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Boutique hotels in Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island, Australia

Kangaroo Island Overview

Australia

Coastline
Southern Ocean surf
Coast life
Wild times (big nature, not big nights out)

Touting itself as ‘Australia’s Galapagos’, Kangaroo Island (KI) has an amazing proliferation of wildlife – in the sky, the scrub and the sea.

Located 13 kilometres off South Australia's coast, it's the country's third biggest island – so there’s plenty of space for the local wildlife to do its thing without the 4,250 islanders getting in the way. KI (www.tourkangarooisland.com.au) is a remarkable sanctuary, and no trip to the island should transpire without encountering some of the hairy, feathery or fishy residents (and no, we don’t mean the fishermen). Kangaroos, seals and penguins abound, as well as abundant birdlife. Things here are slow-paced and uncomplicated, a cultural hark-back to simpler days when you slept with the doors unlocked and ate what you farmed on the land or fished out of the sea. Highlights of a KI visit might include sampling the local produce (cheese, seafood, farm meats, honey and wine), bushwalking through a forest or along the rugged coastal beaches, or just kicking back with the locals in a pub.

Keenly Kangaroo Island

With isolation comes security, a phenomenon KI’s wildlife has taken full advantage of. Rummaging through the undergrowth you’ll find koalas, wallabies, bandicoots, possums, echidnas, long lean goannas, tiger snakes and, of course, kangaroos. Offshore there are southern right whales, dolphins, fairy penguins, Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals. Up above you’ll catch sight of 243 bird species, including impressive airborne armadas of glossy black cockatoos.

Local knowledge

Taxis
There are no taxis on the island, but Airport Shuttle Services (0427 887 575) links Kingscote Airport with Emu Bay (AU$18), Kingscote (AU$20), American River (AU$25) and Penneshaw (AU$40). Sealink (13 13 01; +61 (0)8 8202 8688; www.sealink.com.au) runs town-to-town shuttle buses between Penneshaw and American River (AU$11) and Kingscote (AU$14).

Tipping culture
Like elsewhere in Australia, tipping here isn’t mandatory, but tip 10 per cent in restaurants and cafés if your service came with a smile.

Siesta and Fiesta
KI’s few shops open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday; some also open 10am to 4pm on Saturdays but rarely on Sundays. The smattering of cafés open for breakfast around 8am and close around 4pm. Restaurants generally serve lunch from noon to 2.30pm, and dinner from 6pm to 9pm. Pubs open at 11am and close around midnight. There are only a couple of banks on the island with sketchy opening hours – bring some cash.

Packing tips
Take a broad-rim sun hat if you’re hitting the beaches in summer, or a woollen beanie if you’ll be checking out the island’s wildlife, clifftops and forests in winter. Sunscreen in summer too (they should issue you with a tube as you clear customs).

Recommended reads
Pete Dobré’s photographic book Kangaroo Island captures the best of KI in gorgeous detail – the seals, the surf and the sunsets. Unearthed: The Aboriginal Tasmanians of Kangaroo Island by Shirleene Robinson digs into the grim history of the Tasmanian Aborigines who were abducted by white sealers in the early 1800s and brought to KI. Also worth a look is Kangaroo Island Shipwrecks by Gifford Chapman.

Cuisine
One of the best things about KI is the seafood – abundant, affordable and unfailingly fresh. Make sure you try some American River oysters and some clean-cut fillets of King George whiting (best quick-fried in butter with a bit of parsley and squeeze of lemon over the top). This is also farming country – the local beef, lamb and chicken is superb. There’s also a nascent cool-climate wine industry on KI, with a handful of upstart wineries opening up their cellar doors for tastings (Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Chardonnay are the mainstays). You’ll also find cheese makers (bless them) and honey farms on the island.

Regional specialities
A relatively recent arrival to the island’s culinary scene is marron, aka freshwater crayfish. At the Marron Cafe (+61 (0)8 8559 4128) at Harriet Rd, off the Playford Highway, you can ogle them in breeding tanks, then eat some for lunch at the breezy cafe next door.

Currency
Australian dollar (AU$).

Time zone
GMT + 9.5.

Dialling codes
Country code: +61; South Australia: 08 (drop the 0 if dialling from outside Australia).

Do go/don't go
South Australian summers (December to February) are always sunny, but when the desert heat swoops down from the north the temperatures can top 40°C for days upon days. Surrounded by the sea, KI tends to dodge the worst of the heat, but time your visit with spring or autumn when it’s clear skies, warm days and plain sailing. Winters on the island can be chilly and windswept (but beautifully atmospheric).

Don't go home without

Tasting some KI wine and whiting, and sniffing out the seals at Seal Bay.