KANGAROO ISLAND SA'S OWN PARADISE

I’ve been visiting Kangaroo Island for over 35 years now and to be honest, not a lot has changed. Tourists from all over the world love visiting the Island, and it all still feels and looks relatively untouched, which is quite rare nowadays.

Kangaroo Island is roughly 155km long, 55km wide and is separated from the mainland by a 15km channel of fish-rich ocean water. The island has over 500km of pristine coastline that consists of spectacular rocky outcrops, pure white sandy beaches, crystal clear coves, bays, river mouths and towering cliffs.

GETTING THERE

Most people who travel to the Island use the SeaLink ferry service, which operates between Cape Jervis and Penneshaw. It’s only a short ride (approximately 40 minutes), which makes it very family friendly. Kids can get restless at the best of times, but the scenery while travelling on the SeaLink ferry is quite breath taking. Penneshaw is the first town that you will arrive at when using the ferry service, and the jetty facilities offer a great spot to stop and stretch the legs and wet a line. I’ve caught some lovely squid from the Penneshaw jetty over the years, and have also caught some superb Australian salmon from the beautiful beach. Penneshaw really does set the tone for the rest of the Island, with its crystal clear waters and soft white sand.

Kingscote jetty still fishes very well

KINGSCOTE

Kingscote is the Island’s largest town with a population of around 1900 people. The Kingscote town jetty is famous for its fishing, making it a great place to base yourself, particularly if you’ve never been there before.

WILDLIFE & SERENITY

Out of all the places I’ve travelled to, both in and out of South Australia, none have felt as densely populated with wildlife as Kangaroo Island. My kids absolutely loved their first visit to the Island, which was only a few months ago now. On the first day we saw plenty of kangaroos, wallabies and goannas, as well as a few echidnas, koalas and wedge tail eagles. It’s a paradise for those who love nature and the outdoors and it’s a must for those who are yet to travel here.

The ferry terminal at Penneshaw

We took the kids to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, located in Parndana, as well as the Raptor Domain located not too far down the road at Seal Bay. We had an absolute ball and were able to get up close to the birds of prey, snakes, lizards, spiders, koalas, dingoes etc. The kids got to hand feed the kangaroos and goats too, which was a great experience for them.

Whilst I love fishing, and I really do spend quite a lot of time doing it, Kangaroo Island is that one place that helps me slow down and take everything in. There is no rush when fishing on KI, which is a beautiful thing. There is always somewhere to fish, no matter what direction the wind is blowing and, if it changes throughout the day, it’s super easy to move to another productive location. Whether by boat or land, there is always somewhere to wet a line.

The kids love KI too

KANGAROO ISLAND MARINE PARKS

*Please note that Kangaroo Island has an array of marine parks that are there to help protect and conserve the marine environment, which can be viewed here.

POPULAR FISH

The most popular species to target over on Kangaroo Island are King George whiting, southern calamari (squid), Australian salmon, mullet, Australian herring (tommies), garfish, flathead, silver trevally and snook. All can be found in very good numbers and can be caught all year ‘round.

BOAT LAUNCHING FACILITIES

If you own a boat, the launching facilities around the island vary quite a bit. There are 13 designated beach launching locations, all available to view here, as well as five maintained boat lunching facilities, available to view here.

NORTH COAST FISHING SPOTS

The north coast has some of the best fishing on the Island and offers plenty of protection from the southerly winds, making it a very safe spot to fish with kids.

Penneshaw jetty can be very productive for squid and tommies at times. The surrounding beach and rocky outcrops often hold schools of smaller Australian salmon and snook.

Antechamber Bay is a beautiful spot located on the north eastern corner of the island and provides some excellent fishing for King George whiting, mullet and flathead. There are some lovely cabins available here and beautiful swimming beaches, which makes it ideal for everyone.

American River offers some very productive fishing from both the wharf and the surrounding beaches. Australian herring (tommies), garfish, mullet, Australian salmon, snook, King George whiting, flathead and flounder are all available here. It’s a great spot to unfold the deck chair and kick back with a rod in hand.

Kingscote Jetty is one of the best jetties in South Australia to try for King George whiting, particularly at night-time. Silver trevally, snook, garfish, tommies, squid and sharks are also great targets from the jetty.

Bay of Shoals is a great location to target squid and King George whiting. It is not uncommon to catch your limit of fish here in quick time. Snook and flathead are another popular catch when fishing in this location.

Emu Bay has one of the most spectacular beaches in Australia and offers some fantastic fishing for mullet and Australian salmon at times. Great squid and whiting fishing out in the bay are another reason to add Emu Bay to your list.

Snelling Beach is a spectacular beach that holds plenty of mullet and Australian salmon. It is a beautiful spot to relax and is protected from southerly winds. The surrounding rocky headlands also provide some great fishing.

SOUTH COAST FISHING SPOTS

The south coast of the Island is open to more swell than the north coast, which makes it the perfect place for those who love surf fishing for Australian salmon. There are some bays along this part of the island that offer a bit of protection from the open ocean, and these can be very productive at times.

Hanson Bay is a beautiful section of coast that can provide some sensational salmon fishing at times. Surrounded by reef and some deep gutters, this is a great spot to take the surf rods and big baits.

Salmon are regulars on the North Coast

Massive salmon schools move along many North Coast beaches and coves

Marron are there if you look hard enough

Vivonne Bay has a lot of beauty about it. The bay is picturesque and has a very productive jetty to fish from. Squid can be caught in close to the shore along the jetty, in amongst the clumps of rock and weed. Silver trevally and Australian salmon can be caught throughout the day, as well as several varieties of sharks. In fact, this jetty is probably one of the most productive shark fishing jetties in South Australia.

D’estrees Bay is a beautiful bay that offers some great shallow water fishing. The surrounding beaches are all very easy to access and hold lots of fish. Species like flathead, King George whiting, Australian herring (tommies) and mullet are prolific here, making it a great spot to take the kids.

Camping and rental accommodation is readily available in and around D’estrees, which is why it’s one of my favourite locations on the island.

Pennington Bay is a very popular surf beach and has some spectacular waves at times. This is a great location for Australian salmon and shark fishing, however shark fishing while people are out surfing is not a good idea. It’s not uncommon to see several schools of salmon scattered along the beach at the same time, making it ideal for both bait and lure fishermen.

FISHING TACKLE SUPPLIES

When visiting the island, it is bestIngrams Home Hardware. This is a fantastic shop with plenty of things to buy for the whole family! to stock up on bait and fishing tackle supplies in the main town of Kingscote. The best place that I found for everything fishing was at

If you’re looking at planning your next holiday to somewhere that is suitable for the whole family, then I strongly encourage you to check out Kangaroo Island. It really is South Australia’s most pristine slice of paradise and offers some of the best fishing in the country, right at your feet.