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| * ] with the lighthouses at Cape Border and Cape du Couedic and the koalas close to the ranger station at Rocky River | * ] with the lighthouses at Cape Border and Cape du Couedic and the koalas close to the ranger station at Rocky River | ||
| * ] with guided cave tours | * ] with guided cave tours | ||
| * Little Sahara, huge ] on the south coast | * Little Sahara, huge sand ] on the south coast | ||
| * the island-lookout Mount Thisby with a 360 degrees view around the island | * the island-lookout Mount Thisby with a 360 degrees view around the island | ||
Revision as of 08:57, 23 July 2004
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third largest island - after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is situated 120 km southwest of Adelaide, 16 kilometres offshore from Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia.
Geography
This island is 155 km long and up to 55 km wide and covers an area of 4,500 square kilometres.
Tourism
Places of Interest
It is a very popular destination for tourists wishing to spend between a few days and a week there. Popular sites are:
- Seal Bay with ranger guided walks among basking Australian sea lions
- Flinders Chase National Park with the lighthouses at Cape Border and Cape du Couedic and the koalas close to the ranger station at Rocky River
- Kelly Hill Caves with guided cave tours
- Little Sahara, huge sand dunes on the south coast
- the island-lookout Mount Thisby with a 360 degrees view around the island
Beaches
Safe swimming is possible on the northern beaches, such as Emu Bay, Stokes Bay or Snelling Beach. Shops and petrol stations can be found in the major villages Kingscote, Parndana, American River, Penneshaw (once called Hog Bay) and Vivionne Bay.
Transportation
Access to the island is via 30 minutes flight from Adelaide, the Capital of South Australia or by sea ferry with Sealink from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw, which takes about 50 minutes. A passenger ferry is operating between Glenelg and Kingscote and takes 2 1/2 hours.
Island's History
In 1802 British explorer Matthew Flinders named the place "Kanguroo" Island, after landing near Kangaroo Head on the north coast of Dudley Peninsula. Biggest town on Kangaroo Island is Kingscote, originally established at Reeves Point on 27 July 1836, it is South Australia's first official European settlement.