We (couple of seniors with adult son) will be going to Kangaroo Island sometime between March 28 and April 12, 2026. We were planning to rent a car for the duration of our time in SA at the Adelaide airport, and take it on the ferry. When researching car rental companies we’ve noticed that on the whole they don’t allow driving on unsealed roads, even with full insurance.

Will we be very limited by driving only on sealed roads? We want to be hiking, birding, and doing other outdoorsy activities.

If anyone has any other helpful info on Kangaroo Island or other SA destinations, we’d love to hear it!

thanks in advance.

There is a distinction between "unsealed" and "unformed" in Australia.

We often traveled on unsealed roads in rental cars, as that was the only way to get to certain destinations.

I suggest you ask the car rental agency for specifics.

Here are two ancient trip reports I posted here on Fodor's for our visits to SA. They might give you a few ideas.

So much good wine, so little time; South Australia's Limestone Coast

Eating our way across South Australia

I also found sites like those below invaluable when planning my trips to SA. They break the state down into regions, which I found incredibly helpful.

https://southaustralia.com/campaigns...outh-australia

https://www.australia.com/en-us/plac...australia.html

I just re-read my two ancient trip reports and found this:

Europecar wanted $776.83 for a Group C Hyundai Accent sedan with unlimited miles, plus a fee for using a credit card and a charge for an additional driver. They have a $3,300 excess, and their policy against driving on unsealed roads seemed a bit unreasonable.

Budget wanted $776.89 for a Group B Toyota Yaris hatchback with unlimited miles, a $2,750 excess, no charge for using a credit card or for an additional driver, and they permit driving on formed gravel roads. We told them where we’d be driving, and were notified of their policy against driving between dusk and dawn north of Port Augusta (except within town). No problem.

Kangaroo Island has decent roads and even non sealed are mostly in good condition.
Seal Bay and Vivonne Bay were favourites of ours.

My SA album has some KI photos toward the end

https://www.flickr.com/gp/132774444@N05/8n9793s83k

The Fleurieu Peninsula has some lovely coastline, so on your way there or back, you could add Second Valley and Rapid Bay, and Deep Creek is a great NP with gorgeous stringybark scrub and views of KI.

Thank you both!

Adelaidean, we will be in the Adelaide area over Easter. Will grocery stores and/or restaurants be open between Good Friday and Easter Monday?

Good Friday - large grocery stores closed (Coles, Woolworths) but smaller stores open (IGA)
Saturday - normal shopping hours 9-5
Sunday - varies, large suburban stores probably closed, smaller IGA open
Easter Monday - suburban closed, but city centre usually open 11-5

restaurants open, check websites, some may close for family holidays or due to the cost of staffing.