Holiday houses in Kingscote

The largest town on Kangaroo Island, Kingscote is a great base for exploring the spectacular scenery of the wild South Australian coast. The town spreads out across a sheltered headland on the northern side of the island. Many of the cafés and restaurants showcasing the island’s farm-fresh produce are concentrated in a handful of blocks around Kingscote Jetty.

A short drive north of the town you’ll find the picturesque Emu Beach, while to the south a coastal path takes you to the nearby beach town of Brownlow. Kangaroo Island, known simply as “KI” to locals, is one of the best places in Australia to see native wildlife. The 26 national parks, conservation parks, and wilderness protection areas on Kangaroo Island are home to kangaroos, naturally, but also tammar wallabies (a much smaller cousin to kangaroos), echidnas, koalas, and goannas. Even in Kingscote town you’ll spot plenty of native birds, including glossy black cockatoos, as well as sea lions and dolphins off Kingscote Jetty.

Kangaroo Island enjoys warm to hot summers, with little rainfall and low humidity. Evenings in Kingscote can be brisk even in summer, while winter nights are chilly rather than freezing. If you’re planning on doing a lot of bushwalking, the cooler months of late autumn to early spring are a perfect time. If you come at the height of summer, around January and February, you’ll find that many of the land-based animals are active only in the cool of the morning and from dusk. Kangaroo Island is on the migration path for blue whales and southern right whales, which come close to shore from May to October. In early May, marathon runners also migrate to the island for the Kangaroo Island Marathon through Flinders Chase National Park.

Kingscote Market

Roughly a third of Kangaroo Island is a national park or conservation area, and much of the remaining two-thirds of the island are farmland. You can sample some of the great produce grown on the island at Kingscote’s Farmers and Artisan Market, which takes place at Kingscote Wharf every second and fourth Sunday of the month.

Flinders Chase National Park

Of the two dozen or so national parks and conservation areas on the island, Flinders Chase National Park is by far the biggest. Occupying much of the western end of the island, the national park takes in dramatic rock formations, a historic lighthouse, and roving colonies of sea lions. Walks here range from a 40-minute loop to a three-hour hike to a secluded beach.

Vivonne Bay Beach

This gorgeous beach is on the southern coastline of Kangaroo Island, not far from the sand dunes of Seal Bay Conservation Park. Snorkel around the bay’s jetty, at one end of the beach, or grab a kayak or a stand-up paddleboard to explore the river that empties into the ocean here. It’s around a 40-minute drive from Kingscote.