Written by Richard Webb, December 2022
One of my favourite memories of my time on Kangaroo Island was being woken in my tent one morning by an echidna rummaging under my sleeping bag, searching for breakfast!
I was camping in Flinders Chase National Park and remember just being captivated by the natural surroundings, the soul soothing views, the bird song – and the friendliness of the local wildlife!
Kangaroo Island is Australia in a nutshell. Surrounded by deep blue seas, its coastline is defined by rugged cliffs, sheltered bays and beautiful sandy beaches. The island’s interior is dominated by untouched bushland that is home to iconic Australian wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and echidnas.
Human impact is kept to small, mostly coastal, settlements with an emphasis on agriculture and tourism. Kangaroo Island even has its own big red rocks that attract visitors from all around the world!
Australia’s third largest island, just eight miles off the coast of South Australia, Kangaroo Island is easily accessible. It is possible to fly from both Adelaide and Melbourne to Kangaroo Island, but perhaps the best way to approach is by sea.
Just south of the city of Adelaide is the picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula. It is from here that you can cross the lovely-named “Backstairs Passage“ by ferry to arrive in the port of Penneshaw in the north-east of Kangaroo Island.
Although less than 100 miles long, Kangaroo Island still has around 1,000 miles of roads. This makes touring and exploring the island a relatively easy experience, and whilst you may feel surrounded by remote bushland at times, in truth, a charming Australian country town is never that far away.
More than a third of Kangaroo Island is protected nature reserves, the largest of which is Flinders Chase National Park. Located at the western end of the island, the National Park covers more than 126 square miles of varying environments, including open bush, sand dunes, rocky coastline and a number of small islets. The National Park is a sanctuary for endangered wildlife as well as home to the much-photographed geological phenomena, the Remarkable Rocks.
Much like mainland Australia, Kangaroo Island has always experienced bushfires. They occur naturally and play a vital role in the control and regeneration of the Australian ecology and landscape. Australian plants have adapted and evolved to cope with fire, and in some cases actually require the heat from the flames to trigger seed germination and survival. Bushfires are a natural reset button, preventing one species from dominating and returning nutrients to the soil.
The scale of the bushfires on Kangaroo Island in the summer of 2019/20 however, made headlines around the world. The previous winter had been particularly dry, and then temperatures throughout November and December unusually high. Then on the 20th December a storm hit, inducing multiple lightning strikes across the island over an elongated period of ten days. The resulting uncontrollable bushfires raged for several weeks.
By the beginning of February, when the bushfire zone was officially declared safe again, almost half of Kangaroo Island had been burnt. These were the largest bushfires in the island’s recorded history. In addition to the incalculable wildlife and natural habitat lost to the fires, homes and businesses were destroyed and farmland, crops, machinery and other local infrastructure was damaged by the fierce heat from the flames. Tragically, two people lost their lives, devastating the local community of Kangaroo Island. It was a “Black Summer”; a natural disaster at a level never experienced before.
Kangaroo Island’s recovery process was already underway while the embers were still glowing; nature regenerates at an astonishing speed. Burnt trees became havens for insects and an important refuge for small animals and birds. Native flora was quick to repopulate scorched ground, with wildflowers returning to previously forested areas, creating a wider biodiversity than before.
Humans are equally resilient with infrastructure quickly repaired, hundreds of miles of fencing rebuilt and crops replanted. Kangaroo Islanders have worked together to overcome the challenges of the fires, to create a positive response and rebuild in a sustainable way.
Two years on from the Black Summer, the majority of the island is open for business and visitors to Kangaroo Island can explore the pristine wilderness, spot unique wildlife and enjoy local products.
The lodge at Sea Dragon was there before the fires, though just a simple bed and breakfast with an amazing view and secluded beach. Being located at a hidden picturesque pocket of the eastern end of the island, an area which was largely untouched by the fires, Sea Dragon escaped unscathed. Now owned by four local South Australians, with a wealth of tourism and hospitality knowledge, Sea Dragon has been transformed into the only full-service boutique hotel in Kangaroo Island.
“The number of Kangaroo Island B&Bs, and self-catered options, have increased over the years, but we saw an opportunity in the experiential and boutique” explains co-owner Alice Zammit. “At Sea Dragon we aim to ensure our guests are nourished body and mind, by our local food and wine (without any washing up!) and the knowledge and island stories shared by our professional tour guides.”
Sea Dragon Kangaroo Island is now a luxurious private retreat, with 250 acres of protected coastal bushland, including a beautiful, secluded beach (Pink Bay) and resident wildlife, free to roam the grounds. A mixture of luxury villas and suites, with private decks and unobstructed sea views, await Sea Dragon guests. All have been sympathetically furnished to reflect the natural surroundings, without skimping on comfort and relaxation.
Whilst it would be wonderful to just immerse yourself in a luxury escape at Sea Dragon, the owners, Alice, Greg, John and Karin, also want to share their love of Kangaroo Island with visitors, and give their guests the chance to experience all that island has to offer.
“It has been a team effort” says co-owner Greg Zammit. “Kangaroo Island is one of South Australia’s tightest and most important tourism communities, so we try to ensure that as much of that community is reflected at Sea Dragon as possible.”
Guests at Sea Dragon are invited to explore Kangaroo Island on two exclusive tours led by one of the hotel’s resident expert guides. The first tour is a full day, nature-based experience, visiting the western end of the island including Seal Bay and the different landscapes and wildlife in Flinders Chase National Park.
“Our guides are great, they know every inch of the island.” enthuses Alice, “When I first went out with them, they took me to areas I hadn’t seen before, and I’ve been coming here since I was a baby! Whilst you can explore Kangaroo Island on your own, it’s always the knowledge of the guides that our guests comment on.”
In Seal Bay Conservation Park, the Sea Dragon guides have a licence from the National Park Authority to personally lead guests along the beach, amongst the resident colony of endangered Australian sea lion. A unique experience and an opportunity to really appreciate these beautiful wild mammals.
The tour then heads into the exquisite scenery of Flinders Chase National Park, to witness the rejuvenation of the native bush first hand. Green shrubs and trees have already hidden the charred logs, so that very few signs of the fires now remain. A photo stop at the Remarkable Rocks is, of course, also included!
After a lunch at Vivonne Bay, the tour continues to the other famous landmarks of the National Park, including Cape Du Couedic and Admiral’s Arch. As well as fur seals basking in the sun at the arch, it is possible to spot other native species now returned to the park, including echidnas, kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and a range of birds and reptiles.
Kangaroo Island experiences by Freedom Destinations.
Sea Dragon’s second guest experience focuses on the Kangaroo Island community, with the owners keen to highlight the unique products that are made on the island.
“We are fortunate that we have a lot of local businesses making exceptional produce that we are able to utilise at Sea Dragon” enthuses Greg. “And they’re not just creating produce; they are creating the best produce!”.
“Not only can we introduce guests to Kangaroo Island products in the bedrooms or at breakfast and dinner, but we can explain the unique skills and passion that goes into creating it.”
It is with this in mind, that the second Sea Dragon tour focuses on their unique neighbours. The first stop is Island Beehive, a business that identified the unique remoteness of Kangaroo Island could provide the perfect home for rare Ligurian Bees.
“Witnessing the intricacies of a working beehive and harvesting of honey is genuinely fascinating” says Greg. “As too is learning about this amazing Italian bee and how the beekeepers maintain the purity of the produce, which of course, guests get to sample.”
Next up is Kangaroo Island Spirits, the oldest dedicated gin distillery in Australia. Set within beautifully landscaped gardens filled with native botanicals, Kangaroo Island Spirits provide Sea Dragon guests with a walking tour highlighting the delicacies of production as well as an exclusive tasting of various infused spirits.
Kangaroo Island Olives is a family-owned agribusiness producing table olives as well as award winning extra virgin olive oil. Sea Dragon guests can learn more about the business that was originally introduced to Kangaroo Island back in 1990, and how further tree planting before the fires, managed to escape the flames.
All of these products and other South Australian specialities, can be sampled daily in the locally-sourced dining provided at breakfast and dinner for all guests of Sea Dragon.
Almost exactly two years on from the first lightning strikes, not only has the island’s National Park been rejuvenated, with green shrubs replacing scorched earth, and wildlife once feared lost now returned, but the Kangaroo Island community, with the support of their neighbours, has once again created something special and unique, that visitors from all around the world will want to return to, again and again.
It was heart breaking to follow the news of the bushfires from afar, seeing the devastation in places I remember so fondly.
However, meeting with Alice and Greg from Sea Dragon recently has rekindled my desire to return. I am not sure that I will camp with my echidna friend next time though, I think I may just give the team at Sea Dragon a call!
Kangaroo Island is open and welcoming visitors today. To experience this wildlife haven for yourself please get in touch with one of our Australia Specialists.
Richard has more than 25 years of experience working within the travel industry. He has travelled widely in the USA, Australia and Africa and enjoys exploring National Parks and other wilderness areas.
