Kangaroo Island - To Stay or not to Stay?
 

In a previous discussion, I generally got "slammed" for an itinerary that included Kangaroo Island when we are also visiting Tasmania, Sydney, and Cairns. If I wanted to see kangaroos, koalas, and other wildlife "in the wild" (not zoos), is there another place in one of those latter areas that would be comparable to Kangaroo Island?

You asked people to advise you on your itinerary. This is what we did on our experiences having been to various areas in Australia and knowing connections, different destinations and costs etc. It could hardly be called "slammed". So perhaps if you want help in future you do your own comparisons and researches because there is enough that has been said and information given just on this site for you to find things out for yourself.

PS
Your specific question was answered by me so perhaps go back and read the replies

Hi, RTR1944, there seems to be a difference of opinion on this forum in regards to KI. Have you used the search function above? There are many many trip reports from people who have loved it, and other posts by people who advise against it. It seems to me to be an appealing place if you have the money and time. We went to lots of places where there were supposed to be kangaroos and wallabies (not to mention those "demmed elusive" cassowaries!)and didn't see them at all places, so taking a guided tour with someone who knows where they hang out (like on Kangaroo Island) seems to me to be a good way to increase your chances. In reading the trip reports, there are other animals there as well, and if you go on a night tour, chances of seeing others then. If you are going to be in the area, anyway, I say why not. But a special trip and a huge chunk of your travel dollars to go just to KI, maybe not so much. Every choice you make to go somewhere lessens your time somewhere else, but the good news is that EVERYWHERE in Australia is interesting and worth going to for one reason or another, so whatever choice you make is a good one! Happy planning!
Sally in Seattle

p.s. In my opinion, from a North American point of view, you can't see too many mobs of kangaroos, it is a delight every time (except if they are in the middle of the road or road kill on the side of it.) We were thrilled to see one hopping by us one time, three more at a Botanical Garden, and then scads of them at another Botanical Garden. We would have loved to see them hopping along the skyline at sunset like in the travel shows, in among the rocks out in the Red Centre, etc. etc. etc. I know to many Aussies they are pests, but to us they are great. That might be where some of the negative comments are coming from. Just a guess.
Sally in Seattle

RTR..

I think I said about 100 posts ago that one of KI or tassie has to go.

You can see those animals elsewhere in oz in the 'wild'.KI has the advantage they are in a relatively small area.

You should also be aware that lizzyF lives in tassie and has some links to the tassie tourist industry.

IN MY OPINION a visit to adelaide/barossa/ki would stack up well versus a visit to launceston.freycinet and cradle mountain.

For the record JJ I would get absolutely "zip/nothing/zilch/zap/zero wherever the poster decided to go as I get nothing from the Tourist Industry and furthermore I do not make suggestions on places because I live there and I take offence at you suggestion on that score.
To further ram home my point perhaps you should re-read what I wrote to this poster in her original question/post. It has been cut and pasted:..........
Frankly I don't even think that Tassie is worth going to for only 3 days - you won't have time for anything really and you are not seeing anything other than Lizard Island in the GBR - there is much more to that area that just the reef.
It is your holiday but I would put Kangaroo Island on a list for a second or third trip, even forth, to Australia and not on your first because it does not stack up again some of the other areas in Australia. Now if you had 6 weeks perhaps that would be different.

We also visited Sydney, Cairns (and Daintree), Tasmania, and Kangaroo Island. To my mind, it was a perfect trip. If you do a search for my screen name you'll find my trip report, called "a month in oz."
We LOVED Kangaroo Island. I would definitely include it.

Sorry - I didn't mean to start a firestorm but it was refreshing to hear from Sally in Seattle and bobbieharv for some new insight and JJ for some clarification.

Bobbie,

I just read your trip report and I was amazed to find out that your itinerary and my rough copy appear very similar. How can I contact you for more details? Did you stay just one day in KI?

We just returned from our second trip to Australia, one that included two nights and two and a half days in Kangaroo Island. We went to Tasmania on our first trip, a year ago. When I get time, I'll post reports on both of these trips.

We had a wonderful time in K.I. We spent the first night in Kingscote, so that we could see the pelican feeding and do the nightly penguin tour there. (We had also seen them the year before in Bicheno, in Tasmania.) The second night we stayed at the Kangaroo Is. Wilderness Retreat, a place that I highly recommend, and did the nearby nocturnal tour, which was great. The tour takes you into a private area that you cannot otherwise visit. We saw a number of koalas and other wildlife.

In addition to these two night-time activities, we visited a honey farm, the eucalyptus oil factory, and sheep dairy farm and enjoyed tours of each of these. We also went to the seal consevation center and Vivonne Bay and saw some of the sights and did some hiking in the national park

For wildlife and the farm/factory tours, I would rate K.I. ahead of Tassie. Also we happened to have better weather in K.I. than in Tassie (where it snowed on us as he hiked around the lake at Cradle Mtn. N.P. and where we were prohibited from doing the hike to the viewpoint for Wineglass Bay because of high winds [and concerns about bush fires]). What we liked best about Tassie was Port Arthur, which is the prettiest spot we've seen in Australia, and one with such a fascinating history. We also enjoyed a historical walking tour of Hobart.

Either K.I. or Tasmania are "off the beaten path." In our case, we also visited Melbourne and Adelaide, which made K.I. less of a diversion than it would have been otherwise. If you are already planning to visit Tasmania, it is probably not worth the extra trouble to get to K.I. unless you have lots of time, even though I'm sure you'd enjoy it if you went.

Hi RTR1944

I'd love to give you more details about our trip. I also have pictures of a lot of the places we stayed if you're interested. Re KI: we stayed two nights there, I think, at the Wilderness Retreat which we liked a lot. Especially memorable was getting up before breakfast and driving next door to the nature preserve and seeing the koalas nesting in the trees. We were the only people there.
You can write to me at [email protected].