Kangaroo Island: Dramatic coastlines, off-track hiking, and a bit of luxury

Traversing this rocky cliff-top is slow going. I’m surrounded by a dense but low patchwork of ground-covers and shrubs, and with every step I feel the twisted branches of the coastal heath grabbing at my gaiter-clad legs.

I pause to rest and, as I look around, it strikes me that relatively few people have ever walked here before. I’m off-track in one of the most remote areas of Flinders Chase National Park, following one of the harshest and most stunning coastlines I’ve ever seen. This isn’t easy walking, but the views are worth working for.

 

 

 

 

Our guide, Holger, points out the rugged, sharp-edged rocks that we’re walking on.

“Imagine walking on this with no shoes.”

He goes on to tell us about a group of four shipwreck survivors who spent more than two weeks walking here in search of help, having lost their shoes while battling violent swells on their desperate swim to shore.

They were the only survivors out of 34 passengers and crew on the Loch Sloy, which went down near here in 1899. After making it to shore and somehow managing to scale these intimidating sea-cliffs, three of them managed to make it to safety. How any of them made it at all is hard to comprehend.

Any complaints that I’m resisting the urge to voice about tired legs and the hot sun are jolted into perspective. I’ve never been more thankful for my hiking shoes, and I could hug the folks from Trek Tours Australia for providing me with a pair of gaiters.

 

 

 

 
 

This is day 4 of the Trek Tours Australia 5-day Kangaroo Island Walking Tour. If you’re thinking it sounds a bit too challenging for you, just stick with me here… The itinerary consists of two days of off-track walking (13 and 16km) alternating with three easier days (5 – 9 km). Each day includes a visit to one of the island’s more popular attractions, either before or after a walk. The tour caters well for all levels of hiker.

After a ranger-guided tour of Kelly Hill Caves on our first day, we enjoyed an easy 9 km stroll through Kelly Hill Conservation Park to our accommodation at Hanson Bay. This was a great introduction to the flora and fauna of the island, which is quite unique. But having had very little sleep in my hostel dorm room the night before, I must admit that the highlight was walking over a sand-dune and spotting Hanson Bay Cabins, perched on the hill overlooking the bay.

I like sleeping in a tent as much as the next hiker, but I’m not averse to having a roof over my head either. “The ten dollar accommodation with the million dollar view”, as the cabins seem to be affectionately known, strikes a nice balance between the two. The view from the cabins makes the perfect backdrop for our evenings of relaxing and getting to know each other, over a few drinks and a meal.

Trek Tours Australia provide an amazing selection of food (yes, even for vegetarians!), with a focus on local produce. Every meal was sensational, and they didn’t even make me feel like too much of an outcast. It probably actually worked out that I got more food than everyone else. Total win.

 

 

 

Kangaroo Island’s wildlife is undoubtedly a stand-out for many visitors. During our hikes we see all kinds of coastal birdlife, kangaroos, Tammar wallabies, goannas, fur seals, and even an almost-white echidna. That’s right, I said white… Apparently Kangaroo Island is touted as Australia’s Galápagos, since some species here have evolved differently to those on the mainland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also visit an Australian sea lion sanctuary, where we walk amongst the sea lions as they rest. They appear deliciously sun-baked and lazy, but this is the ‘down-time’ of their feeding cycle – the sea lions spend three days in the water fishing continually, followed by three days of rest and relaxation on the beach. The certainly look happy about that – I know I would be.

The walking tour also includes a visit to the koala sanctuary, where we unfortunately only see one of the highly endangered, naturally shy marsupials.

 

 

 

The seal colony at Admirals Arch and the imposing, Daliesque form of Remarkable Rocks are some of the other, more-touristy highlights of the itinerary. But we’re at a distinct advantage, being able to visit these places either early or late in the day, so we barely see another soul for the entire trip. We’re also lucky to have Holger at our disposal, to tell us all about the island’s natural and human history. His detailed knowledge of the area astounds me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve wanted to visit Kangaroo Island for a long time, and I had an idea that it would be a pretty amazing place. This tour certainly confirmed my suspicions – Australia’s third largest island, situated just off the South Australian coastline, is a remarkable place to be.

 

Neil was a guest of Trek Tours Australia on this hike. This does not influence the views put forward here in any way.

 

 

Have you visited Kangaroo Island? If you have any stories, updates or corrections, please let us know by commenting below.

Are you interested in more from Bushwalking Blog? You can either sign-up for the e-mail newsletter, or get updates via the RSS feed, Facebook or Twitter.