Located off the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Australia's third-largest island, is 155km long and 55km wide. Renowned as the place in Australia to see wildlife in its natural habitat, Kangaroo Island offers a unique opportunity to get up close to koalas, little penguins, kangaroos, echidnas, sea lions and fur seals. Kangaroo Island is a spectacular place where you can find cliffs that drop steeply to roaring surf, secluded white sandy beaches, vivid blue ocean, vast tracts of eucalypt woodlands, white desert sand hills, hidden caves and a growing list of cottage industries.

Remarkable Rocks and Admiral's Arch

Nowhere is there more powerful evidence of the elements than in the bizarre natural sculptures of Remarkable Rocks. These massive granite rocks are perched high on a headland - their curious, tortured shapes carved over thousands of years by wind, rain and sea spray. Remarkable Rocks are one of the island's most photographed natural features & provide hours of wonder for geology students.

Another Kangaroo Island icon is Admiral's Arch at Cape du Couedic. This rocky arch, chiselled out by the elements, soars above a natural coastal auditorium that provides a sheltered playground for groups of New Zealand fur seals that fish the local waters and rest on the nearby rocks.

Cape du Couedic was named in 1803 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin and is the south-western point of Kangaroo Island. The lighthouse was constructed from 2,000 pieces of local stone between 1906 and 1909.

Flinders Chase National Park

Kangaroo Island has 18 conservation and national parks dedicated to safeguarding its rare flora and fauna. The biggest of these is Flinders Chase National Park, which covers most of the western end of the island with undisturbed forest and grassland.

The rugged coastline is spectacular, and acacias, banksias and tea-trees grow right down to secluded beaches. The coast provides a haven for many fur seals, sea lions, sea eagles, osprey and numerous other species of wildlife. The interior of the park is predominantly eucalyptus woodland, which is home to an array of animals, including kangaroos, wallabies, brush tailed possums, echidnas, goannas and the elusive platypus. The koala is also very abundant on the Island, and is one of the few places in Australia that visitors can see them in the wild.

Little Penguins

A visit to Kangaroo Island is not complete without seeing the little penguins, which make their nests in the sand hills and rock faces around Penneshaw and Kingscote. The only species to breed in Australian waters, the fairy penguins wait until dusk before coming ashore. Guided tours are available each night at Kingscote and Penneshaw. They are held just after sunset, when the penguins return to their burrows after fishing at sea. Although penguins can be seen year round they are in their greatest numbers between April and October.

Seal Bay

Kangaroo Island's most famous attraction is Seal Bay Conservation Park on the south coast of the island. It is the permanent home to a colony of approximately 500 rare Australian sea lions. Remarkably, this colony represents about ten per cent of the entire world population of this species. The sea lions of Seal Bay readily accept the presence of people on their beach, and guided tours conducted by Park Rangers ensure the closest possible encounter with these large creatures.