Hopping Around Kangaroo Island
- Lauretta Stace
- Mar 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 6
Our odyssey took us away from the mainland of South Australia to explore Kangaroo Island. The Island is renowned for its natural wonders, stunning beaches, unique wildlife encounters and terrific food and wine. This is Part 1 of 3 travel blogs as we hop around the island with some good friends.
Dudley Peninsula
After crossing on the Sealink ferry, we arrived at the seaside town of Penneshaw. We then travelled through the Dudley Peninsula to spend a few nights camped at the stunning Antechamber Bay in the Lashmar Conervation Park.
Antechamber Bay
Some campsites tick all the boxes, and Antechamber Bay campsite was one of them. Quiet, peaceful, naturally beautiful, lots of birds and animals, and close to a beach and a river, this was a great start to our travels on the island. Situated on the northern side of the Chapman River, the camp was close enough to the beach to listen to the sound of the waves lapping on the shore at night and only a short walk to a stunning, isolated beach with fine white sand and aquamarine water. The campsite is managed by the South Australian National Parks & Wildlife service.
The beach and river provides an important habitat for water, shore and sea birds, including the tiny Hooded Plover that nests in the sand dunes. After setting up camp, we explored the Conservation Park, said hello to some curious little robins and had a refreshing swim at the beach.
We started the next day with a walk on the beach and enjoyed a lovely encounter with a baby Tammar Wallaby that was warming up in the early morning sunshine. The wallabies are plentiful in this area, living amongst the coastal heath, and this one was not the least bit concerned by our presence.
Before breakfast, our group of friends joined us at the beach for a swim before starting our adventures for the day. It was lots of fun!
Cape Willoughby
Cape Willoughby has long been a landmark atop a prominent hill overlooking a sweeping coastal plain. The Lighthouse offers a stunning panoramic view across Backstairs Passage and the Kangaroo Island coastline. The Lighthouse was built to assist the safe operation of ships through the Backstairs Passage that separates Kangaroo Island from the mainland. Completed in 1852, the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse was the first in South Australia and a major breakthough in protecting shipping in these treacherous waters. The heritage walk around the Lighthouse precinct provided us with a fascinating glimpse into island life and seafaring history with a map of numerous shipwrecks demonstrating how precarious life was in the early days of settlement.
American River
Next up was the region surrounding the town of American River. The town was named for American sealers who thought they were camped on the banks of a river, not realising the lagoon was an ocean inlet. These days, Pelican Lagoon is a marine sanctuary, providing habitat for a broad range of waterbirds, plants and animals. It was nice to see some Spoonbills wading in the lagoon - one of our favourite birds -along wth pelicans, egrets and others.
Lunch consisted of a dozen creamy, fresh oysters, staight out of the lagoon with a squeeze of lemon. Fantastic!
Baudin Conservation Park
Our final destination on this part of the journey was to Baudin Conservation Park.
Dominated by she-oak woodland and rolling hills, the Park has spectacular views across Backstairs Passage to the Fleurieu Peninsula. Whilst walking through the Park we encountered lots of tammar wallabies, kangaroos and some great sightings of dolphins swimming and feeding close to shore in the turquoise water.
Our main goal was to find the rare and beautiful red-tailed glossy black cockatoo which we were told, could be spotted in this area if you were patient and lucky. At the end of our walk, we were rewarded! There they were, quietly feeding on the pine cones in the she-oak trees before gliding away with a flash of red-tail-feathers.
Watch our YouTube video to see more of our adventures on Kangaroo Island. Don't forget to like and subscribe to @AStaceOdyssey on YouTube to join us on our travel odyssey.
Next, we head south west to the wild and beautiful Seal Bay and Flinders Chase National Park for more adventures on Kangaroo Island.
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