SELF-DRIVE TOURS IN ADELAIDE & KANGAROO ISLAND

Seals, koalas and thousands of kangaroos: Kangaroo Island is a gem for nature lovers. Just 16 km off the coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, Australia’s third-largest island has kept the fascinating wilderness of the fifth continent untouched. This lesser-known island is also a flagship of the Slow Food movement: here you can savour local produce, refined by the skill of dedicated producers.

Amid the island’s varied vegetation you can watch kangaroos and wallabies hopping through the bush, thousands of koalas hiding in the eucalyptus trees and, in Seal Bay Conservation Park on the south coast, sea lions leisurely recovering from their days of hunting.

Kangaroo Island is nature at its purest. Experience it on the 61 km ‘Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail’! Or venture into the water and swim with dolphins and seals. Snorkelling or diving, you may spot the blue devil, harlequin fish, coral fish or even the elusive leafy sea dragon. For a swim, head to Vivonne Bay and Estrees Bay on the south coast, or to the beaches of Emu Bay, Browns Beach and American Beach on the north coast.

Covering 740 km2, Flinders Chase National Park lies in the west of the island. Here you can observe wallabies, echidnas, platypuses and more than 27,000 koalas living in the eucalyptus forests. On the coast, the rock sculptures of the Remarkable Rocks rise spectacularly into the sky. At Cape du Couedic, Admirals Arch, shaped by the forces of nature, curves over a small sheltered cove that is home to New Zealand fur seals.