 View of the south west of the island | |
 | |
  Kangaroo Island  Kangaroo Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Great Australian Bight |
| Coordinates | 35°48′S137°18′E / 35.800°S 137.300°E /-35.800; 137.300 |
| Area | 4,405 km2 (1,701 sq mi) |
| Length | 145 km (90.1 mi) |
| Width | 0.9–54 km (0.56–33.55 mi) |
| Coastline | 540 km (336 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 307 m (1007 ft) |
| Administration | |
Australia | |
| State | South Australia |
| LGA | Kangaroo Island Council |
| Largest settlement | Kingscote (pop. 1962[1]) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 4,894 (2021) |
| Pop. density | 1.07/km2 (2.77/sq mi) |
Kangaroo Island (Kaurna:Karta Pintingga,lit. 'Island of the Dead'), known colloquially asKI, is Australia's third-largestisland, afterTasmania andMelville Island. It lies in the state ofSouth Australia, 112 km (70 mi) southwest ofAdelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Point inBackstairs Passage, which is 13.5 km (8.4 mi) from theFleurieu Peninsula.
The native population that once occupied the island (sometimes referred to as the Kartan people) disappeared from the archaeological record sometime after the land became an island following therising sea levels associated with theLast Glacial Period around 10,000 years ago. It was subsequently settled intermittently bysealers andwhalers in the early 19th century, and from 1836 on a permanent basis during theBritish colonisation of South Australia.
Since then the island's economy has been principally agricultural, with asouthern rock lobster fishery and with tourism growing in importance. The largest town, and the administrative centre, isKingscote. The island has several nature reserves to protect the remnants of its natural vegetation and native animals, with the largest and best-known beingFlinders Chase National Park at the western end. It is particularly known for the abundance of sea lions atSeal Bay, and for its population oflittle penguins. The island is subject tobushfires in the summer, and had two particularly devastating fires in 2007 and 2019.
Kangaroo Island, colloquially known as "KI",[2] is 145 kilometres (90 mi) long west/east and between 0.94 and 54 km (1 and 34 mi) from its narrowest to widest north/south points. Its area covers 4,405 km2 (1,701 sq mi). Its coastline is 540 km (336 mi) long, and its highest point of 307 m (1,007 ft)[3] is in Flinders Chase National Park, west of the junction of the Playford and West End Highways. The second highest point is Mount MacDonnell at 299 m (981 ft)above sea level.[4]
It is separated fromYorke Peninsula to the northwest byInvestigator Strait and from Fleurieu Peninsula to the northeast byBackstairs Passage. A group of islets,the Pages, lie off the eastern end of the island.
Kangaroo Island separated from mainland Australia around 10,000 years ago, due to rising sea level after thelast glacial period. Known as (Karta) Pintingga ('Island of the Dead') by the mainlandAboriginal peoples, the existence ofstone tools andshell middens shows that Aboriginal people once lived on Kangaroo Island.[5][6] The people disappeared from the archaeological record sometime after the land became an island;[7] it is thought that they occupied it as long ago as 16,000 years before the present and may have only disappeared from the island as recently as 2000 years ago.[8] There is however evidence of the Kartan people on the mainland, for instance atHallett Cove.[9] A mainland Aboriginaldreaming story tells of the Backstairs Passage flooding:[10]
Long ago, Ngurunderi's two wives ran away from him, and he was forced to follow them. He pursued them and as he did so he crossedLake Albert and went along the beach toCape Jervis. When he arrived there he saw his wives wading half-way across the shallow channel which divided Naroongowie from the mainland. He was determined to punish his wives, and angrily ordered the water to rise up and drown them. With a terrific rush the waters roared and the women were carried back towards the mainland. Although they tried frantically to swim against the tidal wave they were powerless to do so and were drowned.
On 23 March 1802, British explorerMatthew Flinders, commandingHMS Investigator, named the land "Kanguroo(sic) Island",[11] due to the endemic subspecies of thewestern grey kangaroo,Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus,[12] after landing nearKangaroo Head on the north coast of theDudley Peninsula. He was closely followed by the French explorer CommanderNicolas Baudin, who was the first European to circumnavigate the Island and who mapped much of the island (which is why so many areas have French names).[citation needed]
Although the French and the British were at war at the time, the men met peacefully. They both used the fresh water seeping at what is now known as Hog Bay near Frenchman's Rock and the site of present-dayPenneshaw. Baudin named the IslandÎle Borda, in honour ofJean-Charles de Borda, although theFrench chart published byLouis de Freycinet after Baudin's death referred to the Island asÎle Decres.[13]
A community ofsealers and escapedconvicts existed on Kangaroo Island from 1802 to the time ofSouth Australia's colonisation in 1836. A sealing gang led by Joseph Murrrell are reported landing at Harvey's Return in 1806–07, and they established a camp on the beach.[14] The sealers were rough men and several kidnappedAboriginal women fromTasmania and mainland South Australia. The women were kept prisoner as wives and virtual slaves.[15] At least two contemporary accounts (Taplin 1867, Bull 1884) report reputed crossings of Backstairs Passage from Kangaroo Island to the mainland by kidnapped women seeking to escape from their captors. "A fine specimen of her race" was pointed out toJ. W. Bull as having swum the passage in 1835,[16] and a woman and her baby were found dead on the beach after a presumed crossing in 1871.[17] In 1803, sealers from the American brigUnion built the schoonerIndependence, the first ship built in South Australia, at what is nowAmerican River.[18]
In 1812,Richard Siddins reached Kangaroo Island on theCampbell Macquarie, which was engaged insalt harvesting on the island.[19] When she was wrecked later that year, 30 tons of the mineral was recovered from her cargo.[citation needed] In 1819, a whaler namedHenry Wallen established a farm near "Three Wells River" (laterCygnet River) and with the assistance of a later arrival, "Fireball" Bates, and a friend William Day, exerted his dominance over the island's rag-tag population, who deferentially referred to him as "King Wally".[20]
Most ships of the "First Fleet of South Australia" that brought settlers for the new colony first stopped atNepean Bay. The first wasDuke of York commanded by CaptainRobert Clark Morgan on 27 or 28 July 1836;Lady Mary Pelham, under Robert Ross, arrived a day or two later. The arrival of theAfricaine, underJohn Finlay Duff, in November that year, was notable for the deaths of E. W. Osborne and Dr. John Slater, who perished on an exploratory trek from Cape Borda to Kingscote.[21][22]Samuel Stephens, the colonial manager, was so impressed with Wallen's farm that he annexed it for theSouth Australian Company.[20] A number of shore-based bay whaling stations operated on the coast in the 1840s. These were located at Doyle's Bay, D'Estrees Bay and Hog Bay.[23]
Numerous ships have been wrecked on the Kangaroo Island coastline. The earliest was the cutterWilliam (20 tons), which was wrecked while trying to enterHog Bay on 23 August 1847.[24] The largest vessel lost wasPortland Maru (5,865 tons), which sank at Cape Torrens on 20 March 1935. The greatest loss of life occurred with the wreck ofLoch Sloy on 24 April 1899 atMaupertuis Bay, when 31 people were drowned, and one initial survivor subsequently perished. Twenty-seven people drowned at West Bay in September 1905, whenLoch Vennachar was wrecked.[25][26]
The first lighthouse built was erected atCape Willoughby in 1852; this was also the first lighthouse to be erected in South Australia. This was followed by theCape Borda Lightstation in 1858, theCape du Couedic Lighthouse in 1906 and Cape St Albans Lighthouse in 1908. All lighthouses continue to be operational.[27]
Kangaroo Island has a rugged coastline, and is mostly covered in densescrubland.[28] A network oflimestone caves hidden beneath the surface, especially along the southern and western coasts of the island, are estimated to have formed between one and two million years ago. They were formed from shell fragments from the exposed seabed around this time, after the dunes hardened over time, and rainwater dissolved the soft limestone to create the caverns. Before the2020 bushfires, 120 caves had been discovered.Speleologists who have been exploring the land devegetated by the fires had found a further 150 caves by December 2025. They have also found previously undocumented species living in the caves. Most of these caves are not open to the public, butKelly's Hill Caves have been a tourist attraction since the early 20th century.[28]
| Kangaroo Island | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range:Cambrian Stage 4[29]("Lower Cambrian") | |
 North Coast of Kangaroo Island, Emu Bay | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 35°35′S137°30′E / 35.583°S 137.500°E /-35.583; 137.500 |
| Region | The north coast of Kangaroo Island, aroundEmu Bay andCape D'Estaing |
| Country | South Australia,Australia. |
The northern coast of Kangaroo Island contains important fossil-bearing deposits, dating from the late LowerCambrian, such as theEmu Bay Shale (lateBotomian, 517 million years old).[30] A variety of primordial marine arthropods left their remains in thisBurgess shale type preservation, but the larger grain size of the Emu Bay rock means that the quality of preservation is lower.[31]
A few genera of non-biomineralized arthropods, among themSquamacula,Kangacaris, and the megacheiranTanglangia, are known only from the Emu Bay Shale andChengjiang. The site is also the source of magnificent specimens oftrilobites such asRedlichia takooensis,Emuella polymera,Balcoracania dailyi,Megapharanaspis nedini,Holyoakia simpsoni, andEstaingia (=Hsuaspis) bilobata.[32]Balcoracania andEmuella are the only known genera of the distinctiveRedlichiina familyEmuellidae, known for possessing the greatest number of thoracic segments known for Trilobita as a whole (a record of 103 in oneBalcoracania specimen), and so far entirely restricted to Australia and Antarctica.
Thedepositional environment of the majority of Burgess-Shale-type assemblages is outer shelf, deeper water. The Emu Bay Shale in contrast, appears to represent deposition in restricted basins on the inner shelf, indicating that soft tissue preservation occurred in a range of environmental settings during the Cambrian. Some Emu Bay fossils display extensive mineralization of soft tissues, most often of blockyapatite or fibrouscalcium carbonate, including the oldest phosphatized muscle tissue – along with records fromSirius Passet in Greenland, the first thus far reported from the Cambrian. Mid-gut glands are preserved three-dimensionally in calcium phosphate in the arthropodsIsoxys andOestokerkus, as in related species from the Burgess Shale.Pleistocene fossilised footprints indicate extinctAustralian megafauna, such asdiprotodons,short faced kangaroos, andthylacines were once distributed on the island.[33]
TheKangaroo Island Council provideslocal government for the entire island and was formed in 1996, following amalgamation of the previous District Councils ofKingscote andDudley. Kangaroo Island is in the federalDivision of Mayo and in the stateElectoral district of Mawson.[citation needed]
A 2005 enquiry into the financial sustainability of local government in South Australia determined that 26 out of 68 councils in South Australia were considered unsustainable in the long term.[34] Among these was Kangaroo Island Council,[35] due to its large land area, extensive road network, low population and high tourism visitation. A long term financial plan adopted by council included a rate increase of 2% above CPI for the ten years from 2010. On 13 May 2010, a development plan was authorised, representing a comprehensive review of Kangaroo Island's planning regulations.[36]
The biggest town on Kangaroo Island isKingscote. Originally established at Reeves Point on 27 July 1836, it is South Australia's first colonial settlement. It was later suggested that Kingscote could serve as the capital of South Australia, but the island's resources were insufficient to support such a large community, so the settlement of Adelaide was chosen.[citation needed]
There are several smaller towns on the island.Penneshaw, the second largest town on Kangaroo Island, has a population of around 300 and is located on the north eastern tip of the Dudley Peninsula, on the eastern end of the island. It contains the ferry terminal, which brings most of the visitors to the island, along with all the necessary freight to sustain the local population.Parndana, in the centre of the island, has a population of about 150, but most do not live in the town; they are sprawled within a few kilometres. The historic area to the south-east of the township, known as the Research Centre to locals, was home to the research station that was set up in the 1940s and 1950s to research the viability of agriculture in the area and still has a small settlement of about 20 people.[citation needed]
American River, on the north coast between Kingscote and Penneshaw, has[when?] about 300 residents. Penneshaw and Parndana each have basic facilities, including a general store and fuel, and are home to hotels. Facilities such as banking and large supermarkets are available in Kingscote and Penneshaw.[citation needed]
At the2021 census, the island had a population of 4,894.[37] Population growth has slowed in past years, with the attraction of mainland Australia for younger adults being the key factor. Censuses show the number of residents aged 55 and over increased from 24.1% in 2001 to 29.8% in 2006, 34.9% in 2011, 41% in 2016, and 43.5% in 2021.[citation needed]
The economy is mostlyagricultural (grapes, honey, wool, meat and grain). Traditionally, sheep grazing has been the key element in agriculture on the Island; however, in recent times, more diverse crops, such as potatoes andcanola, have been introduced. Cattle farming has grown as well, with good quality beef cattle being raised in the higher rainfall areas. Tourism and fishing also play significant roles, with the island experiencing over 186,000 visitors per annum, and some of the best southern rock lobster being sourced from the island's rugged south coast. Kangaroo Island has South Australia's onlyeucalyptus oil distillery, with oil distilled from theendemicKangaroo Island narrow leaf mallee.[38] The future of over 19,000 hectares, which had been planted (or were due to be planted) with blue gum for future harvesting, is now in doubt, following the collapse of Great Southern Plantation Ltd. in May 2009.[39]
The island has 30 wine growers and 12 wineries. The first vineyard was planted nearEastern Cove in 1976 and the first wine made in 1982. This was blended with TolleysBarossa wine and sold from the cellar door of Eastern Cove Wine as KI-Barossa blend. The Florance vineyard was established under supervision of B. Hayes, who produced its first wine – Eastern Cove Cygnet – and introduced it at the University of South Australia in 1990. The wine carried a Kangaroo Island appellation label as first wine 100% of the region.[40][41]
Kangaroo Island is noted for itshoney and itsLigurian honey bees. The island has the world's only pure-bred and disease-free population of this type of bee. The exporting of pure-bred queen bees is a notable industry for the island. For this reason, there are significant quarantine restrictions on bringing bee products and bee-handling equipment onto the island. It is the world's oldest bee sanctuary.[42]
The Advertiser, 24 December 1883, reported "A few weeks since the Chamber of Manufactures forwarded an order to Mr. Carroll, a bee master, near Brisbane, for a swarm ofLigurian bees."The American Bee Journal, 25 November 1885, stated "Several pure colonies were reared from this one, [the first hive from Queensland] and two of them were sent to Kangaroo Island, where they appear to thrive well." An almost word perfect report in theBritish Bee Journal, 1 November 1885, added: "They came from the apiary of Mr. Chas. Fullwood."
A. E. Bonney quickly commenced queen bee breeding nearAdelaide at his Upper Kensington apiary in January 1884. In theSouth Australian Advertiser, 7 March 1884, Bonney stated "About three weeks ago I divided the original colony, and the Chamber of Manufactures now possesses three good swarms of Ligurians; two of these will probably be ready to send out towards the end of the month." And on 9 May 1884 "To show that I think highly of the Ligurians, I may say that in March I imported two more colonies from Queensland. ... During Easter holidays Mr Justice Boucaut took one queen [bred and mated in Adelaide] in a full colony to Mr Buick, of American River, Kangaroo Island." From theSouth Australian Advertiser, 1 August 1884 "On June 25 the original hive of Ligurian bees, imported by the chamber from Queensland, was sent safely to Mr Turner, at Smith's Bay, Kangaroo Island."[43][44]
In September 2025, authorities became concerned about thevarroa destructor parasite, capable of wiping out hives of bees, had been found on mainland SA for the first time, after having previously been found inNew South Wales,Victoria,Queensland, and theACT.. Extra biosecurity measures have been put in place, including the placement of sentinel beehives and extra checks on passengers arriving by ferry.[42]
Kangaroo Island is one of South Australia's most popular tourist attractions, attracting over 140,000 visitors each year, with international visitors, primarily from Europe, accounting for more than 25% of these visits.[45] There were 114 businesses operating in the sector in June 2016 and the visitor expenditure reached $123 million in December 2017. The expenditure is expected to reach the mark of $168 million by December 2020.[46] Some of the most popular tourist spots are:
Kangaroo Island is also considered to be one of South Australia's best locations for scuba diving, with many popular locations along the north coast. Many of South Australia's iconic marine species can be seen there, including theLeafy seadragon. Penneshaw jetty is known for its Gorgonian corals and there are many other timber jetties and shipwrecks that can be dived and enjoyed around the island.[50]
Safe swimming is possible on the northern beaches, such as Emu Bay, Stokes Bay, or Snellings Beach, and at Island Beach on the Dudley Peninsula.[51] The south coast has dangerousundertows and is more suitable for stronger and experienced swimmers only.[citation needed] An ocean pool with easy shore and pontoon access exists at Kingscote and is free to use.[citation needed] The island is home to theKangaroo Island Football League and has several other organised sporting competitions.[citation needed]
TheKangaroo Island kangaroo,Rosenberg's sand goanna,southern brown bandicoot,tammar wallaby,common brushtail possum,short-beaked echidna,Australian sea lion, andlong-nosed fur seal are native to the island, as well as sixbat andfrog species. The soleendemic vertebrate species is a small marsupial carnivore, theKangaroo Island dunnart.
Thekoala,common ringtail possum, andplatypus have been introduced and still survive there. The introduced koalas have flourished, to the degree that their preferred food source, themanna gum, is at risk of local extinction. The idea of acull of the burgeoning koala numbers is distasteful to the public, and the state government prefers to usesterilisation forpopulation control.[52] Althoughchlamydophila pneumoniae is widespread in most koala populations, the disease is not present on Kangaroo Island due to its isolation from other colonies.[53]
An endemic species ofemu, theKangaroo Island emu, became extinct between 1802 and 1836.[54] The island is the last South Australian refuge of anendangeredsubspecies of theglossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus).[55][56]
Kangaroo Island has been identified byBirdLife International as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of thevulnerablefairy tern, thenear threatenedbush stone-curlew,hooded plover andwestern whipbird, and thebiome-restrictedrock parrot andpurple-gaped honeyeater. It also supports over 1% of the world populations ofCape Barren geese,black-faced cormorants,Pacific gulls andpied oystercatchers, and sometimes ofmusk ducks,blue-billed ducks,freckled ducks,Australian shelducks,chestnut teals andbanded stilts.[57]
Little penguin colonies at Penneshaw and Kingscote can be accessed by joining guided nocturnal tours. Both colonies are currently in decline. Several colonies elsewhere on the island are believed to now be extinct, or contain only 'a few' birds. Historic colonies on Kangaroo Island includeCape Gantheaume,Ravine des Casoars and Harvey's Return.[58] In 1950 and 1972, authorMervinia Masterman claimed that little penguins could be found at Flinders Chase in "thousands".[59][60] She described the population utilising the limestone caves atRavine de Casoars as "innumerable" and described watching "dozens" come ashore at Sandy Beach.[60] Penguins were also present at Hanson Bay on the island's south coast in the 1950s.[61] The decline of penguin populations has prompted expanded monitoring regimes from 2011 to the present. The 2013 Kangaroo Island little penguin census revealed that numbers had decreased by 44 to 100 percent at all surveyed colonies over the prior two years. The census included eight survey sites.[62]
Nearly half of the island has never been cleared of vegetation,[63] and a quarter of it is conserved inNational Parks,Conservation Parks, and five Wilderness Protection Areas.[64] The main protected areas are:
Because of its isolation from mainland Australia,foxes andrabbits are absent from and prohibited from entering the island.[citation needed]Feral cats are a major threat to endangered endemic native fauna, including the Kangaroo Island dunnart, the Kangaroo Island echidna, and the Southern brown bandicoot. And also, because of their ability to spread livestock diseases such asSarcocystis andToxoplasmosis, a program to eradicate an estimated population of between 3,000 and 5,000 cats within 15 years was started in 2016.[65] Then mayor Peter Clements said: "We have to reach a point where we don't have any cats on this island. The feral cat is anapex predator. It is ruining our species here on the island and we are totally committed to eliminating all cats."[65] Registration and microchipping of cats is mandatory.[66]
Conservation interests have come into conflict with proponents of various development proposals made since the 2000s. These include a helipad in the island's south-western wilderness;[67] asouthern bluefin tuna pen on the north coast of the island,[68] which resulted in the withdrawal of the proposal; The Cliffs Golf Resort near Pennington Bay, for which Crown land was considered for private sale or lease to developers;[69] and a port proposal at Smith Bay to facilitate timber exports,[70] as well as cruise ship visitation.
Kangaroo Island is connected to the main South Australianpower grid by a pair of 33 kVsubsea cables across Backstairs Passage.[71] The original 30-year-old 10,000 kVA cable was retained when the second cable, with double its capacity, was laid in 2018 at a cost of $45 million.[72]
Before the new cable was commissioned,University of Technology Sydney conducted a study to assess the viability of renewable energy technology being used to independently generate the island's power with a combination ofwind,solar andbiomass.[73] Although the study concluded that it was indeed possible for the island to sustainably produce its own power for around the same price as the new cable,[74]SA Power Networks ultimately decided against the idea. TheKangaroo Island power station has three 2 MWeCaterpillar 3516Bdiesel generators capable of providing a combined 6 MW through the Kingscotesubstation to provide stability of supply if the submarine cables are unavailable.[75]
Kangaroo Island is reliant on ferry services for the majority of its transport to and from the mainland. Ferry services are currently provided by two companies,Kangaroo Island SeaLink which uses two ferries, theSealion 2000 and theSpirit of Kangaroo Island, to provide freight and passenger services, and Kangaroo Island Connect, which commenced services in June 2018 and provides passenger services only.[76]
From 1907 to 1961,Karatta was the prime freight and passenger vessel operating between Port Adelaide and Kingscote.[77] Following withdrawal from service ofKaratta,RW Miller operated theMVTroubridge, in later years as a joint venture with the South Australian Government.Troubridge was a roll on, roll off vessel of 1,996 tons, which used specially designed loading gantries atPort Adelaide,Port Lincoln and Kingscote.[78]
Troubridge operated until 1 June 1987, when it was replaced by the government run $23 millionIsland Seaway.[79][80][81] Built locally in Port Adelaide by Eglo Engineering,Island Seaway used the same loading platforms asTroubridge.Island Seaway was severely criticised as being unsuitable for the Backstairs Passage crossing. Seventy-five sheep and cattle died on the inaugural trip due to carbon monoxide poisoning, and the ship was once described as 'steering like a shopping trolley'.[82] The vessel subsequently underwent a A$1 million refit of its propulsion system in September 1989 which improved its reliability.
Island Seaway began to experience competition fromKangaroo Island SeaLink which began services from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw in 1989.[83] SeaLink acquired the ferry service originally introduced by Peter March. His "Philanderer Ferries" pioneered the crossing from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw, withPhilanderer 3 being a passenger and vehicle carrying catamaran style vessel. In the 1980s, two passenger only services,Hydroflite H33, andIslander, operated for a short time from Glenelg to Kingscote.
SeaLink has outlasted several competing companies since it began operations. Boat Torque, a Western Australian company, operatedSuperflyte from 1994 until 1997, sailing from Glenelg to Kingscote. Kangaroo Island Ferries had a short-lived venture withSeaWay, which travelled from Wirrina Cove to Kingscote from September 2004 until February 2005.SeaWay could not handle rough weather as well as SeaLink vessels which impacted the service's reliability. Under different proprietorship,SeaWay recommenced services in August 2007.[84] However, in May 2008, the operator ofSeaWay announced suspension of services until October 2008, citing increased fuel prices.[85] In June 2008 theSeaWay's operating company was placed in administration and the vessel advertised for sale.[86]
With the introduction by SeaLink of theIsland Navigator, the fate ofIsland Seaway was sealed, with the service subsequently withdrawn and SeaLink drawing on Government subsidies to operate all freight services to and from the Island. SeaLink now holds a virtual monopoly on sea transport to Kangaroo Island, primarily due to its long term lease of the Cape Jervis berth. Sealink's agreement with the SA Government, expiring in 2024, precludes other operators from using the Cape Jervis facility for one hour before, and one hour after any scheduled SeaLink service. Kangaroo Island residents have expressed displeasure with the exclusive arrangement granted to SeaLink.[87]
Guinea Airways operated the first commercial service to Kangaroo Island, commencing in the 1930s. In 1959, the airline was acquired byAirlines of South Australia (ASA), a subsidiary ofAnsett Transport Industries. The airline's final service was on 4 April 1986. ASA primarily operatedConvairs,Douglas DC-3 andFokker F-27 aircraft. APiaggio P.166 was used infrequently in the 1970s, whilstRossair operatedCessna 402s in an arrangement with ASA to replace the F27s in off-peak times. Following the withdrawal of ASA,Kendell Airlines (another Ansett subsidiary), operated 19-seatFairchild Metroliners and 34-seatSaab aircraft to the island. Upon Ansett's ultimate demise in 2002,Rex Airlines acquired the Kendell aircraft and continued services toKingscote Airport until early 2020, when it ceased operation citing competition from Qantas[88]
In competition with the larger aircraft, and generally with more flexible timetables, a succession of smaller airlines from the 1970s tried with varying success to maintain a 'second string' presence. Island Air and Pagas operated briefly in the 1970s, whilst the most successful,Emu Airways, commenced in 1980 and made its final flight in November 2005.[citation needed] Emu flewPiper Chieftain aircraft to Kingscote, American River, Penneshaw and Parndana, before air regulations dictated abandonment of all airstrips except Kingscote. Air Kangaroo Island (formerly Air Transit), flewCessna 402s to the Island in the 1990s.[89]
From 1986 to 1990, Lloyd Aviation operatedEmbraer EMB 110 Bandeirante aircraft, before flying theShort 330. For several years in the 1980s, Commodore Airlines (eventually becoming State Air) offered another alternative service.QantasLink briefly operated a service after the demise of Emu Airways, commencing 18 December 2005, but withdrew less than six months later. QantasLink also operated direct flights from Kangaroo Island to Melbourne, the first time the route was operated.[90] In January 2007, Air South[91] commenced four services daily using Titan nine seat aircraft, but ceased flights in October 2009.[92]
In June 2017, Qantas announced direct Qantaslink flights to Kangaroo Island from Adelaide and Melbourne from December 2017, offering five flights a week from Adelaide over the peak summer months, reducing to three flights a week after Easter, and two flights a week from Melbourne over the peak tourist season in December and January. An $18 million upgrade of the Kingscote Airport was completed in May 2018.[93]
Around 1938, the Salt Company on Kangaroo Island used a rail tractor built by W. Day & Sons ofSouth Melbourne to transport salt on a short narrow gauge railway between its factory and the port inMuston. Salt was obtained from Muston Lake, White Lagoon, Salt Lagoon and smaller lagoons nearKingscote. It was sold to domestic and industrial users, e.g. for fish and meat preservation and tanning. The salt exports from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide rose from 13 tons in 1843 to 20,000 tons in 1913.[94] Plans for further railway lines did not pass the planning stage.[95][96][97]
Having awarm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb), the winters between June and September are mild and wet, the summers usually warm and dry. Tempered by the ocean, particularly on the coastline, maximum temperatures in summer rarely exceed 35 °C (95 °F). Average temperatures in August range between 13 and 16 °C (55 and 61 °F) and in February, the hottest month, between 20 and 25 °C (68 and 77 °F). Between May and September the island receives two-thirds of its annual rainfall, varying from 450 millimetres (18 in) in Kingscote to around 900 millimetres (35 in) near Roo Lagoon on the top of the central plateau. The wettest month is July.[98]
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 43.8 (110.8) | 43.8 (110.8) | 39.9 (103.8) | 33.9 (93.0) | 27.1 (80.8) | 22.4 (72.3) | 24.0 (75.2) | 25.0 (77.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 33.8 (92.8) | 38.8 (101.8) | 43.0 (109.4) | 43.8 (110.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 24.5 (76.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 18.6 (65.5) | 16.1 (61.0) | 15.4 (59.7) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.0 (64.4) | 20.1 (68.2) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.8 (76.6) | 21.0 (69.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) | 13.6 (56.5) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.7 (47.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 6.8 (44.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.7 (42.3) | 6.5 (43.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 9.6 (49.3) | 10.9 (51.6) | 8.9 (48.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.3 (41.5) | −0.4 (31.3) | −1.0 (30.2) | −0.6 (30.9) | −2.4 (27.7) | −2.1 (28.2) | −1.9 (28.6) | −2.0 (28.4) | −2.0 (28.4) | 0.4 (32.7) | 1.0 (33.8) | −2.4 (27.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 14.4 (0.57) | 16.2 (0.64) | 25.8 (1.02) | 27.1 (1.07) | 46.9 (1.85) | 67.2 (2.65) | 66.0 (2.60) | 56.3 (2.22) | 45.0 (1.77) | 30.0 (1.18) | 22.0 (0.87) | 19.3 (0.76) | 436.4 (17.18) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.1 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 8.9 | 15.0 | 18.2 | 19.4 | 19.0 | 15.5 | 10.1 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 159.4 |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology[99] | |||||||||||||
Lightning strikes on Thursday 6 December 2007 caused several fires on the Island. Before being contained on 16 December 2007, over 20% of the Island had been burnt, totaling 900 square kilometres (220,000 acres), principally within National Park and Conservation Reserves. The most serious outbreak occurred inFlinders Chase National Park, with 630 square kilometres (or 85% of the total park area) having been burnt.[100]
In January 2020, the island was one of many places nationwide affected by bushfire as part of the2019–2020 Australian bushfire season. Across Kangaroo Island, several fires burnt in excess of 2,100 square kilometres (520,000 acres), about 52 percent of the island. A bushfire emergency warning was issued on 3 January 2020 as the fire advanced towardsVivonne Bay, and the town ofParndana was evacuated.[101][102] The fires were not declared contained until 21 January.[103]
Two people died on Kangaroo Island due to the fires.[104] A number of wildlife species, some unique to Kangaroo Island and some already endangered before the 2019–2020 bushfires, might be facing extinction in the wild as a result of the fires.[105][106][107] An estimated 80% of the 50,000 koalas on the island died in the fires.[108] TheFlinders Chase National Park was again damaged in the2019–20 Australian bushfire season.[109]
The 2024 drama feature filmKangaroo Island, directed byTim Piper/Timothy David and written by his wifeSally Gifford, was filmed on the island. It had its world premiere on the closing night of the 2024Adelaide Film Festival on 3 November 2024.[110][111][112]
On Kangaroo Island, or 'KI' as it is known to locals, most of the colloquial names are not listed, gazetted or mapped.
Prepared for theCity of Marion
Qantas is expanding its QantasLink regional network into South Australia effective Dec. 18. It will operate 58 flights per week between Adelaide and Port Lincoln, daily service between Adelaide and Kangaroo Island and four weekly services between Melbourne and Kangaroo Island, all aboardDash 8s.
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