Kangaroo Island Attractions

Kangaroo Island, Australia's third largest island, is separated from the mainland by the narrow Backstairs Passage.

The first European settlers arrived on the island in 1838, but lack of water, food and building timber led many of them to leave again and settle round Adelaide instead.

Kangaroo Island has, apart from kangaroos, many tourist attractions - varied coastal scenery with bizarre rock formations, stalactitic caves and beautiful beaches. It has a rich variety of fauna (including a colony of sea lions in Seal Bay) and a total of 16 nature reserves, including the interesting Flinders Chase National Park at the west end of the island, Cape Gantheaume on the southeast coast and Kelly Hill Conservation Park on the southwest coast. The rugged cliffs on the south coast have been eaten away by the fierce surf. On Cape Borda, at the northwestern tip of the island, is an old lighthouse.