Kangaroo Island - tips for travellers

We travelled there via ferry and took our 4WD on the ferry.    At time of travel it took close to $450 for a family of 4 and a car, return.     Not cheap, so based on this cost, a minimum 4 nights should be considered to ensure you get value for money.   

The cost of travel to the Island means that for many, this may be the only time you visit, so it makes sense to see as much as you can whilst there. 

Additional points that you may find beneficial to know are:

·         First time visitors to the island need to remember that to travel from one end to the other takes around 2 hours and getting to some more remote areas, will require travel on unsealed roads (some of them are very corrugated and need you to drive slowly).       We recommend that you get to your destinations in daylight and leave plenty of time to do so.

·         Night time driving is more hazardous due to the wildlife on the roads, so extreme caution and care should be used.  We saw 2 cars damaged badly due to hitting a kangaroo at night.

·         Petrol on the Island is very expensive!  Fill up before you leave the mainland.      Once on the Island, petrol can only be found at a select few localities, so ensure you have plenty in the tank!    We met one traveller who had misjudged his ability to get petrol and barely made it in to the only petrol pump on Western side of the Island (KI Wilderness Retreat).

·         Groceries can be bought in Kingscote and Penneshaw, but apart from those two places, you will find smaller shops with a very limited amount of goods, at inflated prices. Try to bring as much food as you think you will need for the trip from the mainland (if possible!)  Some towns are not towns that we are used to – they are just general stores.   

·         Water is very limited.   In some areas, they are not on mains water and rely on rainwater, so its not easy to just fill up your water cans etc for drinking and washing up.   A local kindly gave us 10L of rainwater as we could not find anywhere to get water near American River!

·         Weigh up the benefits of getting a Kangaroo Island Parks Pass.   If you plan on doing all the activities it covers, then it may save you money.    We did not do a couple of the tours it covered, so therefore we paid for each tour as we went to it.    We did not want to spend extra money on tours that we may not be able to do for whatever reason.

·         Places to eat out are limited.   In Kingscote there were a couple that were suitable for children but on the whole, there are not many choices. 

·         Flinders Chase Cafe is good value for money and the only place to eat on the Western side of the Island.  It is open only for lunch.