Kangaroo Island
 

Running out of time to continue procrastenating. Would appreciate advice about visiting Kangaroo Island first week of September:
1. Is this a good time to visit primarily to see Kangaroos and Koalas, in their NATURAL HABITAT?
2. If yes, should one take a tour for that purpose (a two night visit), or hire a car?
3. Best lodging location for that purpose?
4. Are flights frequent enough to make a same day continuing flight from Adelaide to Sydney upon departure?

We visited KI in April. I seem to recall that there were no wombats there. Can't recall about koalas although there are many, many varieties of eucalyptus. Plenty of kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and penguins, tho. You can watch the little birds come ashore to their burrows after dark. This preserve is on the beach at Penneshaw; a ranger guides you about, maintains silence lest you spook the birds, and uses a flashlight with a red cover to hide the light. Lots of seals lounging on the beaches. Big - some are the size of cows. Don't go near them.

Be sure you visit the Remarkable Rocks -- really impressive. Another interesting place to stop by is the island's only remaining eucalyptus oil distillery, a family business located not far from the airport. Locals can give you good guidance.

By all means, rent a car if you don't take a tour. Things are spread out. More than half of the island is a nature preserve. Reminded us of a windswept Oklahoma -- miles and miles of green. Unspoiled, clean, almost deserted. We loved it.

We flew over from Adelaide (takes 19 minutes) on Emu Airlines (funny name -- emus are FLIGHTLESS!). It's a small plane (maybe 16 passengers?) because they only have an airstrip.

Stayed at a nice motel in Penneshaw only a short way from the ferry landing for our return. It's near where the penguins come.

As for flights back, you might check with Emu Airlines; probably have a web site. They only shuttle back and forth to KI; you would have to take another airline to connect on to Sydney.

I did a bus tour of KI, some years ago.

Presuming you are travelling from somewhere outside Oz, this may well be the best way to go. You benefit greatly from the guide's knowledge - and s/he knows where the best wildlife is. Had I driven myself - I'm sure I would have missed much.

On that trip, I flew from KI to Adelaide and then on to Sydney, arriving about 7.30pm, so it is possible,

I wonder if Regional Express (Rex) still flies there. They used to be Kendall, and that's the airline I flew with. You will have to change to another airline to get back to Sydney.

Try www.the-lookout.com.au
Do a search on this board for Kangaroo Island or The Lookout and you will find a poster's comments on their stay. We will be visiting in October.

Though I have not been to KI, I have been wildlife viewing in Africa S. America and other parts of Australia and I can say that, generally speaking, if you really want to locate wildlife,you are usually best to stick with a reliable guide who will be able find animals easily, explain them and add interesting tid bits, and who knows the lay of the land. Wildlife guides are professionals who visit these places day after day, year after year... they know where to look for different things. You don't want to be like the disgruntled New Yorkers we met on Safari in Kenya who had managed not to find an amazing pride of over 25 lions because they had gotten lost crossing a flooded river while trying to "do it themselves". (just my two cents) Have a great trip to KI and AUS.

We spent 5 days on KI the last week of July. Even though it was rainy & cold, we loved it. we saw lots of wildlife even though we did it on our own, the kangaroos & wallabies are very numerous & don't run away when you see them. Although it would certainly be more relaxing to hire a guide, you might want to check the price of a two day guide vs. a two day car rental. We opted for a car rental, with 4 people, the cost of a tour guide would have been prohibitive.

Where to find koalas: In the wild, you will see them at Kangaroo Island Caravan Park, which is on the south end of the island. It is free. There were also a field of wallabies grazing. Also, I read that they were also in the trees near the caves although we didn't see any there.

Holding koalas: Don't miss Paul's place near Pardna(spelling). Bring your camera, you will also be able to hand feed kangaroos, emus, sheep and pet echidnas & hold birds. I know you want to see them in the wild but this was a wonderful experience.

Kangaroos: There were kangaroos in the back yard of where we stayed. They knew that we were there & couldn't care less. Sometimes they'd even hop closer to us. (Flinders Chase Lighthouse Lodge, very simple, basic accomodations in the park. There were no other people there & access to great trails. ) My guess is that the closer you are to the park, the easier the kangaroos are to see.

Other information: Many roads are unpaved so it takes longer to get from one location to the next.

Weather: I checked the temperature range before I left so I thought I'd be prepared. However, what I didn't know is that many places (including our hotel & restaurnt) are only heated with a space heater so I was never able to get warm. In addition, it rained every day we were there. Next time, I would bring warmer clothes & rain gear.

I don't know about flights, but it definitely sounds like a good idea. We took the ferry which was very pleasant but time consuming.

Other wildlife:
Little Penguins at Penneshaw; Seals at seal Bay (south end) & New Zealand Fur Seals at Admirals Arch. There are also Platypus in the park but we didn't see any.

Hope this helps. Have a wonderful time.

Audrey




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