Famous for its landscapes and extensive coastline, South Australia is also renowned for its unique fauna. Therefore, if you want to encounter native animals, this is the place to go! Throughout this post, I share amazing places to encounter wildlife in South Australia.
Disclaimer: it is super important to us to visit places where animals are well taken care of and respected. That is to say, in this post, I share only exceptional places where volunteers are doing amazing jobs to save, take care and give a better and safe environment to injured animals.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When to visit South Australia?
Since Australia is one of the biggest countries in the world, it has different types of climates depending on the region. For instance, South Australia offers good temperatures and very little rain during spring (from March to May) and fall (from September to November). That is why I highly recommend visiting this region during these periods of the year. Summer season can be a good choice too, but temperatures are very high, and are as well peak season for tourism.
“From my standpoint, I would avoid winter time which takes place between June and August. Even though this is the driest state of Australia, there is a lot of rain at this time of the year.”
How to get to South Australia?
South Australia is home to an airport located in Adelaide (the capital city of the state). Therefore, the city is the perfect starting point to explore the region. Noted that only a few airlines provide international flights to Adelaide airport. This is why you probably need to do a stopover in a more international Australian airport such as Melbourne (1:20 hours flight).
Once you are in South Australia, you can either discover the region by car or by public transportation. The state is divided into 12 regions with notably Kangaroo island (located 110 km/68 miles South of Adelaide) and Adelaide Hills (located 31 km/ 19 miles from Adelaide center). More details on how to get to these regions are below.
Where to encounter animal up-close in South Australia ?
As mentioned, South Australia is notably characterized by its variety of wildlife such as koalas, wombats, and kangaroos. In my opinion, the following places are where you should go to respectfully encounter these animals.
IN THE WILD
Of course, if you are lucky enough and pay attention, you will probably see native animals in the wild. And frankly, there is no better feeling than seeing them free.
We saw our very first koala ever in the wild while we were getting to Adelaide Hills by bus. We were emotional to see this little guy up on his tree, especially after the catastrophic bushfires of 2020 the country has experienced. Moreover, during our time on Kangaroo Island, we spotted many koalas and kangaroos. It is always a great surprise!
amazing places to encounter with wildlife in South Australia
On kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island, the third largest island in the country, is accessible by ferry or by air. There is only one airline company (Regional Express) that runs, twice a day, the 30-minute flight from Adelaide to Kingscote. The alternative is to take a 2-hour bus from Adelaide station to Cape Jervis to catch the 45-minute ferry cruise to Penneshaw. For instance, Kangaroo Island Sealink operates three times a day.
“I recommend renting a car on Kangaroo Island as numerous companies do not cover damages that might happen on the ferry. There are few rental companies right at Penneshaw’s terminal.”
Kangaroo island Wildlife Park
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park has been rescuing injured wildlife for many years. Therefore, they have been raising a lot of different native animals impacted by bushfires, extreme heat, or even car accidents for instance. The park is not very big but has a wide variety of animals such as wombats, koalas, kangaroos, dingos, and snakes. Moreover, there are wonderful animal presentations throughout the day, which is why I advise you to allow minimum of 3 hours for your visit.
“This is where we got the most memorable moment of our trip to Australia by bottle feeding orphan joeys. Check out my post here to know more about this experience!“
ACCESS
60 minutes from Penneshaw by car
30 minutes from Kingscote by car
free parking on site
PRICE
AUD $ 28 per adult / AUD $ 16 per child
+ fees apply for extra activities such as private tour and koala encounter
OPENING TIMES
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Seal Bay Conservation Park
Located on South Kangaroo Island, Seal Bay Conservation Park is home to several Australian sea lion colonies. There are no enclosures and cages at Seal Bay which makes the place even more magical. Therefore, if you book a guided tour, you will walk into the heart of the colony. It was impressive to be this close to the seals. Highly recommended experience!
“We took a sunset tour and were the only ones on the beach. The biologist ranger that guided us was very informative and passionate about Australian seals.“
ACCESS
60 minutes from Penneshaw by car
40 minutes from Kingscote by car
free parking on site
SEAL BAY GUIDED TOUR
AUD $ 38 per adult
AUD $ 21.50 per child
OPENING TIMES
9 am to 5 pm
Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is a conservation area focusing on providing natural habitat to native wildlife, located near the famous Flinders Chase National Park. The sanctuary offers several tours throughout the day such as a sunset nocturnal walk. To complete the experience, you can even stay in one of their amazing cabins!
“Unfortunately we couldn’t visit the place as we were there right after the bushfires of 2020 which ravaged everything.“
ACCESS
90 minutes from Penneshaw by car
60 minutes from Kingscote by car
free parking on site
PRICE
AUD $ 30 for a guided tour
AUD $ 60 for a sunset nocturnal walk
OPENING HOURS
9 am to 9 pm
at Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills is easily accessible by public transportation (60 minutes) or by car (20 minutes) from Adelaide center.
Cleland wildlife park
Located at Adelaide Hills, Cleland Wildlife Park is a center which gives a safe environment to lots of animals. There are very few enclosures which allows some of the wildlife to roam freely within the park’s boundaries! Moreover, as the animals are well-adapted to the environment, you can feed them with appropriate food that is sold at the entrance. Unlike the places mentioned above, this sanctuary is (to my knowledge) the only one where you can feed eucalyptus to koalas.
“We had such a blast at Cleland Wildlife park! We spent the entire day there and even booked a private tour to feed koalas and wombats.“
ACCESS
60 minutes from Adelaide center by bus (stop 27 - Cleland Wildlife park)
20 minutes from Adelaide center by car
free parking on site
PRICE
AUD $ 30.00 per adult
+ fees apply for extra activities such koalas feeding (AUD $ 101.00)
OPENING TIMES
9:30 am to 5:00 pm
In conclusion
To sum up, Australia has stolen our hearts the first day we touched the ground, and we know we will be back soon to explore more this wonderful country. Moreover, if you are an animal lover, Australia is the ideal place to travel to. We experienced privileged moments with animals and created such unforgettable memories.
Indeed, I got one of the most unforgettable moments in my life in Kangaroo island wildlife park by bottle feeding an orphan koala, check it out here. It is always hard to describe the incredible feeling we have during this kind of experience, so I simply wish you could live the same moments someday. That is to say, I hope I have inspired you to visit South Australia and its unique fauna.
Finally, feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions. It would be a great pleasure to share with you.
Sending you lots of love,
