Kangaroo Island – Where the Road Trip Slows Right Down

From Cape Jervis, you roll aboard the SeaLink ferry, cross to Penneshaw and drive straight off onto Kangaroo Island — where almost immediately everything seems to slow down. And that’s exactly how it should be.

Kangaroo Island isn’t a destination where you race around ticking boxes. The roads connect beaches, bushland, tiny communities, farm gates, wineries and some fairly spectacular chunks of coastline. You’ll also quickly discover that wildlife has absolutely no respect for your itinerary.

Stay Somewhere Different

Accommodation ranges from caravan parks and campsites to holiday homes, hotels and some seriously impressive wilderness retreats. For caravanners and families, [Kingscote Tourist Park](https://www.kingscotetouristpark.com.au/)^ has powered and unpowered sites plus cabins near Brownlow Beach.

But our splurge pick is Ecopia Retreat, an off-grid eco-luxury property set within a 150-acre private wildlife sanctuary near the centre of the island. Its rammed-earth villas combine big windows, bush views, fireplaces and freestanding baths with the possibility of kangaroos wandering past outside. It suits couples and nature-loving travellers particularly well, while its larger Residence and Rise also cater for families or groups.

Eat, Drink… and Try Honey Ice Cream

Kangaroo Island does local produce particularly well.

Near Penneshaw, [False Cape Wines](https://www.falsecapewines.com.au/)^ has a hand-built cellar door made using recycled timber, old jetty timbers and local limestone, with wine tastings, platters and meals overlooking the vineyard. It’s relaxed, family-friendly and refreshingly unpretentious.

Then there’s [Clifford’s Honey Farm](https://www.cliffordshoney.com.au/)^, home to Kangaroo Island’s famous Ligurian honey and Jenny’s honey ice cream. There are tours, a glass beehive and enough honey-related goodies to ensure you leave considerably stickier than when you arrived.

Take the Long Way

Yes, visit Flinders Chase National Park, Remarkable Rocks and the island’s wild coastline — they’re famous for good reason. But leave room for unexpected stops too.

For a closer look at some of the locals, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park near Parndana is home to more than 500 animals across over 100 species, including kangaroos, koalas, wombats, echidnas and plenty of native birds.

You can hand-feed kangaroos and get surprisingly close to some of Australia’s best-known wildlife, making it particularly good for families — or international visitors who’ve travelled halfway around the planet and quite reasonably expect to see a kangaroo before going home. You kind of expect to see Kangaroo's in a place called kangaroo Island!

One particularly odd little Kangaroo Island detour is George Turner’s Castle Lights near Emu Bay. The local visitor centre lists Vikings, witches, kangaroos, boomerangs and even a Christmas display. We’re not entirely sure how those things ended up in the same sentence either, which is precisely why we’d stop.

Kangaroo Island works for couples, families, grey nomads, photographers, foodies and younger travellers wanting something a little less manufactured. More importantly, it rewards anyone happy to stop rushing.

DSP Pro Tip: Don’t try to “do Kangaroo Island” in two days. Bring your own car, allow several nights and keep some empty space in the itinerary. Distances are bigger than they look, wildlife has right of way and sometimes the best Kangaroo Island experience is simply pulling over somewhere you hadn’t planned to stop.

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