While looking at some of the inviting Aussie landscapes on television during the coverage of the recently concluded cricket series with Australia, the craving to visit down under at the end of the COVID19 pandemic must have intensified among many of the potential Indian travellers.
In the world of tourism, Australia is one of the most sought after destination primarily because of its many wondrous natural sites like the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru Kata- Tjuta National Park, Kimberley and the Kakadu National Park. Another one which aptly fits into the same category is Kangaroo Island.
With roads less travelled, it’s not a typical bus-tour destination. Its uniqueness comes from the pristine and tranquil environment, much different to any other Aussie destination. It’s said the island is a time capsule of Australia as it was once with native animals, plants in abundance and delicate eco-systems unchanged for thousands of years.
A place to relax
Anyone who has been there described it as a place where it’s hard not to feel relaxed. Only 4,000 plus people live there on land in size six times that of Singapore. There are no traffic lights, fast food outlets like McDonald’s or KFC, nightclubs, shopping malls or high rise buildings to connect life with typical urban elements. Lifestyle is laidback and modest. Locals hardly lock their cars and house doors making it an easy job for the five odd police personnel guarding its shores. This doesn’t mean a shortage of modern amenities for visitors. The island boasts of many contemporary hotels and good eateries to make the stay comfortable and gastronomically delightful while efficient mobile service and Wi-Fi provide connectivity with the rest of the world.
And it’s not that far from the mainland.
Located only 110 km south of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia and separated from the mainland at Cape Jervis on the southern edge of the state by a 15 km stretch of the ocean. There are regular flights between Adelaide and Kingscote – the island’s biggest town and daily ferry services between Cape Jervis and Penneshaw – another small town on the eastern side of the island.
The 4416 square km island – 155km long and 55km wide – is adorned with towering and colourful sea cliffs, lush rolling fields, foot-print free beaches, ribbons of native vegetation and thrilling wildlife.
Bouncing back after the tragedy
Unfortunately January last year devastating bushfires ripped through almost half of it destroying vegetation, infrastructure and animal lives.
Good news is the ecosystem has bounced back with nature’s regeneration now in full swing. Travelling there now provides a great opportunity to witness nature’s renaissance while enjoying the sights and sounds that were unaffected by the bushfires.
Often referred as Australia’s zoo without fences, encountering Aussie wildlife in their habitat is a great attraction of Kangaroo Island.
First comes the kangaroos. Surely many got burnt during the bushfire, but still they are in abundance across the island. Back in 1802, a large number of them greeted English explorer Matthew Flinders who seized 31 of them as fresh meat supply for his hungry crew and in gratitude named the southern discovery as Kangaroo Island.
Besides kangaroos, there are wallabies, goannas, koalas and echidnas who are not hiding anymore fearing fire but are now roaming free in the wilderness, while endangered sea lions, long-nosed fur seals and little penguins crowd at the seafront locations.
An unforgettable visitor experience is to be among the sea lions when on a guided tour at the Seal Bay Conservation Park located on the island’s southern coast. Countless sea lions can be seen there lazing in the sun, nursing their young ones or like an Aussie surfer playing with the waves.
The island is home to several species of birds, including the rare black cockatoos and one of the world’s largest birds of prey, the magnificent Wedge Tailed Eagle.
The land and water on which the wildlife live and survive are equally beautiful. The various seafront locations alongside the 509 km of coastline not only offer spectacular settings but great sandy ribbons suitable for swimming, surfing and sunbathing, Vivonne Bay in the south, Western River Cove Bay, Snell Bay, Stokes Bay and Emu Bay in the north and Pennington Bay in the east are the most popular ones.
National parks a must visit
One third of the island is national parks which provide avenues for walking and hiking through stretches of lush green vegetation.
Dominating the western front of the island, the 326 square km Flinders Chase National Park is a venue not to be missed. This sanctuary is where nature surprises when seeing the two iconic rock growths – Remarkable Rocks an impressive natural formation of orange-lichen-covered granite boulders by the sea and the Admirals Arch, a stalactite-covered eroded rock bridge outside of which sunbathes thousands of fur seals. Both are natural treasures of the island and the natiom.
Not to be ignored in Kangaroo Island is the generous food and wine scene. The island’s unspoilt environments makes the land and surrounding water a fertile platform for the evolution of finest products. So visitors have the chance to taste some of the finest seafood, lamb, locally made wine, cider, beer and gin and honey, the island being the home for world’s oldest Ligurian bee sanctuary.
TRAVEL NOTEBOOK
Getting There – During pre covid-time Singapore Airlines connected major Indian cities to Adelaide via Singapore. QantasLink operates daily flights from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, otherwise ferry with SeaLink from Cape Jervis, located two hours south of Adelaide with coach services available to connect ferries.
Stay – All sorts of accommodation available five star suites to modest camping, Aurora Ozone Hotel at Kingscote and Sea Front Hotel at Penneshaw are good choices.
Tours – Kangaroo Island Odysseys specialises in various small group tours and tailor made itineraries.
Visit – Island Beehive at Kingscote to enjoy honey in foods from beer to ice cream and Kangaroo Island Spirits to taste and buy some highly acclaimed gins made from local botanicals.
More Info – Check www.southaustralia.com and www.tourkangarooisland.com.au