Explore the wonders of Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is the 3rd largest island in Australia, after Melville Island and Tasmania. It is around 70 miles southwest of Adelaide. It first separated from Australia around 9000 years ago when there was a rise in sea levels. There is evidence that the island was inhabited early on by Aboriginal people, at least 11,000 years ago, but they seem to have disappeared around 200 BC. The Island was found and named in 1802 by a British explorer named Matthew Flinders. Nicolas Baudin, a French explorer and cartographer, followed him shortly thereafter, and mapped out most of the island. It is for this reason that many places on Kangaroo Island have French names. The island was officially settled in 1836 by sealers who led oppressive and rough lifestyles, kidnapping and taking advantage of the native Aborigines. The island grew and developed over time, becoming home to a couple of large towns. The most recent census discovered the population of Kangaroo Island to be around 4300.

Kangaroo Island is known for its illustrious indigenous wildlife population and its commitment to wildlife conservation. Kangaroo Island is home to the Kangaroo Island dunnart, which is a carnivorous marsupial located only on the island and nowhere else. In addition to that unique species, the island has many other rare and endangered species, including the southern brown bandicoot, the Tammar wallaby, a unique species of kangaroo, Rosenberg's sand goanna, the short-beaked echidna, the New Zealand fur seal and the glossy black cockatoo, as well as possums and several types of frogs and bats. It was reported in the 19th century that there was a unique species of emu living on Kangaroo Island, but they appear to have gone extinct by the colony's settlement in 1936. Its extinction is attributed by some scholars to Kangaroo's Island common brushfire problem. All of Kangaroo Island's unique animals and habitats can be observed in the island's many nature reserves and parks.

Kangaroo Island is an area very rich in history and culture. In addition to its wildlife, when visiting Kangaroo Island, you can learn about its Aboriginal Roots and experience its maritime history through the island's many iconic lighthouses. Kangaroo Island's beaches possess a strong undertow, so the many shipwrecks that have occurred on its coastline are interesting to learn about, and some are open for scuba divers to explore.