Cruising around Kangaroo Island

From the moment we arrived in South Australia, Kangaroo Island (or KI as the locals call it), was on our mind. But there was already so much to see and do in SA, we were not sure if we should take the ferry. We heard it was expensive (the most expensive ferry crossing per kilometre in the world). But then in early January, we gave it a go anyway, and we did not regret that decision once. We e-mailed SeaLink because you can’t book online if you are travelling in a motorhome, and asked for a quote for a few possible days for the following week. The company came back with some options, and if we booked at least one night in a caravan park on KI we would get a discount (it was a self-drive package). For $610 we got a return trip for the five of us, our seven metre motorhome and one night at a caravan park during our six-night stay. On 7th January, we travelled from Port Willunga (just south of Adelaide) to Cape Jervis to board the 1pm ferry to Penneshaw. That drive took us longer than expected because it is pretty winding and one of the kids got car sick. But once we arrived in Cape Jervis, that was quickly forgotten with all the excitement of boarding the ferry. The kids kept an eye on dad as he reversed the motorhome onto the ferry, that was an adventure in itself. We were all so excited, it felt like a holiday in the holiday. The trip from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw is about 45 minutes and you can see Kangaroo Island from the mainland, it is that close. Just before we reached Penneshaw a group of dolphins showed up next to the ferry, we were all mesmerised. What a great start.

Penneshaw beach next to the ferry terminal

SHELTERED NORTH

Arriving in Penneshaw, the bay’s turquoise water looked so beautiful  that our first stop was the beach, a few hundred metres from the ferry terminal. We had a swim and watched the ferry leave back to the mainland again. Our first impression of KI was striking - rolling green hills, roads winding close past white sandy beaches, blue water, dramatic coastline. One spot you don’t want to miss is the Pennington Bay lookout, it is about halfway between Penneshaw  and Kingscote and is on the rougher southern side of the island. We decided to drive around KI anticlockwise, and after we stopped in Kingscote for some groceries, we started exploring the more sheltered north. The beaches are beautiful here. We checked out Emu Bay and Stokes Bay. We loved the latter, where we stayed the night at the local campground. Our camp was not much more than a dusty square area, but the beach made up for it. Our kids loved walking and climbing through the rocks to get to the swimming beach and the little lagoon and rockpool. It’s like a secret way to get to a magical place.

Another place we can recommend is the Western KI Caravan Park. It is a beautifully-maintained caravan park set in bushland with lots of local wildlife. Our first night was included in our booking with SeaLink, but we stayed an extra night it was so good. The kids loved watching the koalas roam through the park. We have been in Australia for nine years now and have travelled a lot, but this was the first place where we had seen so many koalas and seen them active, moving from one tree to the other.

The kids couldn’t get enough of it. Neither did we. And to hear the koalas growl at night was unique for us, too. We didn’t know they were so noisy.

Cape du Couedic Lighthouse

FLINDERS CHASE NP

From here, we went to Flinders Chase National Park, a must do if you visit KI. We went to walk around the Cape du Couedic lighthouse, which gives you fantastic views of this southwestern tip of the island. And there is the Admirals Arch where we couldn’t even count the number of fur seals, there were that many. Most of them were just sunbathing, but some were very active and were playing around. And to top it off in Flinders Chase NP there were the Remarkable Rocks, which were indeed very remarkable. The kids played around these massive boulders, all surrounded by gorgeous blue ocean.

We stayed the night at Rocky River Campground within the  national park, where you get a very private site and nice, new amenities. After an early dinner, we set out on the Platypus Waterholes walk, hoping to see this beautiful Australian creature, but we were not lucky. Or maybe we were too noisy and not patient enough? Not easy for children. But it still was a great bushwalk and we learned about grass trees and saw kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and birds. The wildlife on KI alone is worth the visit.

Playing in the sand at Stokes Bay

SOUTHERN DAWDLE

The next day we went to Kelly Hill Caves in the morning and Seal Bay in the afternoon. The caves were great to do with the kids, our tour guide was very entertaining and we learned a lot about the caves. When we got to Seal Bay Conservation Park it was quiet, so we got on a tour with only one other couple. But unfortunately, it was so windy that it was hard to hear what our tour guide was saying. The kids loved seeing the Australian sea  lions reasonably up close (and there were hundreds of them!), but the strong winds made it less fun. I reckon on a good and calm day you’ll have a wonderful time here.

On our way back to Penneshaw we checked out American River Campground, but it was too windy there so we stayed the last night at Brown Beach Campground, a lovely small protected campground right next to the beach. We loved the fact that there are a few wellrun caravan parks on KI and some good council campgrounds, all are reasonably priced.

Admirals Arch

Just before we went on the ferry we popped in at Dudley Wines for a nice lunch with a beautiful view. You cannot leave KI without tasting and buying some wines. And then it was back on the ferry for us. The only thing we regretted was not staying longer. We could have easily spent more nights on KI and explored further because it truly is a wonderful place.

The wooden boardwalk leading to the Remarkable Rocks

Category: Destinations
Written: Thu 01 Mar 2018
Printed: March, 2018
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