5 days in Adelaide, Australia- 5/17- 5/21/2024
Day 4-Kangaroo Island day tour-5/20/2024
Kangaroo Island (often called KI) is Australia’s third-largest island,
located about 8 miles off the coast of South Australia. It’s known for its
unspoiled wilderness, abundant wildlife, and dramatic coastal scenery. The
island is roughly 96 miles long, and it’s often described as a “zoo without
fences” where you can see kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, echidnas, sea lions,
fur seals, and many native birds in their natural habitats. The island also
has a strong food and wine culture with local honey from Ligurian bees,
artisan cheeses, and seafood being specialties. The
island is called Kangaroo Island because it was named by the British explorer
Captain Matthew Flinders in 1802 after his crew found an abundance of
kangaroos there. Story goes
that Flinders and his crew, aboard the HMS
Investigator,
had been at sea for months without fresh meat.
We took a bus from Adelaide to Cape Jervis (about 2 hours south). From there, we boarded the SeaLink ferry, which crosses Backstairs Passage in about 45 minutes and arrives at Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island.
We arrived in Cape Jervis to board the Ferry.
Boarding the Ferry.
SeaLink is the primary and most well-known operator to Kangaroo Island.
View inside the Ferry. The SeaLink ferries are modern catamarans and feature a licensed cafe for snacks and hot drinks, air-conditioned lounges, and free Wi-Fi.
From the Penneshaw terminal on Kangaroo Island, a bus picked us up and took us to Seal Bay Conservation Park located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island, which is about a little over an hour drive from Penneshaw terminal.
Our first stop is Seal Bay, home to around 800–1,000 sea lions, one of the largest and most accessible colonies in the world. The park was established to protect them after centuries of hunting (in the 1800s, they were hunted for oil and fur).
Seal Bay is one of the island’s most iconic spots. It’s home to one of the largest colonies of Australian sea lions. What makes it special is that you can walk right on the beach among them, under the guidance of park rangers, of course.
We are now walking toward the visitor center and on the way the view opens out to the Southern Ocean.
Walking toward the visitor center.
We are gathering at the meeting point about to start the guided beach walk at Seal Bay Conservation Park, one of the highlights of Kangaroo Island!
The rangers are very knowledgeable and explained to us that the sea lions’ breeding cycle (it’s 17–18 months, quite unusual among mammals), and how they identify individuals by their scars and markings.
We are following a paved road down the Ocean.
Coastal vegetation in the area.
Following our tour guide to the fenced Boardwalk.
The paved access path and boardwalk are designed to let people observe without disturbing them, but sometimes the sea lions decide to rest right on the path like this one that you see just before the fenced board walk.
The Australian sea lions roam freely, and the entire conservation area is their habitat. They can be surprisingly calm around people, but the park rules are strict about keeping at least 30 feet away. That’s why our guide led us on a detour, both for our safety and to avoid stressing the animal.
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Sea lions often haul out (come ashore) anywhere they feel safe and warm. The paved area probably felt comfortable, it absorbs heat from the sun, which helps them stay warm after swimming in the chilly Southern Ocean.
A seal resting comfortably among the coastal vegetation which is mostly coastal heath and salt-tolerant shrubs.
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This one is so cute!
The boardwalk itself is built slightly above the sand dunes to protect the fragile coastal vegetation (like saltbush and spinifex grasses), prevent erosion, and let visitors watch the colony safely from above.
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Sea lions are scattered everywhere around the walkway. Lisa and I on the boardwalk (we spent 5 days with Lisa and the group touring Tasmania).
A mother seal feeding her baby. The pups can be over 18 months old, but they are still suckling. Sea Lion breeding cycles are non-annual and unique, meaning we often see pups of different ages here year-round. They spend up to two days resting here for every one day they spend fishing out at sea, making this beach an essential part of their life cycle.
The elevation of the boardwalk allows visitors to enjoy wide views of the beach and the Southern Ocean.
More seals sleeping under the boardwalk.
How cute is this?
This is probably a female seal because she is smaller, sleeker, and silvery-gray back with a creamy underside. They often lie together in groups with pups nearby.
Males (bulls) are much larger, up to 2.5 meters long and can weigh over 660 lbs. They have a broad, thick neck and a darker, sometimes brown or silver-gray coat.
Australian sea lions follow a unique rhythm. They spend 3 to 5 days at sea, diving and hunting almost constantly, often in cold, deep water up to 80 meters below the surface. During that time, they barely sleep, burning huge amounts of energy chasing fish, squid, and octopus. When they finally return to shore, they are utterly exhausted, so they haul out onto the sand (or under shaded boardwalks) to rest and recover.
This is why you’ll often see them sprawled motionless, sometimes breathing heavily, eyes half-closed, sand covering their backs, they’re literally recharging after days of intense effort at sea.
This is a real cool place to visit and from here we can see the waves, with sea lions scattered along the shoreline below.
We are now heading to beach with the rancher. We are not allow to wander around on our own.
Once on the beach, our ranger will lead us among the Australian sea lions, explaining their behavior and the colony’s history.
While going down on the beach, I noticed a group of seals huddled together.
The rancher told us that the seals closer to the water are often the large males or younger females preparing to head out to sea for several days to forage.
Following the rancher to beach. The rules are simple: We are guests in their home. Always stay five meters away from any resting animal, and never, ever get between a mother and her pup or between the sea lions and the ocean. They have the right of way, always.
When we reached the bottom of the boardwalk and step onto the sand, the scene opens wide and to my left is this is the main stretch of Seal Bay Beach, facing the Southern Ocean. Along the shoreline, you can see Australian sea lions resting, some sprawled near the waterline, others tucked higher up near the dunes. Beyond the beach, those low mountains or sandy hills you see are part of the coastal dune system that shelters Seal Bay.
The sand here is quartz-rich and beautifully white, helping to reflect the sun, which is why the sea lions bask so comfortably. This whole area is dynamic. The dunes behind us are constantly being shaped by the wind and stabilized by coastal grasses and low-lying shrubs like the Pigface and Ruby Saltbush.
Two sea lions heading to the beach. These dunes and hills form an important natural barrier against wind and erosion, creating the sheltered space that sea lions use for resting and breeding. They’re covered with native coastal vegetation, hardy plants like coastal daisybush, mallee shrubs, and salt-tolerant grasses, which help hold the dunes together.
While standing on the beach we witnessed two seals fighting each other.
That loud, intense interaction we just witnessed is a key part of the Australian Sea Lion's social life, and it's almost certainly a struggle for dominance between two bulls (mature males).
Unlike many other seal species that breed at a set time each year, Australian Sea Lions have a chaotic, non-annual breeding cycle that lasts about 17–18 months. Because of this, this kind of aggressive dominance display can happen at any time of year here, not just during a specific season.
The females are gathering to rest and potentially breed, and those two males were settling who gets to be the "beach master" for this small group. We will keep a wide berth from them until they calm down!
This fight is over control of the breeding territory and access to the females, sometimes called a "harem." The bull who wins gets to remain near the group of females, increasing his chances of passing on his genes.
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These fights are incredibly loud, involving lots of roaring, lunging, and powerful biting. They use their strong necks and sharp canine teeth. Although it looks brutal, and they can sustain serious injuries, it's a critical, natural process for determining the strongest male. The victorious male now assumes the role of the Territorial Bull (or "beach master") for that specific section of the beach. By chasing off the rival, the winning male has established a temporary zone of control. He will now patrol this area, performing loud displays and boundary-setting movements to discourage other challengers. He is exhausting himself, but the reward is the access to the females which is worth the energy expenditure.
The defeated male will likely retreat far up the beach or return to the sea to rest and recover, maybe trying his luck in another area later. The winner will now try to maintain his position, which is an exhausting task that may last for weeks.
Now that we've had this unique experience on the sand, our Rancher told us to quietly make our way back up to the boardwalk.
The Seal Bay boardwalk is designed to make that return from the beach just as memorable as the descent. The boardwalk is a raised wooden pathway with a sturdy fence railing on both sides, guiding visitors gently up from the beach toward the visitor center. It winds through low coastal vegetation, mostly hardy saltbushes, coastal rosemary, and dune grasses that can survive the strong wind and salty air.
So many seals resting in this area.
We are now done with the visit and we are heading to our next destination.
NEXT... Remarkable Rocks