Kangaroo Island, SA

December 30, 2016

Kangaroo Island Road Trip

In an effort to go somewhere ‘different’ our family and another decided to head to an island for a holiday, none of us really knew that much if anything at all, about Kangaroo Island, but that is where we decided to head to for our annual holiday. Everyone we knew was asking, why? Seems no one else knew that much about Kangaroo Island either!

We fielded endless questions as to why we were going to Kangaroo Island, the most often asked question was: “What are you going to do there?” To be honest we had little idea of what to expect, we just knew it was remote and different from anything else we had done in the past and we were up for adventure, which is what we got!

Photographed using

Distance: 3581kms

Start: 30/12/2015

Finish: 12/01/2016

We spent two days driving to Kangaroo Island…passing through many small towns along the way, including the historic town of Ariah Park, Barellan with the big Tennis Raquet (a tribute to Evonne Goolagong Cawley) and onto Renmark The next day we continued our way down to Adelaide, and onto Cape Jervis where we boarded the Sealing Ferry with our car, to get across to Kangaroo Island itself.

Infiniti Q70 Loaded Up

Ariah Park

Ariah Park Hotel

Barellan Big Tennis Racquet

We setup home base in a large house in Kingscote, right on the beach and we ventured out to other parts of the island on day trips. Some mornings we would wake to amazing sunrises, such as the one below. Kingscote is the largest town on Kangaroo Island and sits on Nepean Bay. There is a good range of shops for supplies in Kingscote and is the perfect base from which to experience Kangaroo Island.

Sealink Ferry

Kangaroo Islands Coastline

One of the many must see items on the list for Kangaroo Island is the Raptor Domain. They put on a show several times a day that allows you to get up close and very personal with magnificent Australian Native Birds. The kids are invited up from the crowd to interact with the birds, and a white Owl does the rounds of the audience allowing a very close experience with a stunningly beautiful bird.

Raptor Domain Eagle

Raptor Domain Kingfisher

Raptor Domain White Owl

Raptor Domain Falcon

Another attraction at the Raptor Domain is Fangtastic which allows a similarly up close experience with Australian reptiles, including lizards, snakes and on occasion a baby crocodile.

Fangtastic Lizard

Fangtastic Baby Crocodile

Fangtastic Snake

Fangtastic Lizard

Kangaroo Island has no shortage of truly spectacular beaches, including Emu Bay where you can drive onto the beach, and Stokes Bay which is one of the more remote, requiring a walk through caves to get to. When you get there though, it is pristine, and has very few people on it so you can truly enjoy one of the best beaches, without a crowd. It features great rock pools at each end too, and they are full of start fish and crabs that provide hours of fun for the kids to explore.

No Kangaroo Island holiday would be complete without a visit to one of the island’s signature landmarks, the Remarkable Rocks. It took 500 million years for rain, wind, and pounding waves to create these aptly named granite boulders which are now part of the Flinders Chase National Park. Go early to void the crowds as they turn up by the bus load, which really spoils the opportunity for photography.

There is so much more to see and do on Kangaroo Island that I simply cannot cover here. Needless to say, you should just make a point of getting here, and exploring a truly unique place at least once. I have now been twice and look forward to going again in the very near future.

Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island

Remarkable Rocks

The road back to Sydney from Kangaroo Island is a long one, and I suggest taking the more scenic route via the coastline to get home rather than the inland route we took to get there. One of the many treasures along the coast road other than the Great Ocean Road itself and all the attractions it offers, is the little town of Port Fairy. Port Fairy is an historic fishing village on the Moyne River, and features one of the most spectacular beaches you are ever likely to see. Think Bondi Beach, without the crowds, and ten times the size.

As road trips go, the road to Kangaroo Island is well and truly worth it. Kangaroo Island is a unique place and totally worthy of your time. just be sure to drive home along the coast road as there is much to see there too.

Port Fairy beach at Sunset

Port Fairy at Sunset

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Kangaroo Island, SA

Kangaroo Island Road Trip

Photographed using

Distance: 3581kms

Start: 30/12/2015

Finish: 12/01/2016

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