Kangaroo Island is a unique destination just off the coast of Adelaide in the south of Australia. This small island is known for its protected nature, wildlife life, and relaxing island lifestyle that makes it so unique from the rest of Australia. This article can help you develop a Kangaroo Island itinerary that matches your interests while allowing you to truly enjoy this wonderful island.
Much like its name indicates, the island has many kangaroos living on the island. However, the island is also home to other wildlife, including wallabies, koalas, and different reptiles. Unfortunately, in late 2019 and early 2020, over 42% of the island was burned by wildfires (bushfires in Australia), which displaced and killed many wild animals, decimated livestock populations, and completely changed the ecosystem of the island. Today, finding koalas in the eucalyptus trees along the roads is more challenging as they are still repopulating after the devastation. And the Flinders Chase National Park, of which 96% was destroyed, is still recovering and regrowing to its original natural and luscious beauty.
This does not mean that Kangaroo Island is not worth visiting. Quite the opposite! There are still a number of activities to do, quaint towns to explore, small shops and businesses to support, beaches to relax on, and animals to see to fill your Kangaroo Island itinerary.
Don't forget to rent your car for your Kangaroo Island itinerary.
Melbourne to Kangaroo Island Itinerary Idea
9 Days Exploring Southern Australia between Melbourne and Adelaide
So how can you add a Kangaroo Island itinerary to an overarching vacation for a week in Southern Australia? Here is what we recommend:
Day 1-3
Explore the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne
Day 4-5
Hike through Grampians National Park
Day 6-8
Discover Kangaroo Island
Read More in this Article
Day 9
Return to Melbourne
Where to Stop During Your Kangaroo Island Itinerary
Nature and Wildlife to Explore
The nature of Kangaroo Island is beautiful and one of the aspects that makes visiting this place so special and unique. It’s definitely one aspect that you should prioritize in your Kangaroo Island itinerary. The following are a list of places, sanctuaries, and parks that can be visited to truly appreciate the wildlife and nature of Kangaroo Island. Beyond these destinations, it is important to look around as you drive throughout the island; the nature and wildlife is everywhere! You may be driving down roads and see koalas up in the eucalyptus trees, or hiking along a path and be stopped by wallabies hopping across the road.
Disclaimer
Since the wildfires of 2020 on Kangaroo Island, wildlife significantly dwindled and is still in the process of recovering. As a result, it is not as abundant as it once was (or as is mentioned on multiple blog resources). It is important to set your expectations as you travel around the island. If you do encounter wildlife, you should consider the following:
- Keep a healthy distance between you and the wildlife to not scare or disturb them, especially when they have their young with them. Some animals can be territorial when they are with their young and may be aggressive, such as emus.
- Take photographs without flash. The light from the flash may severely affect their eyesight and, therefore, their ability to survive in the wild.
- DO NOT feed animals, no matter how cute they may be. It is important to keep wild animals wild so they can continue to survive without the support of humans. When humans feed animals, the animals are now trained to depend on people and the animals lose their instinct to hunt, gather, and fend for themselves.
- Be quiet to not disturb them
Disclaimer
Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail
This walk is in Penneshaw and is a good introduction to the landscape and wildlife of the island. If you do the walk in the morning, you have a greater chance of running into local wallabies. The trail itself could take you between 30-45 minutes and has gentle inclines and some stairs, but it is an easy walk overall. Consider this walk to start out your entire Kangaroo Island itinerary.
Emu Bay Beach
This beautiful beach is a short drive away from Kingscote. It is a popular location to relax at. There are even a few beachside stands with great snacks to help you enjoy the seaside landscape even more.
Stokes Bay Beach
The Stokes Bay beach is a little complicated to get to but making it onto the beach is absolutely worth it within your Kangaroo Island itinerary. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia (by some publications). Once you park at the parking lot of the beach, you will hike through the coastal rocks and canyons to get to the secluded beach. This link on AllTrails will give you a better idea of how to find the beach. Because of the tide, you may need to wade through some water to get to the beach so be prepared with sandals and shorts as you make your way.
Flinders Chase National Park
This National Park is the largest protected land on the island. Unfortunately, 96-98% of the park was destroyed in the wildfire of 2020 but it continues to regrow today. As a result, it is not quite as full of animals as it once was. You can still expect to find a number of reptiles while you are driving and walking around the park. To start, you will need to purchase a park pass from the visitor center of the national park and then you can do a drive to some of the peak viewpoints of the park. Make sure to dedicate at least a half a day on your Kangaroo Itinerary to visit the national park.
Drive to Admirals Arch and Fur Seal Lookout where you will get to see some rock structures along with fur seals resting on the rocks. You will drive by the Cape Du Couedic Lightstation and prominent lighthouse. Then, you can head to the Weirs Lookout where you can see the ruins of the lightkeepers of the island along with the dock they used to bring in supplies. Finally, you can head to the Remarkable Rocks Lookout and the Remarkable Rocks themselves and see the unique rock formations that have been formed on the coast. (Be careful of walking to the edge of the landscape and make sure to follow the signs posted to stay safe.) You will want to spend at least 1-3 hours doing this drive to really take in these different viewpoints.
After driving to these prominent destinations, you will want to head to the Platypus Waterholes Walk, a 3.4 mile (5.5 kilometer) walk through the forest of Flinders Chase National Park and the waterways that platypus live within the park. The platypus were remarkably able to survive through the wildfire and can be seen swimming in this area today. They are shy animals and are more active when it is quiet and at dawn or dusk. And if you do not have any luck seeing the animals themselves, you can read through the placards throughout the walk that will give you information about the animals, their habits, and their habitat.
Little Sahara Adventure Center
The Little Sahara Adventure Center takes advantage of the natural sand dunes that have built up on the south side of the island. These sand dunes are the perfect place for some adventure activities, including renting sandboards to go down the dunes, taking a buggy tour that shows the landscapes and wildlife of this portion of the island, riding an electric fat bike on the dunes to get an intimate tour of the nature of the island, and more. You can read more about the different activities provided here.
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park
The wildlife park is an important conservation center for the island, especially after the bushfire of 2020. This organization is a zoo of local and exotic wildlife, a sanctuary for “pets” that people no longer know how to care for, and a hospital for the injured animals of the island, especially koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. (Unfortunately, these marsupials are sometimes hit by cars and even if they are killed upon impact, their joeys in their pouch may survive and need human intervention to grow up successfully).
You can learn more about these animals and the work of the organization while at the park. You can also interact with different animals, including petting the koalas and feeding the kangaroos. The animals that interact with humans have no chance to return to the wild because they are too dependent on humans for a variety of reasons, including being raised by the wildlife park after being injured in the major wildfire of 2020. If you are looking to hold a koala, this could be a great place for that experience and add it to your Kangaroo Island itinerary! You can learn more about this park and experience here.
Raptor Domain
This wildlife experience focuses on free-flight birds of prey, such as owls and eagles, and gives people a presentation every day at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM. Not only can you learn about these birds, you can also purchase experiences to hold some of the different birds on the properties. This organization also helps rehabilitate birds that are injured on the island. You can learn more here.
Seal Bay Conservation Park
This conservation area is a protected portion of beach where mother seals raise their pups and spend time laying together, resting, and recovering after the mothers spend three days at a time in the ocean to find food. There are two paid options for seeing the seals on the beach. The first is a walk along the boardwalk above the seals. The seals do get relatively close to the boardwalks as they protect themselves from the ocean by laying up on the dunes. The second option is a guided walk to the beach, getting you within a few meters of the seals. If you have already had the occasion to see and interact with seals on a beach, then this experience may not be as valuable to you. You can read more about the experience and the pricing here.
Mount Thisby Lookout At Prospect Hill
This hike is more of a staircase and includes 500 steps to a viewpoint that allows you to have a 360° vista of the entire island, including many of the beautiful beaches, bays, and towns.
Small Businesses Worth Checking Out
The businesses of Kangaroo Island add to the quaint culture of the island and make it such a unique destination to explore. Here are just some of different boutiques, restaurants, and bars that are worth checking out. You can also ask locals for their recommendations to explore the island in an intimate way.
Millie Mae's Pantry
This cafe is located in Penneshaw (where the ferry will drop you off) and is a great place to grab a bite to eat after getting off the early morning ferry.
Eucalyptus Oil Distillery
If you are looking for a place to buy some local souvenirs, look no further than the Eucalyptus Oil Distillery. During the harvesting season, you can take a tour to see the processing plant of the eucalyptus oil. And during the off season, you can shop the multitude of products they produce, along with some collaborations with other boutiques and small businesses across the island.
Wine Tasting - Springs Road
Kangaroo Island has a number of different vineyards and cellars to visit and taste some local wine. Springs Road is one of these cellars that produces wine from grapes grown on the island. The specialties of the region are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. Include this in your Kangaroo Island itinerary and stop by for a tasting of their different labels and buy a bottle to commemorate the trip. You do not need a reservation for their tastings.
Kangaroo Island Spirits
If you prefer spirits to wine, then you can look into this gin distillery near Kingscote. Their cellar door provides both tastings and cocktail classes.
The Pick and Shovel
This cocktail bar in Kingscote is a great place to grab a unique drink. They have a creative cocktail menu and unique bar snacks that are all delicious. It is owned by Kangaroo Island Brewery so it is a great place to try local beers if you cannot make it to their brewery during your Kangaroo Island itinerary (and check the opening hours of restaurants because places may close earlier than expected.)
Vivonne Bay General Store
This general store is known for their delicious whiting burger, which is a local white fish that is battered and fried on a roll. The shop has nice indoor and outdoor seating and exudes the local quaint personality of Kangaroo Island.
Emu Bay Lavender Farm
This may be one of the best places to eat on the island. Not only does this small business have lavender products from their local farm, they also infuse their food and drinks menu with the aromatic plant. Their Famous Lavender Scone is absolutely delightful and a great way to get a taste of the plant. You can also take the chance to take photos in the beautiful lavender fields around the cafe. This stop is a must visit on your Kangaroo Island itinerary!
Clifford's Honey Farm
The honey farm is another small business on the island. They provide tours of the honey extracting shed every day at 1 PM. This is a great place to learn about the importance of bees in our ecosystem, get information about the honey production process, purchase a variety of honey-based goods, or try some of their local honey ice cream.
A Sample 3 Day Kangaroo Island Itinerary
Morning
Afternoon
Day 1
Take the early morning ferry to be able to maximize your time on the island.
Start with a walk around the Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail.
Stop at Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery.
Head to Emu Bay Beach for a snack at the shack.
Drive and hike to Stokes Bay Beach and spend the afternoon relaxing in the sun.
Drive to Springs Road for a wine tasting.
Spend the evening in Kingscote.
Day 2
Head to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park and spend the morning learning about the animals of the island and Australia.
Spend the afternoon at Flinders Chase National Park.
Stay near the park in Vivonne Bay or in the Discovery Parks accommodations.
Day 3
Head to Little Sahara Adventure Centre or the Raptor Domain, depending on if you want a thrilling adventure or to see more wildlife.
Get lunch at the Emu Bay Lavender Farm.
Hike up the Mount Thisby Lookout.
Take a later ferry back to the mainland.