Kangaroo Island

Many visitors come to Australia to see the unique wildlife and therefore they don't want to see animals in zoos but living wild in their natural habitat. Kangaroo Island is one of the best places to see fauna such as the koala, platypus, wallaby and kangaroo.

How To Get There
Kangaroo Island is 110 kilometres southwest of Adelaide and is Australia's third largest island. There is an airport on the island but if you want to tour independently, arrange some cheap car hire and drive down along the coast but do tell your car hire company you intend to go off the mainland. There are four ferries departures a day from Cape Jervis and the trip is only 45 minutes so some do this as a day trip but there is so much to see you will probably want to stay a few days. There are plenty of accommodation options from camping to luxury spa resorts. On the island you don't need a 4X4 so stick to cheap car hire and treat yourself to a great hotel.

The Animals
The Western Grey Kangaroo, also known as the Kangaroo Island Kangaroo, and is one of the largest of its kind standing at over 1.2m tall. It can be found throughout southern Australia but it is a wondrous sight to see them on the island.

There are around 30,000 koalas living on Kangaroo Island so they are much easier to spot here than on the mainland. 

There are National and Conservation Parks across the island where you can see wildlife including the sea lions at Seal Bay and Flinders Chase National Park where you can see wallabies, possums, bandicoots and even platypus.

There is a platypus walk located in Flinders Chase National Park which starts from near the Visitors Centre and is a 4.5 kilometre return trip. The best times to see these shy creatures are at daybreak and dusk. There are viewing platforms and you need to be very quiet when watching.

It's best to get a Kangaroo Island Parks Pass in advance from the Department of Environment & Natural Resources (www.environment.sa.gov.au). And even though you've got a cheap rental vehicle do get out and walk as there are some wonderful hiking routes.

What Else?
As well as seeing the animals, Kangaroo Island has plenty more to offer:

• Taste unique honey from the Ligurian bees which came to the island from Bologna, Italy, in 1885. Because of the Island's isolation, all present-day honeybees are descendants of those early imports.
• Do sandboarding on Little Sahara which isn’t easy but it is an amazing place to try.
• There are coastal routes where you can kayak with a guide to get closer to sea lions, etc.
• Take a marine tour and swim with dolphins off the north coast.
• Tour the caves under the Kelly Hill Conservation Park.
• Follow a bush trail on a 4X4 quad bike.
• See South Australia’s first lighthouse at Cape Willoughby. Built in 1852, the 27-metre high tower is open for tours daily and provides spectacular views.