Kangaroo Island (KI) is a small island that lies off South Australian's scenic Fleurieu Peninsula. KI as referred to by the locals, has an abundance of wildlife, breathtaking scenery, pristine beaches and postcard views that peek out while driving on the long, winding dirt tracks in and around the island.
At Remarkable Rocks |
To get over to KI, we drove from Adelaide down to Cape Jervis (it's about a 2 hour drive) to catch the 45 minute SeaLink car ferry to Penneshaw.
The girls were amazed at how many native animals could be spotted on this one island, and were eager to find all the animals listed on the tourist information's checklist. Popette had already spotted a dolphin on the ferry, so was able to tick off her first item. She was a little upset at the end of our stay, not to have found a snake sunning itself. Me on the other hand, I was actually quite relieved. I didn't want to come face-to-face with any brown snakes...my motto during the holiday was "A good snake, is a dead snake"...like the one Hubby drove over!
L to R: The girls boarding the ferry, spotting the ferry arriving at Cape Jervis, our ferry, Hubby in the car waiting to board. |
Our camping site backing onto a beautiful bushland with eucalyptus, home to a couple Koalas and wallabies |
L to R: An echidna and koala spotted in the wildlife reserve where we were staying, Hansons Bay (a secluded bay with beautiful aqua coloured water) |
We found this fella sitting on the side of the road watching the cars go by |
Seal Bay - is home to Australian sea lions, long-nose fur seals and NZ fur seals. It is the 3rd largest colony of sea lions in the world. We wandered down the 800 metre boardwalk, checking for snakes on the way (see above note re snakes!) to a platform overlooking the white sandy beach of Seal Bay. We found pups playing in the water, and a lot of adults snoozing on the beach or in the sand dunes., having a well earned rest after the big swim and fishing. It was so wonderful to see them in their natural environment.
Watching the seals from the platform at Seal Bay |
Admirals Arch |
It's not cheap to travel to KI, so we did most things on a budget. Things like groceries, meat, dining out, petrol, travel tours and experiences can be quite expensive due to the remoteness of the island. If you are planning a visit there, it's a good idea to do a bit of research before going on your holiday so you can find the best deals.
There was not a lot of options on the western side of KI at night. So we headed to a pub, the Parndana Hotel, the only place opened after 8pm on a Saturday night on our side of the island. It was only 60kms from our tent!! The meal was expensive (like most things on the island) but was the best steak we had eaten all holiday.
part 1, part 2, part 3 (Our 20th wedding anniversary)