Kangaroo Island - South Australian gem

When I first arrived to South Australia, I made a plan for places I wanted to visit. One of those places was Kangaroo Island - locals call it KI, which is the third largest island off the coast of mainland Australia, 155 km long, 55 km wide and with about 540 km of coastline.

If you enjoy nature and beautiful scenery and native wildlife, this is the place to go!

It only takes about 45 minutes on a ferry to get there, however it is pretty expensive which is why a lot of locals don't go there - I am still quite surprised when I hear them say they've never been to Kangaroo Island before. I think it's still worth the money and I definitely think it's a must see destination when in South Australia.

I've been there twice now, first time was in 2016, I gave myself that trip as a present for my 30th birthday. Since I was still quite new in Australia and didn't know many people, away from family and friends, I wanted to do something special.

I didn't have a car then yet, so I went on a bus through Sealink, also booked a day tour with them but I also stayed a couple of nights in a hotel and spent a few days hiking in a local area.

The second time I went was a few weeks ago and it was through work. I work as a camp cook on some occasions and I had the opportunity to go there on a 4 day camp with a school group.

Kangaroo Island and its residents and wildlife were deeply affected when a devastating bushfire burnt through the land in 2020. It was the largest in the island's history and it burnt nearly half of the island. It was ignited by multiple lightening strikes and it had a massive impact on homes, people, tourism, businesses, nature, animals - it was a hard year in so many ways.

KI is still recovering and they do rely on tourism so if you want to help, make sure to visit some of the amazing places KI has to offer.

Seal bay Conservation Park

Absolutely amazing unforgettable wildlife experience! While walking on 800 m long boardwalk, make sure to look around and bellow - sea lions are seen everywhere! If you want to make it ever more special, make sure to book an escorted tour to not only learn more about these fascinating animals, but you will also be able to get closer - right on the beach and watch them relax and some of them be playful with the pups. Incredible!

Raptor Domain

Watching the spectacular birds of prey show, was one of my favourite. It was incredible to see and even hold some of the amazing birds, but I couldn't help myself to also pay $15 dollars extra to hold the famous and Australia's largest bird of prey wedge-tailed eagle, weighting aprox. 3.5 kg. What a beauty!

After that, we had another show, presenting lizards, snakes, scorpions and spiders. We were able to hold some of them too which was pretty amazing!

Flinders Chase National Park

Located at the West end of KI offers spectacular views and awesome hiking spots. Must see are for sure are Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks. Breathtaking!!

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park

We went to see this wildlife park only because our ferry to return to the mainland was cancelled twice due to bad weather. So we had to fill in the time while waiting for the last ferry. And it turned out to be a good thing, because it was a really nice experience. We could get really close to the koalas, saw the cutest little penguins, many birds, and so much more, we also fed some kangaroos and saw a couple of Joeys in pouches.

Little Sahara dunes

Sand boarding was so much fun! We had our own sand boards with us, but there's an option to hire them too. Along with that, you can also go on quad-bike tours, guided walks or go kayaking. We didn't get a chance as we only had 2 hours planned. But it was quite an experience and reminded me of snow days which I haven't experienced in over 6 years!

There is much more to see and do there, you can go to honey farm and buy some quality honey - and don't skip on trying out their super tasty honey ice cream! There is also eucalyptus oil distillery where you can buy different high quality products and of course there are so many beautiful hikes and hidden spots to explore!

Make sure to bring a jacket though as it gets super windy!

See you next time, hive tribe!

Katarina