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The Kangaroo Island(Kangaroo Island) is Australia third largest island and is located about 15 km off the coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state South Australia. Almost 200,000 tourists visit the island each year.
background
The island is after with an area of 4,405 km² Tasmania and Melville Island, Australia's third largest island, making it almost five times the size to reprimand. The length is 145 km, the width varies between 0.9 and 57 km. Large parts of the island are protected as national parks or reserves.
places
The most important place on the island, which has around 4,300 inhabitants, is Kingscote on the northeast coast with 1,200 inhabitants, other places are Penneshaw in the east, where the ferry from the mainland (Cape Jervis) arrives, as well as American River on the northeast coast and Parndana in the center of the island. About half of the inhabitants live in and around the island's capital.
Regions
The Flinders Chase National Park with several attractions is in the west of the island.
climate
The island is located in the temperate climatic zone, so that even in summer it is rarely 35 ° C or more. The best time to travel is from September to April. From May to August it can get quite cool and wet.
getting there
In the street
The only remaining ferry connection through Sealink leads from 1 Cape Jervis
to 2 Penneshaw. Travel time approx. 45 minutes. The number of daily connections depends on the season and demand, the minimum is three journeys per day in each direction, in the high season about every two hours. Advance booking is strongly recommended, as the capacities of the two ferries are limited, each with a good 50 cars. The ferry service between Kingscote and Wirrina was discontinued in June 2008.
By plane
There are several regional flight connections between the island's airport 1 Kingscote Airport(IATA: KGC) at Kingscote (approx. 12 km) and Adelaide. Air South Regional flies four times a day from Adelaide (General Aviation Terminal), also flies Rex Regional Express three to four times a day from Adelaide.
mobility
There is no public transport or taxis anywhere on the island! So you usually move around with the vehicle you have brought with you or rent a car on the island. An alternative is to travel with a tour group or a package deal, which usually also includes transfers to various attractions. Many tour operators in Germany also offer such package deals from Adelaide, for example.
On the island itself, some of the important roads are paved, otherwise there are many gravel roads. The gravel roads usually do not require four-wheel drive, but normal rental cars are usually not allowed to use unsealed roads.
fauna and Flora
Although not actually native to Kangaroo Island, the largest koala population in Australia can be found on the island. They are now a nuisance because they threaten the eucalyptus tree population, and sterilization programs are in progress. Nevertheless, as a tourist you of course have the opportunity to see koalas in the wild. In addition, numerous kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and other endemic animal species live here. On the coast you can find penguin and sea lion colonies - the colony of the Australian sea lion living here is one of the last three larger colonies of this endangered species. Due to the island location, many plant and some animal species have developed that can only be found on the island. Also due to its island location, in contrast to continental Australia, Kangaroo Island is free of rabbits and foxes.
Unfortunately, you also get an impression of the great diversity of the local wildlife through the roadkill that can be found everywhere.
Sights and activities
Many national parks and reserves on Kangaroo Island are chargeable, the Australian national park pass is not valid. There is a Kangaroo Island Pass for 46.50 AUD per person (as of 11/2008), which is then valid for 12 months. If you stay one to two days, however, single tickets are usually cheaper. If you drive into a paid zone without a ticket, you risk high fines.
- Flinders Chase National Park. The national park occupies a large part of the western part of the island. Some slopes lead into or through the park. There are also some hiking trails (Snake Lagoon, Platypus Lagoon). A devastating bush fire in December 2007 destroyed large parts of the park, nature is in the process of recovering, but the circular route to the platypus was still closed in 11/2008, as was the slope Shackle Road which was additionally damaged in winter.Price: Entry: 8 AUD / person.
- The Remarkable rocks are a curious collection of red-gray rocks directly above the roaring ocean. They are located in the more remote southwest of the island, but are easily accessible by car.
- Admiral's Arch is a large rock arch in the southwest at Cape du Couedic.
- There is a lighthouse built in 1858 at Cape Borda.
- Hanson Bay Sanctuary. In this koala retreat you can observe koalas on a small circular path through two avenues with eucalyptus trees as well as a new planting, there are so many here that you are guaranteed to see some. Whoever has it is best to bring binoculars.Open: daily 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.Price: Entry: 2 AUD (as of 11/2008).
- Seal Bay Conservation Park. One of the largest remaining colonies of the endangered Australian sea lion lives in this bay, the colony is said to number around 700 animals. Guided tours allow you to get close to the sea lions without disturbing them.Price: Admission including guided tour: 32 AUD (as of 08/2013).
- In Penneshaw there is an exhibition on penguins that can be seen leaving the sea in the evening.
- At the narrowest point on the island (900 m wide) between Penneshaw and American River is a lookout hill with sweeping views of Eastern Cove to the north and Pennington Bay to the south of the island.
- Also on the south coast is the Little Sahara with high sand dunes and a pristine sandy beach (Vivonne Bay), which is said to be one of the most beautiful in Australia. You can go sandboarding on the sand dunes.
activities
shop
In Kingscote there is a larger supermarket, as well as some shops for different needs, banks and a post office.
trips
Practical advice
- Refueling: There are plenty of petrol stations on the island, but it should be taken into account that most of them are closed after 6 p.m., and some remain open all day on Sundays. Turner Fuel Kingscote is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Island news: Anyone interested in news from the island can find everything in the island weekly newspaper The Islanderwhich appears every Thursday.
climate
Mediterranean climate, the winters between June and September are mild and humid, the summers between December and February warm and dry. Most of the rain falls between May and October.
| Kangaroo Island / Kingscote | Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean highest air temperature in ° C | 26.3 | 26.6 | 24.4 | 21.6 | 18.6 | 16.1 | 15.4 | 16.0 | 17.7 | 19.8 | 22.8 | 24.8 | O | 20.8 |
| Mean lowest air temperature in ° C | 13.1 | 13.4 | 11.0 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 9.7 | 10.8 | O | 8.8 |
| Precipitation in mm | 14.4 | 16.2 | 25.8 | 27.1 | 46.9 | 67.2 | 66.0 | 56.3 | 45.0 | 30.0 | 22.0 | 19.3 | Σ | 436.2 |
| Rainy days in the month | 4.1 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 8.9 | 15.0 | 18.2 | 19.4 | 19.0 | 15.5 | 10.1 | 7.9 | 7.2 | Σ | 135.4 |
www.bom.gov.au Bureau of Meteorology, Australia, data: 1994-2010 | ||||||||||||||
Mediterranean climate, the winters between June and September are mild and humid, the summers between December and February are warm and dry. Most of the rain falls between May and October.
