Kangaroo Island, Australia

Kangaroos, koalas, wombats, possums, sea lions, echidnas, goannas and platypus. Kangaroo Island has them all. I have spent a lifetime seeking out Australian animals, in a casual 'looking out of the car windows' kind of way, and I can confidently say the best place to see them all in one place is Kangaroo Island. The only large animal not found on the island is the emu.

It took us half a lifetime to get there. We almost made it when the boys were little but got put off by the cost of the ferry. It was the early '90s and either we were poorer or the ferry was more expensive: I can't remember which. In recent years, we have twice had accommodation booked and deposits paid. Each time a family illness prevented us from going. This was 'third-time lucky' territory. If we didn't make it this time we were giving up forever.


We finally made it and it was worth all the effort. Kangaroo Island is extensively promoted in the overseas tourist market and I can see why. It was fabulous!

The view from our veranda - you can see a couple of kangaroos in the distance.

We spent a week, staying at Eleanor River Homestead near Parndana in the island's interior. Every morning and evening we were visited by kangaroos, mostly mothers with joeys, happy to be patted and hand fed from our store of carrots. They each had a personality of their own and within a day or two I was able to tell them apart. One pair were always around, they would look up at me with pleading, expectant eyes. I was determined not to over feed them, but it was almost impossible in the face of such overpowering cuteness.

These guys were just super cute.

A few facts

Kangaroo Island is off the coast of Sth Australia, about 110 km from Adelaide, the capital of Sth Australia. It has a permanent population of 4,600 people and an area of 4,405 sq km (1,701 sq mi). Australia's third largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island, it has a rich history, spectacular coastline and wildlife - lots of wildlife. There are four towns: Kingscote, Penneshaw, American River and Parndana. Only Kingscote, the oldest settlement in Sth Australia, has more than a few hundred inhabitants.

Kangaroos

Kangaroo Island kangaroos are found only on Kangaroo Island. They are closely related to the mainland's western grey kangaroo but are slightly smaller and stockier.  You can't miss them - they are everywhere. However, if you want to maximise your chances of seeing lots of them don't stay in the coastal population centres; stay in the interior.  Even during the heat of the day, when kangaroos typically retreat into the bush, we could often see small mobs grazing in the paddocks around our inland homestead.

Koalas

Look up! There are thousands of koalas on the island but they don't make much noise or move about a lot so they are easy to miss. The best place to be sure of seeing them is the 'Koala Walk' at the Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Volunteers search the trees twice a day and place little flags to mark their location. The walk takes about half an hour; we counted ten or twelve koalas.

We also saw koalas at Murray Lagoon on the edge of  Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park . Do the Curley Creek hike from Seagers Rd - and don't forget to look up!

On our last day, we even found a koala sitting in a tree next to the long driveway leading to our homestead. 

Note: Anyone who read my last post will know that if you want to see loads of koalas in a small area there is nowhere in the world like  Raymond Island, Victoria.

If this little guy looks familiar it is because I thought he was so cute I used his photo on social media with my post on Raymond Island, but I took the photo on Kangaroo Island

Fairy Penguins

The population of Fairy Penguins has diminished considerably in recent years. Sadly, the cause seems to be the increasing numbers of fur seals.

There are penguin tours which leave from Penneshaw but with fewer and fewer penguins it is hard to say how long the tours will continue.  To be honest, while it is a bit commercial and packaged you can't go past Phillip Island for penguin viewing. At the right time of year, King Island in Bass Strait is fantastic, but it is a lot more difficult to get to.

Echidnas

The Kangaroo Island echidna has distinctive blond spikes. The owners of Eleanor River Homestead assured us there were echidnas in the nearby bush. As with most bush animals, finding echidnas is luck of the draw. We didn't see any at all but the owner of the bike shop where we bought D's new bike after our bicycle catastrophe (click here for the story) told me she had seen echidnas everywhere when she was last on the island.  Look for them in the bush and walk as quietly as possible. They are very timid - it is easy to walk straight past them without knowing they are there. 

We found this little guy on Raymond Island a week or so after we left Kangaroo Island

Platypus

Platypus are elusive. There is no getting around the fact that they are very difficult to find. In a lifetime of looking I have only ever thought that I might have, maybe, just once caught a glimpse of a platypus and it is quite possible I was mistaken. If you want to see a live platypus my best advice is go to a zoo. Taronga Zoo in Sydney has a great Platypus House but even there you need to be patient. They spend a fair amount of time hiding in their burrows.

The Platypus Waterholes Walk which begins at the Flinders Chase National Park Visitors' Centre leads to a group of pools which are home to this shy little creature. Don't expect to see one though - we didn't. Maximise your chances by being there at dusk or dawn, stay very quiet, be patient and hope - then, if you are lucky, you might, perhaps, maybe catch a glimpse of one or at least imagine that you have.

Note: The whole walk is about 4.5 km on an easy track. You can drive to the waterholes but the dirt road is severely corrugated making for a bone-shaking trip.

One of the Platypus Waterholes - you can see platypus burrows in the bank at the back but, sadly, no actual Platypus

Seals

There are large colonies of  sea lions and fur seals on the island. The sea lions at Seal Bay can only be seen by taking either a guided or self-guided tour . However the fur seals at Cape du Couedic can be seen from the boardwalks near Admiral's Arch in Flinders Chase National Park. There is a small charge to enter the park.

Seals enjoying the sun at Cape du Couedic

Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks

No blog post about Kangaroo Island would be complete without mention of Admirals Arch and The Remarkables - dramatic rock formations at Cape du Couedic in Flinders Chase National Park. We were there on a rare, fine day without too much wind. This is the Great Southern Ocean at it's most dramatic - nothing but thousands of miles of open sea between us and Antarctica.

The Remarkables - seen from a distance.

The Remarkables - closer up.

Looking out across the Great Southern Ocean from The Remarkables

Looking through Admirals Arch

The Great Southern Ocean coastline near Cape du Couedic

Lighthouses, wineries and other animals

Our animal spotting was not confined to kangaroos, koalas and seals. We found Rosenberg goannas at d'Estrees Bay, black swans at American River and pelicans at Kingscote - enough to satiate even my appetite for wildlife spotting. David joined in my searches with good humour but in the end I think he was glad to leave. He does enjoy a good lighthouse though and there were several on the island to give him a break from looking for animals. I also agreed to visit as many wineries as he wanted. We had some wonderful winery cafe lunches and returned to Sydney with far too many cases of wine. 

A Rosenberg goanna at D'Estrees Bay

Magnificent black swans

Where we stayed and what we ate

We stayed at Eleanor River Homestead, a two bedroom cottage, near Parndana. It was comfortable without being luxurious and perfect for seeing lots of kangaroos. It's location roughly in the middle of the island made sightseeing a bit easier since there were things we wanted to see at both ends of the island.

We self-catered for all our evening meals. There was a pub at Parndana, but not much else and it was a long drive to the restaurants in Kingscote. We did have some lovely winery lunches though. I can highly recommend the cafe at Dudley Wines Winery. The food was unexceptional, but the view out across the Great Southern Ocean was stunning.

Getting there

There are regular flights from Adelaide to Kingscote and a car and passenger ferry service from Cape Jervis. The accommodation at Cape Jervis is limited. We stayed at Victor Harbor the night before we caught the ferry which is about 40 minutes drive away.

Tips, tricks and things to know

• Hire a car and stay for at least three or four days. Kangaroo Island is much bigger than you might think. You can't see it all in a day or two. It takes several hours to drive from one end of the island to the other without stops. The main highway is sealed but most of the roads are dirt. You won't need a 4WD but you will need to slow down.
• If you want to see lots of bush animals, get out of the towns. Flinders Chase National Park is a great place to see wildlife. If you are there around dusk you can't avoid seeing kangaroos, but please slow down, the kangaroos have a disconcerting habit of waiting by the side of the road until you are almost on top of them and then hopping across in front of the car. 
• The only place we saw lots of kangaroos during the middle of the day was on our way out to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. Look in the bushes next to the road. We found many large kangaroos resting in the shade there.
• Be cautious about buying the Kangaroo Island Tour Pass. At $68 per adult and $185 for a family of four it is expensive. Be sure you want to do the tours it includes. If you are not a tour person then you probably don't need the pass - we didn't.