Kangaroo Island is located 45 minutes by ferry off the coast of South Australia. I booked a two day tour of the island which departed from Adelaide at an outrageously early hour (it was still dark for heavens sake)! I will never forget the group of people on my tour: my lesbian tour guide, lady friend from Wales (who has now visited me in Toronto) two sisters from Venezuela and a very drunk gentleman from Manchester (who stayed up all night drinking and hobbled into our van plastered at 5am). I was super excited for the next two full days as National Geographic Traveler had ranked Kangaroo Island as one of the best national parks in the world. It was one of my major highlights visiting Australia and funny enough is in one of the most unvisited regions of the country. Paving the tourist trail I was!
After driving a few hours to the coast from Adelaide we took the ferry across to the island (which measures 160 km across). We spent our first day visiting a few famous beaches with jaw dropping views. We also hiked up to a stunning look out. The highlight on day one was visiting the stretch of beach where hundreds of seals muddle about on the shore. We were able to stand feet from these wild and wonderful animals. There is a dessert region on the island with hilly sand dunes. My friends hiked up to the top and zipped down on boards as dust flung into their eyes. I was more interested in watching the ordeal and had an opportunity to work the shutter on my Canon G10.
We arrived in the evening at a simple and traditional Outback Cabin where we ate a kangaroo bbq feast. As soon as it got dark we hopped into the 4X4, turned on the headlights and started to drive down the local dirt road. I was astonished at the hundreds of glowing kangaroo eyes that stared back at us. It was as if thousands of kangaroo’s appeared out of thin air. Nocturnal beasts. We drove down to the water and watched as little penguins popped out of the water after a long day of fishing. They waddled up onto the rocks and disappeared into the grass. Such determined little guys! We ended the night with a campfire and ample red wine.
The following day we visited several famous geological formations, the most popular to visit being Admirals Arch and the Remarkable Rocks located in Flinders Chase National Park. True to their name, the rocks have remarkable formations from thousands of years of wind pounding them into submission like some sort of sculptor. You can climb under them, over them and around them.
From the Remarkable Rocks we did a wee hike towards a large red and white lighthouse. We popped down to the misty Admirals Arch and ended our trip at a famously quiet beach which has been ranked as one of the top best in the country.
Kangaroo Island is stunning and a must see when visiting Australia! Head to Adelaide and enjoy a few days on Kangaroo Island and a wine tour in the Barossa Valley. Make sure to pack your camera and corkscrew!
