13 things you didn’t know about Kangaroo Island

Kate BettesBy Kate Bettes
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If you haven’t heard much about this little slice of South Australian paradise by now, check out these fun facts.

It’s only 150 kilometres long, yet Kangaroo Island is home to arguably the densest and most varied menagerie of wildlife in Australia. Its landscape is so diverse you won’t believe that all of this can be crammed onto one island. And it’s also crammed full of some weird and wonderful facts.

1. Kangaroo Island is bigger than some countries

KI is seven times the size of Singapore at 4400km2. At its narrowest point, it’s just 900m wide.

Kangaroo hopping at Middle River on Kangaroo Island.
Kangaroo Island is bigger than Singapore. (Image: Ben Goode)

2. One of its parks was founded to combat “brain fag"

Flinders Chase National Park was established in 1919, “as a bit of a sanctuary for those suffering from ‘brain fag’", according to the park’s founding father Samuel Dixon. Brain fag is a type of mental fatigue, in case you were wondering.

Looking out at the ocean through Remarkable Rocks.
Remarkable Rocks are in Flinders Chase National Park. (Image: Elliot Grafton)

3. Kangaroo Island roos aren’t quite the same

The kangaroos on KI are slightly different from the mainland ones. They have longer fur and are darker in colour, having been separated from their mainland family for approximately 10,000 years.

Child pats Kangaroo Island kangaroos.
The kangaroos here have longer, darker fur. (Image: Alana Jayne Elgazzar)

4. Descriptions here are remarkably to the point

The Remarkable Rocks sit on Kirkpatrick Point, named after an 1899 shipwreck survivor. The term is from an original chart that described some “remarkable rocks". Today we know that they are around 500 million years old and shaped by rain, wind and waves.

Child sits on Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island
Remarkable Rocks are around 500 million years old. (Image: Kristy Billing @gypsyandherwild)

5. It’s seen plenty of shipwrecks

There have been more than 80 shipwrecks off KI since records began in 1847. The last of its three lighthouses (Cape Borda, Cape du Couedic and Cape Willoughby) was built in 1909 but at least 19 ships have been wrecked since, the latest in 2008.

Sunset at Cape du Couedic Lighthouse
Cape du Couedic has seen a number of shipwrecks. (Image: Sana Thakore)

6. Plants here have an explosive good time

Tate’s grass trees, known as yaccas in SA, grow 0.5 to 2.5mm a year. Until 1997 their red resin was harvested to make a gum that is used in fireworks, explosives and munitions.

Sunrise silhouette of grass trees in Kalbarri National Park
Yaccas’ red resin was harvested to make explosives.

7. There is an abundance of produce created here

Whether it’s because of the homegrown wineries or the restaurants with kitchens stacked with Kangaroo Island goods, trust us when we say that eating well on KI is not going to be a problem.

The open sigh at Millie Mae's Pantry in Kangaroo Island.
Kangaroo Island is full of fresh produce. (Image: Meaghan Coles)

8. The stalactites might not be what they seem

What looks like stalactites at Admirals Arch are in fact fossilised roots.

Admirals Arch
Admirals Arch stalactites are fossilised roots. (Image: Lauren Bath Services)

9. Seals have been here for thousands of years

The third-largest seal lion colony in the country has been here for a long time, and spotting the Australian sea lions is one of the best things to do on the island.

Two seals kissing at Seal Bay.
Seal Bay is a must-see. (Image: Ben Goode)

10. The bees here are unlike none other on earth

The Ligurian bees on KI are the world’s last pure population. KI was the world’s first bee sanctuary, established in 1885.

Bees at Clifford's Honey Farm.
KI bees are the world’s last pure population. (Image: Josie Withers)

11. It’s a camper’s dream

If you’ve ever fantasised about waking up at dawn to watch the sunrise over a picture-perfect Australian beach, you really can’t do better than at one of Kangaroo Island’s campsites.

Kombi Van is parked at Pennington Bay on Kangaroo Island.
Camping out on Kangaroo Island is dreamy. (Image: Jordan McArthur Mattea Carson)

12. KI also has a French name

KI could also be known as I’Île Decrès, as French explorer Boudin published the first map of the island in 1811 – three years before Flinders. For the mainland Indigenous residents, Kangaroo Island is known as Karta Pintingga – or island of the dead.

Woman at Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island Odysseys tour.
I’Île Decrès is Kangaroo Island’s French name. (Image: Tourism Australia)

13. Names here can be a tad confusing

American River is on a bay, not a river. And quite clearly, not American.

Looking over American River on Kangaroo Island.
American River is not a river. (Image: Julie Fletcher)
Start planning your trip to Kangaroo Island with our travel guide now.
Kate Bettes
Kate Bettes is a freelance travel writer. Whether having a picnic in Vietnamese jungle with new friends, or partying in the back of a limousine in Hollywood, Kate’s experiences have left her with the sneaking suspicion that the best travel memories happen when you least expect. It’s this feeling - and how to get it - that she loves to write about.
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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington , like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.