7 Farm Gate Experiences on Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island has built its reputation on what’s produced right here, often on a small scale and sold directly from the source. Across the island, you’ll find honey, oysters, lavender and artisan products coming from farms and producers who keep things close to where they’re made. These stops offer a way to experience the local side of the island more directly.

Discover Kangaroo Island’s Local Producers

Kangaroo Island has long been shaped by a tight-knit community and a collection of small, local producers. It’s part of what gives the island such charm. In fact, all it takes is a quick drive across the island to reveal it; family farms, roadside stalls and people working closely with the land and sea.

That sense of connection with the island and its community shows up in what’s produced here, with food and craft follow long-standing, local ways of working, often made on a small scale and sold directly by the people behind them.

For visitors, that means there’s a chance to experience Kangaroo Island in a very authentic and local way!

Instead of large commercial operations, in this part of South Australia, you’ll find honey farms, oyster growers, lavender fields and artisan producers who are passionate about what they create.

Farm Gate Experiences on Kangaroo Island

These farm-gate stops offer more than just something to taste or take home; they’re a glimpse into the people and traditions that continue to shape the island.

Give them a visit on your next trip to Kangaroo Island!

Island Beehive

Located near Kingscote, Island Beehive offers visitors a chance to experience one of Kangaroo Island’s most famous local products right at the source. Inside the small farm shop you can sample different varieties of honey produced from the island’s unique Ligurian bees, often with tastings that highlight how flavour changes depending on the surrounding vegetation. Check out the tours, here!

Your typical visit here goes beyond just buying honey. Displays explain the story of Kangaroo Island’s protected Ligurian bee population, and you can even buy products such as local honey ice cream!

Clifford’s Honey Farm

Also just outside of Kingscote, Clifford’s Honey Farm has been producing honey on Kangaroo Island for generations and remains one of the island’s classic farm-gate stops.

Visitors can step inside the cosy farm shop to taste honey produced from Kangaroo Island’s protected bees, browse jars harvested locally, and learn from signage explaining how beekeeping works on the island. Many travellers make the stop specifically for the honey ice cream, made using the farm’s own honey and served straight from the counter.

While you’re here, make sure you book a tour where you’ll see beekeeping equipment and honey extracting machines and play “spot the queen bee”!

Emu Bay Lavender Farm

Moving on from honey, your next stop is a lavender farm! A few minutes from the long white sands of Emu Bay, Emu Bay Lavender Farm makes for a peaceful stop among rows of fragrant purple fields.

Wander through the plants, browse lavender oils, soaps and other handmade products, then settle into the café for tea and freshly baked treats. Lavender scones served with tea on the terrace are a favourite, especially on a warm afternoon when the scent of the fields drifts through the garden.

Kangaroo Island Olives

Kangaroo Island Olives is a family-run olive grove producing olive oil and table olives grown and pressed right on the island. Their use of regenerative farming practices makes them unique and very interesting to learn from.

If you happen to be nearby Kingscote, stop by the farm to taste different varieties (Kalamata, Frantoio, Koroneiki, Leccino, Ligurian, and many more varieties of olives are found right here), learn a little about the harvest, and pick up bottles of locally made olive oil along with marinated olives and other olive-based products.

Kangaroo Island Wool

Not every farm gate on Kangaroo Island has to revolve around food (although it can if you want it to).

At Kangaroo Island Wool in Cygnet River, visitors can see a very different side to the island’s farming heritage. The small shop on site showcases wool grown by local sheep farmers, along with blankets, garments and other products made from the fibre.

Inside, you can learn about how wool moves from the sheep to the finished product, giving you a glimpse into an industry that has long been part of Kangaroo Island’s (and South Australia’s) rural life. Curious about the island’s agricultural roots? This stop beyond the well-known food producers might be for you!

Kangaroo Island Spirits (distillery garden)

Welcome to Kangaroo Island Spirits; one of the island’s best-known producers and a great place to experience local craft distilling. It’s not necessarily a ‘farm-gate’, but fits the concept of ‘local product’ very well.

Upon arrival, visitors can settle into the charming garden tasting area to sample a range of small-batch gins and spirits, many made using botanicals grown on site or sourced from the island’s landscape.

Tastings often include their signature Wild Gin alongside other seasonal releases, with staff sharing the story behind the distillery and the ingredients that shape each bottle. Surrounded by native plants and open space, you can spend as much time as you like discovering one of Kangaroo Island’s most distinctive local drinks.

Emu Ridge 

Hidden among bushland near Cygnet River, Emu Ridge continues Kangaroo Island’s long history of eucalyptus oil production. A family-owned business, they use the native Kangaroo Island Narrow Leaf Mallee to create signature eucalyptus oil and other natural goods.

Take a wander through the working distillery to see how oil is extracted from leaves using traditional methods. The farm shop here stocks eucalyptus oils, natural skincare, soaps and other products made on site, many using ingredients grown or sourced locally. Plus, there’s a cafe serving up all-day meals, locally roasted barista coffee, and in-house cakes.

Interesting in learning more? You can also book onto a tour!

Where to stay in Kangaroo Island

Found on the quiet shores of American River, Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge feels more like a coastal hideaway than your typical hotel. The property sits in bushland overlooking the calm waters of Eastern Cove, where pelicans glide past.

Rooms are designed to take advantage of the setting, with private balconies or patios looking out over the bay or the pool, while the on-site Reflections Restaurant focuses on regional produce from across Kangaroo Island.

After a day exploring the island, guests can return for a swim in the outdoor pool, a drink at the bar, or sit outside and watch the changing light over the water.

Book your stay today!