Visit Kangaroo Island Beyond the Main Attractions

Think you’ve seen Kangaroo Island? Seal Bay, Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch, tick, tick tick. We think you should hang around a bit longer, because there’s a whole other island hiding in plain sight, full of even quieter roads and beaches nobody is talking about yet. So stay tuned for where the locals go instead. Here is Kangaroo Island beyond the main attractions!

A Different Side of Kangaroo Island

If you’ve already done the Kangaroo Island rounds, or you’re a South Australian local who’s ticked off the big-name sights (a few times!), it’s easy to assume you’ve seen everything the island has to offer. Seal Bay, Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch; they’re spectacular, and there’s a very good reason every visitor ends up there.

But how about the part of Kangaroo Island you haven’t been to yet? Around the known corners, this incredible island reveals incredible things you haven’t seen yet. Take the quiet backroads with no one else on them. Wander long stretches of empty beach. Explore the tiny  towns most people drive straight through without a second glance.

Overlooked Corners of the Island

In this article, we take a look at the Kangaroo Island you don’t know yet; where the main trail ends and the quieter attractions hide in the eucalyptus.

1. Dudley Peninsula (east end of the island)

Right at the ferry terminal, most people hop back into the car and head straight west toward Flinders Chase, but Dudley Peninsula (the bit of the island you land on), gets skipped, often entirely!

Penneshaw itself is a proper little seaside town worth taking some time for. There are lovely tree-lined streets arched over by native mallee eucalypts that make even the drive up from the wharf feel scenic. Then, a few minutes further out, Baudin Beach gives you the chance to hang out at some calm, sheltered water. Antechamber Bay, at the end of Cape Willoughby Road, has a quiet river mouth and empty sand that barely sees a footprint.

It’s a nice drive too, because the cliffs and coastline out this way are just as dramatic as the west end, just without the tour buses. Maybe you’re simply looking the wrong direction as you drive off the ferry!

2. Billy Goat Waterfall Hike

In the Western River Wilderness Protection Area on the north-western coast, the Billy Goat Falls hike is one most visitors never even hear about.

The 4.2 kilometre return track winds through regenerating bushland, crosses a creek and drops into a valley lined with She-oak trees, a favourite feeding spot for the endangered glossy black cockatoo. The falls themselves usually only run in winter, though they’ve been known to flow as early as January and through most of autumn and spring too.

At around 90 minutes return, this lovely hike is nice and quiet, and gives you a fabulous glimpse into the resilience of the island’s flora and fauna.

3. American River 

Underrated American River sits rather quietly between Kingscote and the ferry, and while it’s not exactly unknown, it never gets the same attention as the island’s bigger stops.

The tiny town is small, calm and coastal, built around a peaceful bay, with black swans and pelicans a common sight along the shoreline. The still water here makes it one of the best spots on the island for kayaking and bird spotting too.

If you’re looking to base yourself here, Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge is found right on the water at American River Bay. The newly built luxury villas are a real highlight, each with floor to ceiling windows, a private balcony and uninterrupted views over the bay. But you’ll also find a range of bay and pool view rooms for different budgets.

Guests can also enjoy the award-winning Reflections Restaurant and the lodge’s own bar, unique saltwater pool and tour desk, all just a short stroll from the water.

4. Snelling Beach

Fancy a dip somewhere new?

Reached via the winding Constitution Hill descent, one of the island’s most photographed backroads, Snelling Beach sits quietly on the north coast where Middle River meets the sea. This gorgeous spot is popular with those who know it, but still far quieter than the main southern beaches during peak season, with golden sand, a reliable surf break and calm rock pools for kids to explore.

There’s a lookout above the beach worth stopping at too, plus a picnic area if you want to make a proper stop of it, or spend a day. Fisherman, bring your rods, because fishing is popular here too; with salmon, mullet and whiting regularly caught off the shore.

5. Pelican Lagoon Marine Sanctuary

Have you seen that large body of water just west of the Dudley Peninsula from the map? Just off American River, Pelican Lagoon is South Australia’s oldest marine protected area, and it’s one that, strangely, most visitors never realise is there.

Motorboats and fishing are banned within the sanctuary, keeping the water calm and undisturbed and making it one of the best places on the island for kayaking. The lagoon is also a haven for birdlife, with pelicans, black swans and a wide range of coastal species regularly spotted along its shallow waters and mangroves.

6. Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park

It’s strange that many people never make it to Cape Gantheaume, even though it borders Seal Bay, one of the island’s busiest attractions. Typically, Flinders Chase gets all the attention.

The D’Estrees Bay self-guided drive follows an eight kilometre stretch of narrow, winding dirt road, taking in the area’s farming history and finishing at a beach once connected to the island’s early whaling industry. Murray Lagoon, the island’s largest, is a haven for wetland birdlife, and the walk up to Bald Hill gives sweeping views back over the lagoon and out to the dunes of the wilderness protection area beyond.

For experienced hikers, the unmarked Cape Gantheaume Coastal Trek runs over 30 kilometres through untouched bushland, though it’s only open from January to April to protect nesting white-bellied sea eagles.