Begin your Kangaroo Island adventure in Kingscote, the island’s main town and administrative center. The cozy township is the site of South Australia’s first European settlement and has a collection of fascinating historical markers that trace the town’s history to its colonial roots in 1836. Meet some of the island’s wildlife, including little penguins, pelicans and leafy sea dragons.
Stroll down Dauncey Street, the main strip, and check out the range of specialty shops selling regional produce, handcrafts, gifts and wines. Visit the Island Beehive for a tour and sweet souvenirs. Explore the town’s waterfront to find a heritage hotel, which opened in 1907. The small Main Beach stretches along the town’s waterfront and has a tidal pool so you can play and swim laps in the sheltered seawater. Watch boats arriving and departing at the Kingscote Wharf on Bear Point to the north of the beach.
At the wharf, you’ll have the chance to see some of Kangaroo Island’s wildlife up close. Watch as the town’s resident pelican-whisperer feeds a flock of the inquisitive seabirds every afternoon. Check out the Kangaroo Island Penguin Centre and join the Aquarium and Penguin Tour. With your guide, you’ll see sea horses, leafy sea dragons and cuttlefish. Armed with a red flashlight, go for a walk through the wharf’s little penguin colony after sunset and watch as the flightless birds return to the rookery after a day in the ocean.
Learn about Kingscote’s early European history at the Hope Cottage Museum, which is situated within one of the island’s first settler dwellings. Stroll down the hill to Reeves Point to see the historic Old Mulberry Tree, which was planted in 1836 and still bears fruit. The Pioneers Cemetery is across the road and contains some of the island’s earliest gravestones.
Kingscote is located on the northeastern coast of the island and is a 45-minute drive from the ferry terminal in Penneshaw, where car rental is available. Visit in summer to enjoy the island’s pristine beaches or check out Kingscote’s lush surrounding landscape during the wet but mild winter. Wildlife experiences are available year-round.
