JustSouthAustralia.com.au
Kangaroo Island accommodation, restaurants, history, things to do

There are just so many things to do on Kangaroo Island - above all else relax!

Kangaroo Island was discovered by Matthew Flinders in March 1802 and was named by him to mark the huge number of kangaroos he found on the island.

The island was first settled in the early 1800s and the first school in South Australia was established on the island by Captain Bromley who "took to instructing some 20 children under a tree".

A number of shipwrecks in the area encouraged the building of the first lighthouse in South Australia at Cape Willoughby. The 27-metre high tower is open for tours daily and provides spectacular views.

More than fifty shipwrecks have been recorded around the island. The largest was the 5,800 ton Portland Maru in 1935. It began taking water near Cape Du Couedic before finally sinking at Cape Torrens.

The biggest town on Kangaroo Island is Kingscote. Originally established at Reeves Point on 27 July 1836, it is South Australia's first official European settlement. It was later suggested that Kingscote could serve as the capital of South Australia, but the island's resources were insufficient to support such a large community, so the settlement of Adelaide was chosen.

Having separated from the mainland during the last Ice Age, Kangaroo Island has retained many plants and animals no longer found elsewhere. There are over 850 native plants registered on Kangaroo Island with over 400 different species found within the Flinders Chase National Park.

Free from mainland rabbits and foxes, the Island is a natural habitat for platypus, goanna, glossy black cockatoo, albatross, seals, penguins and the Island's own species of kangaroo. Its shores are also home to the elusive leafy-sea dragon.

At the end of World War II, ex-soldiers and their families established a settlement in the island's central plateau, clearing acres of land for pasture. Agriculture and small industry remain the mainstay of the island's population.

Kangaroo Island is one of South Australia's most popular tourist attractions, attracting over 140,000 visitors each year.

Today, farming, fishing, agriculture and tourism are thriving industries and Kangaroo Island has some of the most stunning and unspoiled coast, and well presented National Parks and Conservation Parks in Australia.

In addition to wine, honey is widely produced on Kangaroo Island. All of the bees on the island are Ligurian Bees, a gentle Italian bee that was first brought to the island in 1884. The island’s honey producers are proud to make delicious pure strained honey from the Ligurian Bees. Other bees or bee products are prohibited to enter the island, in order to prevent disrupting the natural bee population.