Kangaroo Island: Wildlife paradise found only hours from the city
IT’S where wilderness and luxury come together ... Australia’s third-largest island sure knows how to make a good impression.
Tourism
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ONLY 13km off the coast of mainland South Australia is the country’s third-largest island, offering not only an authentic island experience but a mixture of luxury and rugged beauty that is a rare find. As the name suggests, wildlife abounds: the critically endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart shares its environment with native goanna and snake species, six types of bat and six frog species that are entirely specific to Kangaroo Island. Australian sealions and New Zealand fur seals live around Seal Bay and Admirals Arch.
You’ll find the short-beaked echidna, tammar wallaby, brushtail possum and southern brown bandicoot in the island’s conservation parks. And don’t forget to frolic with the dolphins and other unique marine life, including the leafy sea dragons under the sea.
Wildlife aside, think adventure: surfing, diving, snorkelling. The wineries are becoming something of a destination too, with a dozen or so vineyards planted over more than 200ha in total, many of which offer cellar door experiences, including the likes of Dudley Wines, Andermel Marron Two Wheeler Creek Wines and Bay of Shoals. The island is geared to the tourist, with more than 130 tourism businesses supporting 500 jobs.
Kangaroo Island is actually something of a celebrity hotspot, with the likes of Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, Chinese acting superstar Huang Xiaoming (who has 54 million social media followers on Weibo) and actress Teri Hatcher all boasting their love of the place.
But when Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and his family landed on the island in February this year, and the megastar posted videos of himself swimming with dolphins to his social media accounts, international hype about the island went into overdrive.
If you’re keen to follow a Hollywood-style itinerary, then here’s a brief rundown of what Hemsworth et al got up to during their visit:
■ Fishing with Kangaroo Island Fishing Adventures to catch dinner, which was cooked on a beach barbecue;
■ Visiting the sea lions at Seal Bay Conservation Park, home of the third-largest colony of sealions in Australia;
■ Cuddling koalas at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, home to more than 150 species of native Australian wildlife and more than 600 animals in total;
■ Swimming with dolphins with Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures;
■ Checking out the gin distillery at Kangaroo Island Spirits, awarded Australia’s best gin in 2016 and 2017;
■ Dining on Kangaroo Island oysters, octopus and lamb and kingfish at the modern bistro Sunset Food and Wine, which overlooks American Beach.
In the accommodation stakes, the celebrity magnet is the Max Pritchard-designed Southern Ocean Lodge, which appears to miraculously float along its clifftop position. This year marks a decade since it opened and over that time it has welcomed more than 37,000 guests from across 40 different countries, with international and domestic visitors arriving in roughly equal numbers.
A new airport lounge accessible exclusively to Southern Ocean Lodge guests will also be unveiled mid-year, again designed by architect Max Pritchard as part of the redevelopment of Kingscote Airport. Luxury Lodges of Australia executive officer Penny Rafferty says Southern Ocean Lodge has marked a new era in Australian luxury lodging.
“Southern Ocean Lodge was an absolute catalyst and leader in the luxury lodge field,” she says. “The magnitude and plain gutsiness of the project was unlike anything we’d seen previously in Australia.”
EXPERIENCE THESE
KI Food Safari
July 28-August 4
A must-do for food-lovers, the week-long safari event promises to be a hands-on, muddy-boots paddock and vineyard discovery of Kangaroo Island and its produce as it journeys to the menus at Southern Ocean Lodge. A highlight of this year’s itinerary is a special dinner created by The Lane Vineyard’s executive chef James Brinklow, presented with matched wines from the acclaimed Adelaide Hills winery.
Kangaroo Island Marathon and Half-Marathon
September 1
Fast becoming one of the world’s destination marathons, the “Ki42” is an international race located at Flinders Chase National Park The race route has a total elevation gain of 632m and a maximum elevation gain of 154m.
Kangaroo Island Sufferfest
November 23-26
Australia’s newest Iron Distance race arrived on Kangaroo Island last year and is locked in for another year, making it one of the most scenic and fastest races in the world.
Farmers Markets:
Ongoing
Food-loving locals and tourists alike flock to the farmers and community markets. The KI Farmers and Community Market on the Oval at Penneshaw is on the first Sunday of every month from 9am-1pm, while the Kingscote Farmers Market — located at the Bay of Shoals Winery in Kingscote — is on the second and forth Sunday of every month from 10am-2pm.
FUN FACT
There are several shipwrecks along the Kangaroo Island coastline, including that of the Portland Maru, which sank at Cape Torrens on March 20, 1935.
Into the big blue
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