willough­by Con­ser­va­tion Park

Fea­tur­ing the icon­ic Cape Willough­by Light­house, this con­ser­va­tion park is a must-vis­it. First lit in 1852, the light­house has guid­ed ships through the treach­er­ous waters of Back­stairs Pas­sage, ensur­ing safe pas­sage for ves­sels trav­el­ing from the east­ern states to Adelaide.

Vis­i­tors can enjoy spec­tac­u­lar views stretch­ing to Cape Jervis and Vic­tor Har­bor on the main­land, and might even spot pass­ing whales or cir­cling eagles.

Take a tour: Guid­ed Tours start at 10am, 12pm, 1pm and 3pm. (Sor­ry kids under 5…you won’t be able to climb the light­house unless you’re in an approved baby har­ness or back­pack!). Find out more.

Kel­ly Hill Caves

Ready to step back in time? Kel­ly Hill Caves offers a new vis­i­tor expe­ri­ence with an audio-visu­al tour fea­tur­ing nar­ra­tion and a dynam­ic light dis­play, pro­vid­ing an immer­sive jour­ney through the his­to­ry of the caves.

The expe­ri­ence starts with a guid­ed above-ground walk, where you learn about the caves’ his­to­ry and view new inter­pre­tive sig­nage, set­ting the stage for the under­ground adven­ture. Kel­ly Hill Caves are unique due to their rel­a­tive geo­log­i­cal youth and are just over half a mil­lion years old (that’s young in cave years!).

Apart from the guid­ed tours of the caves, the park offers above-ground acces­si­ble walk­ing trails, ample park­ing, and pic­nic facil­i­ties. It’s the per­fect spot for a day out with fam­i­ly and friends, offer­ing some­thing for everyone.

Book your guid­ed tour here.

Flinders Chase Nation­al Park 

Flinders Chase Nation­al Park is essen­tial for any Kan­ga­roo Island adven­ture. This expan­sive wilder­ness fea­tures icon­ic Remark­able Rocks, Admi­rals Arch, and a long-nosed fur seal colony.

Despite the bush­fires that affect­ed 96% of the park, much of the infra­struc­ture and sur­round­ing areas have been restored. A new vis­i­tor cen­tre offers a beau­ti­ful space to learn about the park and local his­to­ry, with an inter­pre­ta­tion gallery that helps vis­i­tors con­nect with the area.

Top tip:Read our blog on 6 things to see and do at Flinders Chase Nation­al Park.

Where to stay: Flinders Chase Nation­al Park is home to the recent­ly restored May’s Home­stead (sleeps 4) and Postman’s Cot­tage (sleeps 2). These her­itage-list­ed cot­tages offer high-stan­dard accom­mo­da­tion and are per­fect for groups or indi­vid­u­als seek­ing privacy.

Kan­ga­roo Island Wilder­ness Trail 

Have a lit­tle more time up your sleeve? This world class, 66km, five-day walk­ing trail gives you unpar­al­leled access to some of the most rugged, remote and spec­tac­u­lar coast­lines in South Australia.

The unimag­in­able beau­ty of this part of the world has to be seen to be believed.

Top tip: Ensure you’re pre­pared before you head off and check out our blog post.