It’s a zoo out there

“Come to Australia/ You might accidentally get killed/ Your life’s constantly under threat/ Have you been bitten yet?”

I can’t help laughing at the Aussie sense of humour. My guide Nikki Redman plays the tongue-in-cheek song by Scared Weird Little Guys, a riposte to (mainly American) travellers who worry about safety while travelling to Australia. I’m bumping along in a 4x4 vehicle on a dusty red “unsealed” (unpaved) road lined with gum trees, half-listening to the song while craning my neck to spot a koala or two. “There’s one,” exclaims Redman and I just about catch a glimpse of a furry bottom high up in the eucalyptus tree before being distracted by a family of three kangaroos that comes hopping along the side of the road. I’m on Kangaroo Island (KI) in South Australia, the country’s third largest island, home to a spectacular 540-km-long coastline with azure waters, and teeming with wildlife.

Sealed with a kiss

My tiny ATR flight from Adelaide lands in Kingscote on the north coast of KI. I meet Redman from Kangaroo Island Odysseys who is to be my guide for the next couple of days. She is a professional photographer, a passionate environmentalist and gives the warmest bear hugs. I already know I’m in good hands. We head straightaway to Seal Bay on KI’s southern coast.

Seal Bay is a conservation park, which offers self-guided tours to observe the wild Australian sea lion colony from a boardwalk. But because I’m with Redman, I can get down to the beach and watch the sea lions up close. This is not the usual animal attraction circus with hordes of people converging on a poor animal. We observe from a distance, making our way slowly so as to not startle the seals, and always in a wide arc giving them plenty of space. It’s nesting season and we spot a mama seal taking a nap while her adorable pup gambols nearby. Two teenage male seals come to blows over a female who seems unimpressed. And at the water’s edge, with a gorgeous rock formation as a backdrop, two amorous ones seal the deal with a kiss.

We head west towards Flinders Chase National Park to see one of KI’s most unusual natural rock formations. Admirals Arch is a distinctive rock bridge formed by thousands of years of erosion. The overhanging stalactites make a perfect photo-frame for the long-nose fur seals that nest on the rocks below. From here, it’s a short drive to Remarkable Rocks, another landmark of the island. Millennia of pounding seas, lashing rain, and tempestuous wind have shaped the granite rock into impressive sculptures — an eagle’s head, a staring face, a rather comfortable chaise lounge and so on.

Hop, skip and jump

Later in the afternoon, we drive east to Kelly Hill Conservation Park where Redman takes me to a protected section of the park, not normally open to visitors. “We are going to have afternoon tea with the ‘roos’,” she says. I’m nonplussed until she opens the back of the 4x4 stocked with a travelling pantry of tea and coffee-making paraphernalia, along with chewy chocolate cookies and buttery lamington (an Aussie sponge cake rolled in chocolate and desiccated coconut). Redman makes us strong cups of coffee while I look at the two kangaroos lounging nearby. By the time we finish our coffee and cake, they have hopped off into the distance. We walk through a small bushland to arrive at a clearing where a dozen (or more) kangaroos are in the middle of their supper. A mother and joey bound away but others are unconcerned. One of them stops chomping on the grass to look at us quizzically, eventually deciding that we are harmless. We spend a happy hour walking among these creatures but never getting too close. The land is arid and Redman rues the dry summer, which has made it difficult for the kangaroos to find enough feed.

Bee’s knees

“Did you know that the world’s only pure Ligurian bee colonies are on KI,” Redman asks me the next day. I didn’t, and I can’t imagine how that came to be. I find my answer at Clifford’s Honey Farm where the owner Dave Clifford shows me around. “The bees were brought over on a ship from Italy in 1884 to populate the island. KI is now a bee sanctuary and these are believed to be the last pure strain Ligurian bees left in the world,” he says. Clifford started honey-making as a hobby in 1973 and transformed it into a business in the early ’90s. The farm has some 300 hives that yield honey in various flavours. I try the copper-coloured stringybark (a type of eucalyptus) honey, a rich, spicy honey that reminds me of a walk in the forest. Apart from honey, the farm shop sells beeswax products such as soaps, candles, lip balm, a delectable honey ice cream, and even a recently developed honey beer.

Prachi Joshi is a Mumbai-based travel and food writer

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Travel log

Getting there

Fly Singapore Airlines to Adelaide via Singapore. From Adelaide, take a 30-minute Regional Express flight to Kingscote. Alternatively hop on a 45-minute SeaLink ferry from Cape Jervis (two-hour drive from Adelaide) to Penneshaw on KI.

Stay

The Aurora Ozone Hotel on the Kingscote foreshore is a great base to explore KI from;

www.ozonehotelki.com.au

Tip

Once you’re done communing with nature, here’s where to grab a drink or two:

KI has a dozen high-quality wineries. Drop in at The Islander Estate Vineyards to taste some excellent Shiraz, Semillon, Sangiovese and more.

www.iev.com.au

Kangaroo Island Spirits is Australia’s first gin distillery, making artisanal gins with native juniper and wild botanicals. Try the buttery Whisky Barrel Gin and the tart, limited edition Mulberry Gin.

www.kispirits.com.au

Beer lovers, make a beeline to the rustic-chic Kangaroo Island Brewery, to taste their menu of “hand-built” beers. The hoppy Indian Pale Ale and the decadent Sheoak Stout stand out.

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