A ferry-hop across from the mainland, Kangaroo Island is a journey through wild landscapes and dramatic coastlines. Explore its treasures with this four-day Kangaroo Island itinerary.

Kangaroo Island is a wild sort of place. Shaped by isolation and rugged landscapes, life here moves at a leisurely pace and wildlife is never far away.

It’s also a place of resilience and ingenuity, the land steadily recovering after devastating bushfires in 2020, and a community embracing what makes Kangaroo Island unique: nature, local enterprise and wide-open spaces.

With small townships scattered around the island (almost a third of it given over to national parks) and no public transport, an escorted four-day Kangaroo Island itinerary with AAT Kings seems the perfect way to get to know it.

Day 1

Get the ferry from Cape Jervis to Kangaroo Island

So let’s get to the island, known as KI to the locals. After a showcase of some of Adelaide’s highlights, we’re off through vineyards and the rolling hills of the Fleurieu Peninsula to board the ferry from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw, with commentary from our guide, Anna Jackowiak, bringing the passing landscapes to life. We’re all pleased the weather gods are with us, the waters blue and the crossing calm.

Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail

After checking into Seafront Hotel, I wander down to the Kangaroo Island Sculpture Trail, one of the top things to do on Kangaroo Island. Expect a delightful 1.5-kilometre meander through the bushy dunes of Hog Bay. Here, artworks – flowers, spirals, birds and even haikus – sit among the landscape as the sun turns pink, the setting an artwork in itself.

I’ve only just arrived and already I’m meeting some of the island’s namesakes. As the dusk birdsong deepens, dozens of wallabies graze and hop around me, quite unperturbed by my presence.

Dinner at Penneshaw Pub

The day is rounded off with dinner at local Penneshaw Pub and what might be the best barramundi I’ve ever eaten, served with lemon-flavoured risoni. Calm waters, wallabies and excellent seafood; it’s not a bad way to begin.

Day 2

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

First up for the day is Cape Willoughby Lighthouse; lit up in 1852 and still towering above the eastern cliffs, it holds the honour of being South Australia’s inaugural lighthouse. It’s a fitting introduction to an island of firsts: Australia’s first (official) convict-free European colony and the state’s first recognised European settlement, on an island where Indigenous people had not lived for centuries.

While some explore the museum’s tales of colonial history, I take the chance to follow the walking track loop to the rocky beach below. More roos are dotted about – darker and fluffier than their mainland counterparts – nonchalantly scratching and munching, again paying me no heed.

Lunch in American River

Lunch is in the fishing village of American River on the shores of Pelican Lagoon. It’s known for its premium oysters, but I opt for guacamole and salsa tostadas topped with freshly caught lobster and paired with a local rosé, and have no regrets. It seems seafood will be an excellent repeating theme.

Kangaroo Island Wool

With a sheep population of up to 800,000 and fewer than 5000 humans, Kangaroo Island’s ovine-to-human ratio puts even New  Zealand to shame. Taking advantage of the odds, Kangaroo Island Wool works with 23 sheep-farming families to mill and produce sustainable, fine merino woollen garments. As we follow the production process of scouring, carding, spinning and knitting, I gain a new respect for the making of a jumper.

Day 3

Flinders Chase National Park

We’re up with the sun, heading west through moody mists to a geological marvel: the Remarkable Rocks in Flinders Chase National Park. Giant granite boulders daubed with orange lichen balance improbably above the Southern Ocean, defying gravity.

Sculpted by the elements over 500 million years, it’s these rocks that drew an amateur geologist in our group to the island. “They’re not just remarkable," he says, clearly elated. “They’re incredible!"

Another of nature’s sculptures enthrals at Admirals Arch, a rocky ocean bridge fringed with stalactites. Once an ancient sea cave, the rocky platforms now house a colony of long-nosed fur seals in a protected breeding area. Adults laze in the sun while a pup beguiles us with its playful antics just metres away.

Visit the furry locals at Seal Bay

I could watch for hours, but another marine colony awaits at Seal Bay, home to around 800 sea lions. I join the guided beach walk to get closer. Most are slumbering in the sun with an occasional flap of a flipper, but one youngster harangues his mother for attention while two others put on a masterclass in body surfing, cavorting and diving through the waves with glee.

Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co

Next we meet some of the island’s tiniest residents. Kangaroo Island is the world’s oldest bee sanctuary, and home to the last pure strain of Italian Ligurian honey bees, preserved here since 1885. We learn how vital these bees are and sample their work.

The Islander Estates Vineyards

At The Islander Estate Vineyards, we shift from honey to vino, tasting cool-climate wines grown in rugged schist soils and shaped into elegant drops by a French winemaker who clearly knows how to coax finesse from a challenging landscape that continues to surprise.

Day 4

Emu Ridge eucalyptus distillery

Surely it doesn’t get more Australian than the fresh scent emanating from a eucalyptus distillery? One of only a handful still operating in Australia, Emu Ridge is our final stop.

It’s a family affair; two ingenious generations working together to extract oil from narrow-leaf mallees and turn it into a range of natural products, with eucalyptus-flavoured gin and vodka to boot.

Farewell the island

Back on the ferry, I’m already scrolling through images that will stay with me: wildlife and scenery – naturally – but people, too, finding creative ways to work with the land.

The details

AAT Kings offers a guided four-day, small-group Remarkable Adelaide to Kangaroo Island itinerary several times a year, including three nights on the island, excursions, breakfast and some meals.