Finally. I had been looking forward to our Kangaroo Island trip for months (nine months to be exact)! I was wholeheartedly impressed by the rich nature’s treasure that Kangaroo Island welcomed us with – it will forever have a special place in my heart.
Day 1 Itinerary
Penneshaw (ferry) -> Prospect Hill -> Oyster Farm Shop -> Vivonne Bay -> Remarkable Rocks -> Admirals Arch -> Cape Du Couedic -> Kingscote (home).
It’s quite a long day of driving, and the most challenging part was to hit all the big spots and get back to Kingscote before dark so we don’t kill any wild kangaroos on the road! We found that Google Map’s estimate of 4hr7m is too conservative, the actual driving time was around 3hr30m (the speed limit was 110km/hr).
Prospect Hill
Our first stop was Prospect Hill. It is a short 20-minute drive from Penneshaw, and you will pass by it on your way to Kingscote. It is the highest point on Kangaroo Island that gives you a 360 panoramic view of the island. There is a little stretch of unsealed road (the red earth you see in the photo), but it wasn’t particularly difficult to drive on.
These stairs leading up to the top of the hill were built with 512 tiny steps, making it easier for the elderly and children to conquer the climb (although younger people that are reasonably fit may find the smaller steps mind-boggling).
Hello Kangaroo Island!
Even though 512 steps may sound daunting, it was a reasonably easy climb with resting areas along the way.
On the top.
A tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: Yes.
- Why: The only place to see Kangaroo Island from atop. Great view!
- How long should we spend here: 10 minutes to climb + 10 minutes to rest and take photos at the top + 5-10 minutes descend.
- How much does it cost: $0 (free).
- Driving time: Pennashaw to Prospect Hill = 20 minutes
The Oyster Farm Shop
For some reason, we totally missed the Oyster Farm Shop when we first drove past. It’s on your left hand side if you’re coming from Penneshaw (directly opposite the tennis court on the right hand side). When we finally found it – Yessss, time for some oysters baby!
The menu.
Apart from oysters, the Oyster Farm Shop also sells abalone, abalini, and other seafood when they are in season. Our plan was to have lunch at Vivonne Bay General Store, so the four of us only ordered a grilled abalini and half a dozen of oysters to share.
Grilled Abalini (with Kangaroo Island olive oil, lemon juice and cracked pepper, served on a bed of coleslaw with wasabi mayonnaise), $16.50 (1/2 dozen).
Kangaroo Island Premium Oysters, $9.5 (1/2 dozen). Very fresh. However, Mike and I both felt that the oysters were too salty. These oysters did not wow us like the Pacific Oysters we had in Tasmania.
The fashionable way to eat oysters on Kangaroo Island (?).
Frozen seafood available for purchase at the shop. We got two abalone and cooked them for breakfast the next day:)
A tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: Yes.
- Why: You wouldn’t want to miss your chance to try Kangaroo Island oysters if you love oysters, right?
- How long should we spend here: It could be a 5-minute quick oyster stop. However, allow 20 mins if you’re ordering cooked food.
- Oyster season: April to December.
- Store hours: 11am-2:30pm.
- Driving time: Prospect Hill to Oyster Farm Shop = 10 minutes
Vivonne Bay General Store
From the Oyster Farm Shop, we drove west to Vivonne Bay and stopped at Vivonne Bay General Store for lunch.
They really sell all sorts of stuff at the Vivonne General Store – souvenirs, alcohol, snacks, grocery, hot food, post service, ATM, petrol – it’s like a convenient store in the middle of nowhere. When we were there, the store seemed to be run by one lady – she had to take orders, clean tables and even help out in the kitchen (we couldn’t see into the kitchen, but we suspected she could even be the one making the burgers)! Even though she was really busy, the service was friendly.
Famous Whiting Burger, $16. We had to order it, since it’s “famous”. The bun was lightly toasted and crusty on the outside, but the battered fish was a bit too fishy for my liking.
Famous KI Lamb Burger(and native currant jam), $17. I am not a huge lamb fan (if there are other meat choices, I never go for lamb). However, it’s got the word “famous” in front of it… so I felt compelled to order it. It came in the same sesame bun as the famous Whiting Burger. Unfortunately, the smell and taste were a bit too gamey for me.
Hamburger plain (value combo), $17. The combo comes with hot chips and a small bottle of soft drink. It’s nothing extraordinary, but I would say it’s quite a nice burger.
Chicken burger, $10. It looked strikingly similar to a McChicken burger, and Alan said it tasted exactly that.
A tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: Not a “must-go” in my opinion, but it is a good pit stop between Kingscote and Flinders Chase National Park.
- How long should we spend here: As an indication, we waited 15 minutes for our food (there was only one customer before us).
- Store hours: Kitchen closes 4:30pm (store closes 5:30pm).
- Driving time: Oyster Farm Shop to Vivonne Bay General Store = 50 minutes.
Vivonne Bay
Vivonne Bay itself is a short 2-minute drive from the Vivonne Bay General Store (the road access is on the right of the store). I had seen various sources claiming Vivonne Bay to be the most beautiful beach in Australia. That’s a pretty bold claim, but most of the sources were vague and silent on who exactly made that statement? We found our answer on Wikipedia – in case you are wondering too – the number one title was judged by Professor Andrew Short, the director of Sydney University’s marine studies centre.
It’s beautiful and I enjoyed the solitude (there was no one else on the beach) – but is it the best? I personally prefer the pure white sand beaches at Jervis Bay closer to home.
A tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: Yes.
- Why: It’s a beautiful beach.
- How long should we spend here: 10 minutes for photos.
- Caution: The swells near the headland are dangerous – exercise common sense when at the beach.
Flinders Chase National Park
Both the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch (highlights of our trip!) are within the Flinders Chase National Park. Everyone must stop at the Flinders Chase National Park visitor centre to buy park tickets before heading in.
By the time we got to the visitor centre, it was already 2:45pm. Every local that we met along the way urged us to start heading back to Kingscote (where we were staying) as early as possible before 5pm because the wild kangaroos are particularly active at dusk. Knowing that we had two major sightseeing spots to cover today, we hurriedly made our way to the Remarkable Rocks.
Remarkable Rocks
The coastal drive from the visitor centre to Remarkable Rocks was absolutely stunning. Words can’t describe the feeling of seeing this giant cluster of red and grey boulders against the sapphire ocean backdrop for the first time.
There is a 7-minute walk from the carpark to the rocks. I got more and more excited as we got closer and as the rocks appeared bigger in front of our eyes.
It’s amazing how the mother nature crafted and preserved such a majestic sight of these precariously balanced boulders sitting atop of the 500-million-old granite dome.
500, million, years. Incredible.
It’s a reminder that human beings must hold the highest respect for the environment as one thoughtless and selfish human act could ruin a timeless masterpiece in the blink of an eye. It’s a relief that we didn’t see any “XXX was here” or other idiotic engravings or markings here – please, please keep it that way.
This is probably one of the most photographed corner of the Remarkable Rocks. It looks like an elephant!
Huge rocks.
It was such an amazing feeling standing on top of the Remarkable Rocks and embracing the elements – smelling the salty gusts of wind, hearing the waves smashing in, feeling the solid granite rock under our feet…. Truly remarkable.
Mikey appreciating the view. Spellbound.
On the edge of the world (although not as dangerous as it seems – we were still far away from the prohibited area and there was plenty of space in front of us).
Here’s a photo showing the prohibited area on the rock – basically, don’t walk too close to the edge! As long as you stay well behind the prohibited area, the surface was easy to walk on and not slippery when we went (it was a sunny day and we all wore walking shoes).
A Tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: YES.
- Why: It is magnificent!
- How long should we spend here: At least 30 minutes, this will allow you time to walk to the Rocks, and spend some time to relax on the Rocks, take photos, and let the view sink in.
- How much does it cost: Entry included in the Flinders Chase National Park ticket. [Ticket information].
- Driving time: Vivonne Bay to Remarkable Rocks = 35 minutes.
Admirals Arch
This was the view we saw after we parked at the Admirals Arch carpark. The swell was incredibly huge.
The visual impact of seeing the brutal swells smashing the rocks was powerful.
If you look closely, you can see the Remarkable Rocks from here.
The boardwalk lead us around the cliff face and down to the rocks. It was very easy to walk on.
All of a sudden, Jen spotted a seal! It was our first seal encounter at Kangaroo Island and we were all very excited. Two minutes later…wait, there were actually SO MANY seals camouflaging on the rocks!!
Hi~~ New Zealand fur seals.
After taking a hundred photos of these cute little creatures lying on the rock, we resumed walking: “Hmm, where is Admirals Arch? Are we there yet?”
We took a turn on the boardwalk, and then – Wow. My heart skipped a beat when I saw this amazing sight.
The arch was sculpted by weathering and erosion from the sea over thousands of years. If you’re lucky, you could see fur-seal pups playing underneath the Arch!
A Tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: YES.
- Why: The Arch is beautiful and the fur-seals are super cute!
- How long should we spend here: At least 30 minutes.
- How much does it cost: Entry included in the Flinders Chase National Park ticket. [Ticket information].
- Driving time: Remarkable Rocks to Admirals Arch = 10 minutes.
Cape du Couedic
Cape du Couedic is the most south westerly point of the Kangaroo Island coast.
The light-station is a lot more photogenic up close with its red hat!
A Tourist’s notes:
- Is it worth going: Yes, it’s just a 1 minute drive from Admiral’s Arch, might as well.
- How long should we spend here: We spent 5 minutes taking photos.
- How much does it cost: Entry included in the Flinders Chase National Park ticket. [Ticket information].
- Driving time: Admirals Arch to Cape du Couedic Light-station = 1 minute. Cape du Couedic to Kingscote = 1hr10m.
Kingscote (Bella restaurant)
Our restaurant of choice was Bella, an Italian restaurant in Kingscote. I was told that it’s always a good idea to make dinner reservations for restaurants in Kingscote as there are very limited choices and they are usually full during busy seasons.
The menu.
Right: K.I Special (mushroom, bacon, pepperoni, cheese and tomato base), 12”. I enjoyed this, a flavoursome mess on thin crust.
Left: House Special (prawns, bacon, onion, cheese and tomato base), 12”. The taste was a bit bland (especially after having the K.I Special), and the onions didn’t work for me.
Porcini mushroom and spinach risotto (island pure feta, grilled asparagus and white truffle oil)(V), $27.5. Delicious! Highly recommended.
Beef Lasagne, $21. It was a generous serving of lasagne. However, the meat sauce was slightly too salty for my liking.
{Bella} Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bella-Cafe-Restaurant-Pizza-Bar/351109731579388?sk=timeline
Kingscote (staircase to the moon)
On our way home after dinner, I saw something unusually bright and yellow hanging in the sky with…a tail? I squinted my eyes and looked more closely…
It was the moon rising! Moonrise! We stopped our car and went down to the patch of grass near the water, and just stood there as the moon slowly rose above the water.
It was one of the most amazing things that I had ever witnessed. I knew that they call this phenomenon “staircase to the moon” in Broome (in WA), and seeing it was on my bucket list. I didn’t know you could see it on Kangaroo Island, and I was so happy that we were lucky enough to have stumbled upon it by chance!
Good night, Kangaroo Island. Thank you for an amazing day <3
…..To be continued.
Click for [Day 2] – Dolphin swim, Marron Cafe, Seal Bay guided tour.
Click for [Kangaroo Island accommodation & planning tips].