Vivonne Bay: A complete travel guide to visiting Kangaroo Island

Vivonne Bay is a postcard-perfect paradise. But there’s one spot where you’ll witness a spectacle unlike any other.

Welcome to Don’t Delay Your Stay, news.com.au’s campaign to support communities hard hit by this summer’s devastating bushfires. Many of these regions rely on tourism so one of the best ways to help is to visit and spend time in some of the most beautiful parts of our great country.

Once voted Australia’s best beach, Vivonne Bay’s six kilometre-long U-shaped beach is the postcard-perfect spot to soak in the best of island life.

Here, white sandy shores meet gently lapping waves, perfect for wading waist deep. With a jetty framing the south-end and distant dunes in the north, it’s a great excuse to slip away for a weekend without another soul in sight.

The white pristine beach and blue waters of Vivonne Bay Kangaroo Island

The town, which has a population of about 400, was evacuated in early January when an out-of-control bushfire west of Parndana threatened to break containment lines.

While Vivonne Bay is now getting back on its feet, visitors are advised not to travel any further west, and many surrounding businesses and attractions have sadly been impacted and are closed until further notice.

Half an hour away from Vivonne Bay, Flinders Chase National Park, home to Kangaroo Island’s crown jewels – Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks – is also currently closed.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty to do in the area.

Seal Bay Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island. Picture: Jake Wundersitz, South Australian Tourism Commission

A stone’s throw from the beach, you’ll find plenty of great accommodation options like Serenity Cottage, while some of the island’s biggest drawcards are on your doorstep. The cosy, treetop hideaway is an ideal base to explore the island’s south coast attractions – and just a five-minute walk to the crystal clear waters of Vivonne Bay.

Snorkel the rock pools, surf or fish from the jetty or the beach.

Just down the road, surf down the sand dunes of Little Sahara before adventuring down to meet some of the locals at Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island’s premier tourist attraction.

Raptor Domain on Kangaroo Island. Picture: Lachlan Gardiner

Learn about the lives of these endangered animals as a tour guide takes you on a tour into the colony – where there’ll be plenty of time for photos as the sea lions shelter in the dunes, rest on the sand or surf in the ocean.

If winged creatures are more your style, pay a visit to the Raptor Domain, where orphaned, injured and sick birds of prey are taken into the centre’s care each year.