Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Kangaroo Island is one of the few unspoiled places on Earth. It is internationally knowns and famous for its wildlife and wilderness. It's home to echidnas, goannas, koalas, kangaroos, Australian sea-lions and New Zealand Fur Seals and the last penguins that survive are still to be seen on a tour. Native birds are everywhere and beautiful eagles fly high in the sky.

Not only the island is appreciate for animal and wilderness but for food and wine as well: sheep's cheese, yoghurt and organic honey from the Ligurian Bees, plus wines and freshwater crayfish are there to supreme your palate.

If you love the ocean there are plenty of water activities to do, swim with the dolphins and/or scuba diving, sailing and surfing. Just make sure to go there when the island gets warm and nice, because it's really windy and in spring could still be very cold and freezing. Other activities on the island are craving, bushwalking, quad biking and sand boarding.

KI, as it is called by locals and australians, is the third largest island in Down Under, after Tasmania and Melville and it is 155 km wide., located 110km southwest of Adelaide. The closest point to the mainland is 13km off Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is a place of immense beauty, named in 1802 by English explorer, Matthew Flinders and protected and preserved during the years, managed by a responsible tourism program.

Issac Bober said of the island in Simmetry: "There really aren't enough adjectives to accurately describe the beauty of Kangaroo Island. In fact, words can almost spoil the moment. Even photos don't do this wildly gorgeous destination justice."

I will try to give some information about the different regions of the island and post some pictures when I can, but it would be difficult to express with words what the island suggests for real. It is a unique place with wonderful views and amazing wild sceneries.

Dudley Peninsula is the first region you encounter on the island as soon you disembark from the SeaLink ferry in Penneshaw. Here there is plenty of wildlife, swimming beachers, rugged cliffs, a historic lighthouse at Cape Willoughby, art galleries and cellar doors. On the first Sunday of the month, Penneshaw Farmers Market is held at the Lloyd Collins Reserve and Kangaroo Island Community Markets is on Penneshaw Oval too. Dudley Peninsula is one of the most vivid part of the island, with good places to eat and nice seaside charm and laid-back atmosphere. The area is full of tracks, through bushland, sand hills and lagoons and too many beaches to choose from, such as Antechamber Bay, Baudin Beach, Brown Beach, Hog Bay and Island Beach, or there's even a river, Chapman River.

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built in South Australia, officially opened in 1852. Short walks and hikes, plus guided tours, are offered at the light station and you can discover the history of the site and get to know about the more than 60 shipwrecks occurred around the island.

American River is a fishing village nestled in a hillside on native bushland. The best way to discover the area is climbing to the top of Prospect Hill on the 512 stamps that reach the view, where you can see the American River, Pelican Lagoon, the Southern Ocean and Pennington Bay. This last is a spectacular stretch of coastline, a popular place for fishing and a photographer's dream spot. In the region there is the main producer of oyster on the island at The Oyster Farm, where you can delight your palate for a lunch or a dinner.

American River is a paradise for fishers, bird watchers and canoeist/sailer, plus there are walks to be taken that bring you to explore more of the place.

Kingscote is the capital of Kangaroo Island and is referred to as KI's 'commercial hub', because it holds all the shops, facilities and nearly half of KI's population lives here. It is situated on Nepean Bay and north of it is the important heritage site Reeves Point that was the first European settlement in South Australia. Kingscote is a vivid town and plenty of activities are all around, fining eating, local wines and fishing, but more Kingscote houses a small colony of little penguins that could be seen on a night-time tour at Kangaroo Island Penguin Centre and other companies offer nocturnal tours to spot all the wildlife on the island. South of Kingscote in the region there are same main local producer of honey, eucalyptus and lavender: don't miss out clifford's honey farm, where it is possible to discover the Ligurian Bee and learn about the honey extraction process, tasting some delicious honey and some homemade honey ice cream; emu ridge eucalyptus distillery, once one of the KI's major industries with 48 stills in operation eucalyptus distilling is still practised at Emu ridge distillery; visit the Island's first lavender farm established in 1998 to know about the processing of lavender and sight about 80 different bird species. 

Cellar doors, art galleries and craft shops are all around the region and there is still South Australian's first and only spirits boutique distillery, called KIS, Kangaroo Island Spirits.

North of Kingscote, 18 km from, there's Emu Bay, a very popular, long 4km white sandy beach with vehicle access, clear water for activities and swimming.

The North Coast is characterised by rolling hills with farms, great views and coastal sceneries, white sandy beaches and hidden coves. Take a look at King George Beach and Stokes Bay, this one is a great swimming spot with a little natural pool created by the rocks and is a beautiful beach that you can discover walking your way through boulders. Another place I found wonderful for the relaxing atmosphere and the beautiful surroundings that suggest me peace and quiet is Western River Cove. From the car park take a walk along the bridge on the river and all the way down to the hidden sandy cove, the nature is quite spectacular, the quiet is incredible and you can possibly have the place just for yourself and some wildlife. From here you can start to feel and experience the freedom and wildness that characterised Kangaroo Island and its coast.