30 Great Reasons To Visit Kangaroo Island
Be inspired for your next trip to KI with these great things to do
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to discover a place with an abundance of wildlife, stunning landscapes, an amazing food and wine scene and once-in-a-lifetime experiences? Travel to Kangaroo Island and you’ll have found it!! If you’re ready to explore a destination that’s simply like no other, SeaLink’s fast ferry is ready to take you there… and to whet your appetite, here are 30 great reasons to put Kangaroo Island on your must-visit list.
1Your holiday starts on the ferry
Take a short cruise across Backstairs Passage to Kangaroo Island and you’ll feel like you’re a world away from the mainland. Head up to the top deck to spot dolphins or perhaps even a whale. Enjoy a coffee and maybe a bite to eat before arriving in Penneshaw’s beautiful crystal-clear bay.
2 Remarkable Rocks
Visit this stunning geological feature in Flinders Chase National Park. These amazing rocks and boulders are over 500 million years old and have been sculpted by the wind, sea and rain. They’re a natural wonder like no other!
3 Finest Dining
Enjoy sensational food, award-winning wines and spectacular views at Kangaroo Island’s first and only Australian Good Food Guide chef hatted restaurant, Sunset Food and Wine. Book a table for lunch or dinner to try their degustation menu.
4 Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail
Take a trek through Kangaroo Island’s most untouched and remote scenery. Choose the trail that’s right for you — a two or three-day walk with Kangaroo Island Odysseys or tackle the full length over five days.
5 Dudley Wines Cellar Door
Boasting some of the best cellar door views in Australia, Dudley Wines is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Try their boutique range of wines, enjoy a gourmet pizza, perfect your golf swing on their driving range and let your children run off some steam in the playground.
6 Seal Bay Conservation Park
Experience a guided beach walk amongst a colony of endangered Australian sea lions. If you’re around in the winter months the chances are, you’ll encounter pups!
7 Admirals Arch
This incredible natural rock arch in Flinders Chase National Park is a sight to behold. Formed by the forces of nature over millions of years, it’s also home to a colony of Long-nosed fur seals.
8 Swim with Dolphins
The crystal-clear waters around Kangaroo Island make for the perfect place to spot dolphins. Join a tour with Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari or KI Marine Adventures and get up close with a memory-making snorkelling and swimming experience.
9 Stokes Bay
Walk through a rock passageway to find one of Kangaroo Island’s best-kept secrets — the hidden beach of Stokes Bay. It’s a place that features a children friendly natural rock pool area and a beach that’s great for surfing. You can also stop by for coffee or lunch at the Rockpool Cafe.
When it’s oyster season on KI — which is every month except February and March — take a trip to The Oyster Farm Shop to order some freshly shucked oysters and wash them down with a local wine or beer. It’s also the place to stock up on fresh seafood, whenever you’re on the island.
11 Kelly Hill Caves
Discover Kelly Hill Caves’ amazing underground world of sinkholes and caverns. Take a guided tour of the extraordinary cave system to check out the stalactites and stalagmites. There’s also a maze of smaller caves and tunnels, with tours operating throughout the year.
12 Ligurian Bee Honey
If honey’s your thing — and you love delicious honey ice cream — a visit to Clifford’s Honey Farm or Island Beehive is a must. Find out why this Italian bee has found a perfect home on KI, and why the island’s wilderness, combined with careful conservation, make it the only place in the world where they’re still bred.
13 Kangaroo Island Spirits
Head to KI Spirits to taste their multi award-winning range of gins, spirits and liqueurs. Unwind with a cocktail in their Gin Garden, blend your own gin at a blending class and find out why their gins have been voted amongst the best in the world.
14 Raptor Domain
This family-owned centre for endangered and rescued animals is great fun for the whole family. Stay for the Birds of Prey Free-Flight Show, hold an enormous wedge-tailed eagle or experience the Venom Pit for its fang-tastic displays!
15 Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery
This eucalyptus oil distillery is one of only two in Australia. You’ll find their range of 100% eucalyptus oil products in store and you can also learn about the process of the oil distilling with a tour of the distillery. Stop for lunch and enjoy their range of Kangaroo Island ciders.
16 Little Sahara
Little Sahara’s two-kilometre stretch of sand dunes have been created across the last 7,000 years from coastal winds. Hire a sandboard or toboggan from Kangaroo Island Outdoor Action for some excitement, or you can take a walk to the top and enjoy the views.
17 Kangaroo Island Brewery
TaThe island’s first cellar door micro-brewery is located just outside of Kingscote. Try one of their eight craft beers, enjoy a glass of wine and maybe some food from their regular pop-up diners or food vans. The Cellar Door, built from local limestone and with a rustic interior, is a great place to relax.
18 Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail
The newly opened Sculpture Trail in Penneshaw is a great place to go for short and easy walk. The walk is free, and features amazing scenic outlooks, and you’ll find a swing bridge and fantastic local artwork along the way.
19 Emu Bay Lavender Farm and Café
For something special, stop by the Emu Bay Lavender Farm for a delicious breakfast or lunch. Try their lavender scones in a delightful café setting and take in the beautiful scent as you walk through the fields or browse their lavender products in their farm gate store.
20 KI Wildlife Park
Get up close to Australian native animals at KI Wildlife Park. Hand feed a kangaroo, see the little penguins, hold a koala or cuddle a wombat for a great photo opportunity. Take a guided tour of the park’s interactive animal displays or just wander at your leisure.
21 Local Gallery Art
Kangaroo Island’s natural landscape and isolation inspires some magnificent artworks — it’s long been home to many creative people. Get in touch with your artistic side at places including KI Fine Art, Kangaroo Island Artworks Gallery, Rustic Blue Art Gallery or MB Stoner Art Glass, to name a few.
22 Action and Adventure
For a more adventurous take on what KI has to offer, book an experience with Bush Getaway Adventures or KI Outdoor Action. Hire a quad bike, go paintballing, join a guided kayak tour or check out the FatBikes for a big thrill.
23 Flinders Chase Visitor Centre
Make the centre your gateway to the Flinders Chase National Park where you can stop for a coffee, snack or lunch. Once you’ve clued up about the island’s ancient wildlife and its fascinating cultural and natural heritage in the interpretive centre, you’ll be ready to hit the walking trails and boardwalks — including the platypus walk.
24 Wine? Why not?
Kangaroo Island is home to five cellar doors as the region builds its reputation for its wines. If you love wine, make sure you find time to visit Bay of Shoals Wines, Islander Estate Wines, Amadio Wines, Springs Road Wines and Dudley Wines.
25 A Fisherman’s Paradise
Fishing is a real five-star experience on Kangaroo Island — from fishing charters to jetty, boat, beach, rock and river fishing. King George whiting is beautiful, but you’ll also catch (hopefully!) everything else from snapper, tuna, river bream and everything else in between. Head out from Emu Bay with Emu Bay Fishing Charters for a day you’ll never forget.
26 A Place To Stay
Whatever your style of accommodation, chances are you’ll find it here on KI. From Southern Ocean Lodge, your own private beach house to a secluded cabin and everything in between, you’ll find many unique places to stay on Kangaroo Island. Search accommodation with SeaLink to find the place that’s right for you.
27 Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Did we say that KI’s the destination for wildlife lovers? Here’s another one! Visit Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to spot koalas, and make sure you keep your eyes peeled for other native animals — all in their natural environment.
28 Cape Willoughby Lighthouse
At the eastern tip of Kangaroo Island — and home to South Australia’s first lighthouse — is the Cape Willoughby Conservation Park. Become an expert on the place at the free museum or climb to the top to take in the views across Backstairs Passage.
29 Hungry? No Problem!
If you’re peckish, we’ve got you covered. Restaurants, cafes and food trucks are dotted around the island serving locally sourced produce and wines. A few of our favourites include the Cactus Café, the Fat Beagle, Vivonne Bay General Store, The Deck Cafe, KI Tru Thai, Mini De Lights, Sunset Food & Wine, Ozone Hotel, Bellas, KI Smoke & Fire, The Rockpool and Beach Barista — but you can always check out Eat, Drink KI’s Online KI Map for more ideas.
30 Museums
Brush up on Kangaroo Island’s unique history. Take a trip down memory lane at the historic Maritime & Folk Museum in Penneshaw, the Hope Cottage Museum in Kingscote for a fascinating insight into how settlers lived in the late 1800s or visit the Parndana Soldier Settlement Museum memorial.
Now that you have 30 reasons to visit Kangaroo Island, starting planning your trip with SeaLink. With over 30 years' experience, we'll make it easy to book your ferry travel, accommodation, ready-made holiday packages, tours and experiences.
