Australia’s Island Wilderness — Wildlife, Coastal Drama, and Untouched Bushland
| Region | Kangaroo Island |
| Trails Available | 9 trails |
| Activities | Walking |
| Key Areas | Flinders Chase National Park, Kelly Hill, Cape Borda, D’Estrees Bay |
| Distance from Adelaide | Ferry from Cape Jervis (45 min) or flight (30 min) |
| Accommodation | Camping, mid-range and premium options — See accommodation options |
An Island Apart
Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third-largest island and one of the last great refuges for native wildlife in the southern hemisphere. Stretching 155 kilometres from east to west, over half the island remains covered in native old-growth bushland — habitat that supports populations of koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, possums, and platypus, alongside colonies of Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals on its rugged southern coast. The island’s isolation from the mainland has created a natural sanctuary where animals are abundant, remarkably unafraid of humans, and supported by ecosystems that have remained largely intact.
The landscape is extraordinarily varied for an island of its size. Soaring sea cliffs and wild beaches line the south and west coasts, sculpted by the Southern Ocean’s relentless energy. Dense national parks of sugar gum and stringybark forest cover the western end, sheltering some of the tallest eucalypt trees in South Australia. Sandy dunes, wetlands, and productive farmland fill the interior. The population of around 4,600 — mostly farmers, fishers, and primary producers — maintains a community that feels closer to the rhythms of the natural world than to the pace of the mainland. Gourmet foods including Ligurian honey, sheep’s cheese, marron, and small-batch wines add a culinary dimension that complements the island’s wild character.
Flinders Chase National Park
Flinders Chase National Park covers the entire western end of Kangaroo Island, protecting vast tracts of old-growth forest, dramatic coastal formations, and some of the island’s most significant wildlife habitat. The park’s trails range from short walks to major multi-day adventures, all set against a backdrop of wild Southern Ocean coastline and dense eucalypt woodland. The Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch are the park’s most photographed landmarks, but it is the walking trails that reveal the park’s true character — the quieter corners where platypus feed in rocky creeks, where sea eagles patrol the cliff tops, and where the forest canopy closes overhead.
• Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail — 61 km, 5 days — Australia’s premier island walking experience
• Platypus Waterholes Walk — Creekside walk to observe platypus in their natural habitat
• Rocky River Hike — Through the heart of Flinders Chase’s bushland
• Weirs Cove Hike — Descent to a historic coastal cove
Cape Borda and the Northern Coast
Cape Borda, on the island’s remote northwestern tip, offers cliff-top walking with views across the Indian Ocean and a sense of being at the edge of the known world. The lighthouse here, built in 1858, is one of the oldest in South Australia, and the trails that skirt the cape’s dramatic cliffs provide some of the most exhilarating coastal walking on the island.
• Clifftop Hike — Cape Borda — Dramatic cliff-top walking at the island’s edge
Kelly Hill and the Interior
Kelly Hill Conservation Park protects an area of coastal mallee and limestone cave systems on the island’s south coast. The walking trails here combine surface bushwalking through diverse native vegetation with the opportunity to explore cave systems formed over millions of years. Inland, the trails of Baudin Conservation Park explore woodland and heath habitat.
• Burgess Hike (incorporating Mays Walk) — Kelly Hill — Extended walk through coastal conservation park
• Mays Walk — Kelly Hill — Shorter loop through native vegetation
• Ironstone Hill Hike — Baudin Conservation Park — Woodland and heath walking
D’Estrees Bay and the South Coast
The south coast of Kangaroo Island, between D’Estrees Bay and the Dudley Peninsula, offers gentler walking experiences along beaches and through coastal scrub. The Tadpole Cove Walk at D’Estrees Bay provides easy access to a sheltered cove where the marine life and coastal vegetation can be explored at a relaxed pace.
• Tadpole Cove Walk — D’Estrees Bay — Easy coastal walk to a sheltered cove
Kangaroo Island’s trails lead through one of Australia’s most precious natural sanctuaries — an island where native wildlife lives in abundance, where old-growth forests reach to wild ocean cliffs, and where the walking ranges from gentle cove strolls to one of the nation’s great multi-day wilderness trails. Three days is the minimum recommended visit; a week begins to do it justice. The island rewards those who slow down, walk quietly, and let the wildlife come to them.