The current manager is Alana Whennen. The Main Attractions on the Island Seal Bay Conservation Park Seal Bay Conservation Park, located 96 km south-west of Penneshaw via Cygnet River, is a substantial area of ha which includes both the Seal Bay area a carefully managed section of coastline where, under supervision, people can see seals lying on the beach and the Little Sahara sand dunes which lie between Seal Bay and Vivonne Bay.
The main attraction is the seals which have their home on the beach at Seal Bay. Tours, which last 45 minutes, and are restricted to 25 people, go regularly throughout the day - the first is at 9.
The excellent website explains: "There is nowhere else in the world where you can listen to an expert give you their unique insight into how these endangered animals hunt, surf, rest, interact with their pups and defend their territory A guided beach tour does not follow a standardised script. For details contact 08 There is a rough unsealed track to a car park and beyond it the sand dunes, swept up by the winds off the Southern Ocean, rise impressively.
For those eager for an adrenalin rush, to sand board down the dunes can be a highlight of a trip to the island. It is perfectly white although at times there can be considerable seaweed along the shoreline.
The facilities are minimal. There is a General Store, a jetty, some holiday cottage accommodation, a couple of car parks and a lookout near the jetty. The appeal of the area lies in the views across the bay and the sands on the beach which are idyllic and pristine. Nearby is the Vivonne Bay Wildlife Reserve which is a private park with 40 km of walking trails. The sands at the eastern end of the beach have been blown into vast dunes which have been named Little Sahara.
The area was named after a horse, Ned Kelly, which fell into the caves. The landscape is dominated by mallee, coastal scrub and there are stands of old growth forest. There are a number of walking trails including the Burgess Hike, a short 1. The highlight of the park is the Kelly Hill Caves which has a "Show Cave Tour" which lasts about 40 minutes and which runs seven times a day between September and April, starting at It has more restricted times during the winter months.
There is also a 2 hour adventure caving activity which can be booked. The details are listed on the PDF. There is also a useful and downloadable PDF which can be accessed from the Park home page. It is an ideal place to see sea lions, sea eagles, ospreys, Cape Barren geese, kangaroos, wallabies and black cockatoos.
The North Island is 29 metres above sea level at its highest point and the South Island is 35 metres. The islands are known for their breeding colonies of New Zealand fur seals, silver gulls, Pacific gulls and crested terns. They are also home to Australian sea lions.
The colonies can be viewed with binoculars from the mainland. They are both protected wildlife sanctuaries. One of the highlights of the area are the long-nosed fur seals which can be seen lying on the rocks below the headland.
The Cape Borda lighthouse was built in on a cliff metres above the sea. It has a range of 21 nautical miles. The actual lighthouse was 10 metres above the ground and, rather extraordinarily, it is the only square stone lighthouse in South Australia. A rather dubious claim to fame. In the early days there was a cannon which was sometimes used to warn ships of the danger they were in, particularly if it was foggy and they had very low visibility. The cannon is now fired daily.
The Lighthouses of Australia website notes: "In late , NPWSA restored the cannon and test-fired it at Midnight as part of a global exercise of time-signals at maritime locations around the world. The cannon was found to be Y2K compliant and has since fired every day at the traditional hour of 1.
For most of its working life the lighthouse was so isolated that there is a small graveyard nearby where 13 people are buried. Of particular interest is the Cape Borda Maritime Museum which provides a detailed history of this lonely outpost. It is possible to stay in the Lighthouse Keeper's cottage. Remarkable Rocks Located km west of Penneshaw, the Remarkable Rocks, an extraordinary and impressive natural phenomenon, have been formed by erosion over the past million years.
The rock itself was created by an upheaval of molten rock more than million years ago. They are the product of the erosion of a huge granite dome by the combined forces of sea spray, wave action when the sea level was much higher , heating and cooling, wind and salt. To geologists they are known as domed inselbergs the same term is used for Uluru.
They felled and sold timber, snared possums, kangaroos and wallabies for their skins, collected yacca gum and distilled eucalyptus oil. Lighthouses More than 50 shipwrecks have occurred around Kangaroo Island since first settlement in , leading to the establishment of Lighthouses at nearby Cape Willoughby in , Cape Borda in , Cape St Albans in and Cape du Couedic in Shipwrecks Kangaroo Island forms a natural breakwater for Gulf St.
Vincent which must be entered via Backstairs Passage or the Investigator Straight. The unpredictable and rough coastline of Kangaroo Island has claimed many ships and lives during the early s.
However, they are still wild animals and therefore you should not feed or touch them. Remember to keep a safe distance away and if driving on the island be sure to keep an eye out for animals crossing roads! Whether you are visiting for a day, a weekend, or even a week, you are guaranteed never a dull moment in this holiday spot.
The island is home to a fantastic range of wildlife. Such as the largest colony of Australian sea lions, an array of bird life, and of course the hundreds of kangaroos. Natural wonders litter the island, such as the enormous Remarkable Rocks and the iconic Admirals Arch. Simply hop on a ferry and get ready for a bucket load of adventure. Related article: Which wildlife should you keep an eye out for at Kangaroo Island?
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