With travel restrictions easing and Australian state borders slowly opening back up, Jade and I knew we had to take a chance and book a last-minute trip to South Australia for my birthday.
As it was a spontaneous trip, we didn’t get the chance to plan our itinerary as much as we usually would but honestly, it didn’t matter. We winged it and had an incredible time! A major highlight of this trip was Kangaroo Island where we managed to squeeze in a whirlwind 48 hour adventure!
Kangaroo Island has had it rough – between the major bushfires of 2019/2020 that vastly destroyed fauna and flora and the toll Covid 19 took on their highly tourism dependent economy, things haven’t been easy.
Located on the southernmost coast of South Australia, the Island attracts seasonal tourism (mostly during the summer months as winter gets quite chilly down there).
We visited during the low season, mid-April (which is Autumn in Australia) – where we had a cloudy 24 hours followed by a sunny day with temperatures averaging at 18 degrees Celsius (yes, that is cold for us Aussies). With the many beautiful beaches, it is no surprise that the warmer months are more popular. But if you’re after a quiet trip with fewer crowds, Autumn is a great time to visit.
Our goal was to cover as much ground as possible and snap some awesome pics, so this itinerary is quite full on. But of course, you could definitely slow it down and see a few of the highlights or stay for longer.
Here is how to make the most of 48hrs on Kangaroo Island.
Cost Breakdown AUD
Flights – $580 ($290pp) – return from Sydney to Adelaide with Jetstar
Ferry + Coach – $315 ($157.50pp) – return ferry and coach transfers from Adelaide with Sealink
Car Hire – $244 – Kia Picanto from Budget, including stress-free insurance cover
Petrol – $45 – completely filled once
Accomodation – $283 – 2 nights
National Park Pass – $22 ($11pp) – one day entry to Flinders Chase National Park
*Flights were quite expensive due to NSW school holidays. We travelled during ‘off’ season but due to Covid-19 it was very quiet which may have affected prices.
Day 1 – Penneshaw; North Coast – Pennington, Emu + Stokes Bays; Kingscote
Australia never ceases to impress me. I’m constantly in awe and we’re incredibly lucky to have spots like Kangaroo Island in our backyard. After a couple of days exploring the capital city of Adelaide, we were excited to hop across to visit one of Australia’s southernmost gems.
We were up bright and early Sunday morning for a 6.15am transfer coach from Adelaide to the ferry terminal at Cape Jervis. Public transport in Australia is pretty average at the best of times, and the only way to get to Cape Jervis is by car or the Sealink bus which runs twice a day; in the morning and evening. We’d pre-booked our ferry and bus transfer online. My best advice here would be to hire a car from Adelaide – that way you take it across the ferry. This gives you much more flexibility.
We made it to the terminal by 8.45am for our 9am ferry. The ferry itself was only 45 minutes but the waves were particularly choppy. The hundreds of sick bags tucked behind each seat should’ve rang a bell for us. By 10am we’d made it to beautiful Kangaroo Island and picked up our little Kia Picanto rental from Budget. You’ll find The Budget desk right inside the ferry terminal – very handy. The car was relatively pricey for two days but self-driving is the only way around the island as it spans a fair bit and public transport is non-existent.
After picking up our car we headed straight out to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, a thirty minute drive from Penneshaw ferry terminal. The road leading up to the lighthouse is a scenic route – you could see the bush and mother nature slowly regenerating after the catastrophic fires.
You can tell that this area usually welcomes its fair share of tourists with the lighthouse centre offering tours and accommodation nearby at the Keeper’s quarters. There’s also a popular scenic walk with breathtaking views – short and sweet. Unfortunately, as we were short on time, we opted out of the tour and scenic walk.
We drove back into town for a small grocery shop. The Island is quite remote and there’s not a lot of options to stop for food so stocking up was essential.
Our second stop was Pennington Bay for a picnic lunch. It was very windy, so we ate in the car admiring the rocky coastline and crashing waves. It’s to no surprise this beach is the hot spot for surf affectionados. While the beach isn’t very safe for swimming due to rocks and big waves, the scenery is jaw dropping, perfect for some epic snaps.
Stop number three, Emu Bay! This is another highly photographed spot on the Island featuring four kilometres of bright white sand and deep turquoise ocean. To access the beach you’ll have to make it by foot or by 4WD. If you’re after the secluded parts, have kids with you or have a fair bit to carry, you’ll be better off with a 4WD. It was quite chilly with the blowing wind but it would be great spot to spend a lazy day in the warmer months.
On our way to the next stop, we popped by Emu Bay Lavender. Unfortunately the hues of lilac and lavender weren’t quite there; with the cold and the wind, the pretty flowers couldn’t cope – the patch looked a bit sad and small. That being said, we did still enjoy a coffee at the quaint cafe and unique gift shop on site.
The final stop and highlight of the day was Stokes Bay. This beach is Insta-famous due to the secret passageway through rock formations you have to weave through to enter the beach. This was the only time on our trip that we saw a whole lot of people. It was cold but kids joyfully splish splashed around. Had we had more time, we would’ve jumped in for a dip (because no water is too cold after you’ve swum in the ocean in Tasmania!)
We were on a high from all the incredible scenery but it was getting late so we headed back to Kingscote to check in to the Aurora Ozone Hotel before the sunset. Our car insurance didn’t cover driving outside of town after 6pm as the risk of hitting the wildlife was too high (sadly we witnessed this first hand, seeing a lot of roadkill).
Because we booked so late, there were only two hotels available fitting our dates – the Aurora Ozone in Kingscote and Kangaroo Island Seafront in Penneshaw. Kingscote was central and relatively close to all spots we wanted to visit so it made sense to stay there the first night. The Seafront had a glamping Bell Tent option (an absolute dream of mine!) so we planned to stay there for the last night. This was also ideally close to the ferry we’d have to catch the following morning.
We’re not too fussy with accommodation so the Aurora was everything we needed; plus with a handy bistro on site, we couldn’t have asked for more. We had a delicious pub dinner and headed to bed early before another big day!
Day 2 – West End – Flinders Chase National Park; South Coast – Vivonne Bay & Seal Bay
Have you heard of Flinders Chase National Park before? I hadn’t either. But a quick geo-tag search revealed that it was the number one must see location on Kangaroo Island.
We were up and en route by 8am, only stopping halfway in Pardarna for a coffee. The National Park was just over an hour’s drive from Kingscote, located on the far west of the Island. We had pre-purchased entry to the Park the night before and been warned that there was no service out west. Throughout the Island there was only really service in the major towns, but you couldn’t pick up a single bar between Parndarna and the National Park.
We made it and checked in at the Visitor Centre to get a map. First stop was the Bunker Hill Lookout which is where the Insta-famous wavy road is. Our photos honestly don’t do this breathtaking view justice. Even more refreshing was seeing how mother nature was creeping back in after the fires. We stayed here for bit soaking in all the beauty around us and took some wanderlust worthy photos on the road weaving through the bush.
The highlights of Flinders Chase are Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks. Our first stop was Admirals Arch, also home to the cartoon-like Cape Du Coedic Lighthouse. With the sun peeking through, the red tipped lighthouse against the bright blue sky looked unreal!
Did you know that Admirals Arch is a breeding area for New Zealand fur seals? It came to us as a surprise to see over two dozen seals lazing on the rocks and catching the morning rays of sunshine. We are grateful to have seen them in the wild for the first time! The Arch itself is pretty spectacular but wild seals stole the show – thank goodness we brought the zoom lens!
Then onto Remarkable Rocks which to be completely honest the name doesn’t even do it justice. Remarkable Rocks was remarkable and more. They are an awesome collection of sculptured rocks that you can climb onto and explore. Overall the coastline around the National Park was a true depiction of how beautiful nature weathered and regenerated itself.
We drove along the South Coast on our way back to Penneshaw, stopping at Vivonne Bay for burgers at the General Store and to admire the white sandy beaches. Most of the roads around here were unsealed- think hilly, windy roads and no barriers; quite a thrill in our tiny Picanto! All jokes aside though, drive safely!
After exploring Vivonne Bay, we headed 15mins down the road to another hotspot of Kangaroo Island, Seal Bay! The only way to get in is through a paid tour, which run from 9.15am to 4pm. Unfortunately, we had missed out on that but we weren’t too disappointed as we’d already had our seal fix at Admirals Arch.
Shortly after, we realised that our trip was going to be cut short. Our ferry booked for 9am the following morning looked like it was going to be cancelled due to heavy winds and large swells.
We ended up having to frantically dash back to the Penneshaw terminal to change our ferry to that night. We had a flight back home the following afternoon and weren’t sure we’d make it back in time. Trying to figure out how to get from Cape Jervis back to Adelaide gave us a headache – we feared we’d miss the last bus (remember there’s only 2 buses for that route). Luckily, the 7.30pm ferry connected with the coach! Again, I’d highly recommend bringing your own car across on the ferry for this exact reason.
The service from Sealink did somewhat exceed our expectations though. They amended our ferry booking at no extra charge and also arranged our coach transfers. In the end it was lucky we went back early as all the ferries ended up being cancelled before 4pm and the two flights off the Island that day were delayed.
Unfortunately, this meant we didn’t get to stay in the Bell Tent at Kangaroo Island Seafront that we’d been looking forward to. At least we’ve got a good excuse to go back now!
Despite the not so ideal end, it was an incredible trip and we were in awe of all the beautiful natural sites! Kangaroo Island is truly a photographer’s paradise. I would love to go back during summer with a 4WD to explore more off the beaten track and hang out at all the beaches.
That wraps up my 48 hours on Kangaroo Island Travel Guide. I hope you enjoyed the post and that it inspired you to see more of Australia.
If you haven’t already, go check out my Tasmania and New Zealand guides for more travel inspiration and follow my adventures on Instagram, Tik Tok & YouTube.
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