Kangaroo Island Road Trip From Adelaide

A Solo Road Trip To Kangaroo Island

You can visit Kangaroo Island in a one-day trip, but hopping on and off the bus will not do justice to this island. You will taste some of Kangaroo Island’s attractions on a day trip. If you want to see it all and enjoy the island’s beauty fully, the best way to explore it is on a self-drive trip. Here we recap what to see in a 3-day road trip to Kangaroo Island.

If you haven’t booked your hotel yet, here is what we recommend:

Best Places to Stay:

➡️ Flinders Chase National Park Accommodation
➡️ Kangaroo Island Seaview Motel
➡️ Kangaroo Island Seafront Hotel.

How to get to Kangaroo Island from Adelaide

I travelled from Adelaide to Cape Jervis along 100 km of scenic drive on board a Sealink Bus that takes through the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula. From Cape Jervis, the Sealink Ferry takes you 45 minutes over to Kangaroo Island. Penneshaw is where you land. It is also a hub for renting cars. This is where I picked up my booked rental car.

Find the best deals:

➡️ Car Rentals

The little village of Penneshaw has been newly renovated into a large ferry terminal hub, hosting thousands of visitors every year. It is worth considering staying overnight in Penneshaw if you return from a long day trip driving around the island.

You can take your car onto the ferry if you own one. Rental cars are not allowed onto the ferry, so it’s best to hire a car when you arrive at Penneshaw. We recommend using the website below.

A self-drive road trip to Kangaroo Island

I loved driving around Kangaroo Island. The roads linking Penneshaw and Kingscote to the island’s southwest are sealed, and it’s easy to go around. In one and a half hours, you have reached the best places in the island’s southern region and further down in the southwest.

You can also drive on some gravel roads with a rental car. Usually, short sideroads to the beaches are allowed. I enjoyed driving along the sweeping plains and soft Kangaroo Island hills, taking in its far horizons and feeling the deep isolation that still reigns on Kangaroo Island.

The Best places to see on Kangaroo Island on a Road Trip

The main draw for people to go to Kangaroo Island is to see its native wildlife and discover its pristine and ancient landscape.  Next to the Seal Bay unique experience of the Sea Lions, another spot is Cape Coudeic Lighthouse with Remarkable Rocks and Admiral Arch.

See Sea Lions at Seal Bay

Watching the sea lions at Seal Bay is a unique experience worth doing. You can only visit with a ticket entrance on a range guided tour. The price is high but seeing the sea lions on the beach and hearing about the history of this sea lion colony is worth every dollar.  This place gets booked out quite often, so book in advance your entrance ticket.

The Flinders Chase National Park

The Flinders Chase National Park is the primary national park on Kangaroo Island. You can reach the Lighthouse with Remarkable Rocks and Admiral Arch just a short drive from the visitor’s centre. This is also where people stay if they want to camp or rent a cabin. There are plenty of walking trails in the southwestern area of the Flinders Chase National Park.

I spend a night in a small cottage in the Flinders Chase National Park. Check the website above for booking a cabin in the Flinders Chase National Park.

Flinders Chase National Park Trails

Start with a short walk to the Cape Coudeic Lighthouse, admire the Remarkable Rocks, and take a walk on the boardwalk to Admiral Arch. Plan an entire day for this spot since you will spend lots of time taking photos and soaking in the magical atmosphere.

I also recommend doing more walks there. Walk 1,5km from the Lighthouse to Weirs Cove. This is a beautiful walk along the cliffs with spectacular views over the ocean and the rugged coastline. It ends at Weirs Cove, which used to be a landing point for ships in the past. There you can see the ruins of the last settlement.

Over 20 walks start from the visitor’s centre in the Flinders Chase National Park. Make sure you start early morning to view birds and native animals. The earlier you start the walk, the higher the chances of seeing wild native animals, including the Platypus.

Kangaroo Island Beaches

Kangaroo Island is not only known for its dramatic landscapes and its abundant wildlife, but it also has got some beautiful beaches in the most varied settings. From rugged cliffs and stony beaches with breaks in the south to white sandy beaches with calm waters in the island’s northern part. On the way to Seal Bay, you can stop at  Bales Beach and further south at Vivonne Bay, one of the most beautiful places to visit on the southern coast of Kangaroo Island.

Vivonne Bay

Vivonne Bay is a lovely place where you can spend a couple of days enjoying the area by walking, biking, or kayaking along the river. Moreover, just 5 minute drive from there, you can experience sandboarding substantial white dunes. This is pretty popular among kids and the youngest; I stopped there, and it was fun watching them.

I enjoyed walking on Vivonne Bay; just before sunset, it’s a lovely long walk along a wide white beach; in the inlet, a bit further south, there is a jetty and a lookout point with a beautiful view over the bay. This is a protected area where you can swim.

Hanson Bay Beach

Probably the most admired beach of all is the famous Hanson Bay Beach. You can take a walk in the coastal heathland from the beach, with stunning views over the cliffs and the ocean. This walk is 18km long, and you must plan a whole day.

Kingscote, Stokes Bay and Emu Bay on the North Coast

The three significant places on the north coast of Kangaroo Island are Stokes Bay, Emu Bay and Kingscote. I had initially planned to see all of them, but three days is a  limited time, so I decided to focus my last day on visiting Kingscote. I loved Kingscote. It’s a lovely and peaceful place surrounded by water on three sides.

Kingscote Wines and the local Honey

Not many people know, but Kangaroo Island is renowned for its natural honey and various local produce, including excellent wines. A visit to the Bay of Shoals Winery must have a breathtaking ocean view and enjoy excellent wine testing. I also stopped at the Island Beehive, famous for its organic Ligurian Honey. (I could not believe it, but pure Ligurian honey bees).

If you plan to stay overnight, stay check out our recommendations:

Check all Accommodation in Kingscote.

Kangaroo Island Accommodation – Where to stay

To stay overnight on Kangaroo Island is expensive. That’s why camping is the most popular accommodation option on the island. You can take your car on the ferry and stay overnight at a campsite. The island is also a luxury destination for honeymooners, so while luxury accommodation is thriving, there are few good-budget accommodation options, unfortunately.

Budget Accommodation On Kangaroo Island

I stayed the first night at the beautiful Vivonne Bay Lodge, a lovely place with excellent facilities offering upgraded backpacking rooms in the form of shared rooms or doubles and twins with shared bathrooms. The kitchen is well furnished and equipped with a large lounge and a lovely veranda where you can sit and relax, enjoy a beer, prepare your BBQ, and have dinner. There is also a small bottle shop and bar. The place is ideal for exploring the southern part of Kangaroo Island and is the only value-budget accommodation in the area.

Hotel Accommodation On Kangaroo Island

On the return trip, I stayed at Kangaroo Island Seafront Hotel. This is an excellent hotel with spacious, refurbished, comfortable rooms, a garden, and a swimming pool in the backyard.

If you plan your trip to Kangaroo Island, book your accommodation by using the website below:

All Kangaroo Island Accommodation.

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Related Pages:

All Things to Do In Adelaide

A 3-day road trip to the Yorke Peninsula

best places on a road trip to Fleurieu Peninsula

Australia Destinations

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First published in 2013, last updated in Jan 2023

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