GALAPAGOS OF THE EAST

Koalas are just the beginning on Australia’s fauna-rich Kangaroo Island.

- KATIE JACKSON

It’s easy to visit Bali, the Island of the Gods, without encountering any gods. It’s impossible to visit Kangaroo Island without encountering a kangaroo or two, however. The roo-to-resident ratio is 14:1. But there’s more to Australia’s third-largest island than its namesake. Kangaroo Island is where fragile wildlife peacefully coexists with French-inspired wineries. It’s where you can cuddle koalas in the morning and race quad bikes in the afternoon. It’s where island time feels like it’s on island time.

First discovered in 1802 and named for what the explorers ate on arrival, Kangaroo Island is just a 30-minute flight southwest of Adelaide. The most popular way to arrive, however, is by boat. At least three ferries a day depart the mainland at Cape Jervis, where it’s a 45-minute scenic passage to Penneshaw Jetty. A steadily growing number of cruise ships have been docking here, the island’s unofficial front door, for decades.

By Cessna or sea, expect to be welcomed by Kangaroo Island ambassadors. Locals depend on the 160,000 annual visitors for their livelihoods. Don’t expect cookie-cutter shore excursions. Déjà vu isn’t a thing here. What happens on Kangaroo Island — or KI, as Aussies who love to shorten everything call it — only happens on Kangaroo Island. For example, it’s the world’s oldest designated bee sanctuary and the only place in the world where you can see a bee so rare even the people living in the region for which it’s named have probably never seen it. Yes, KI is home to the last hive of purebred Ligurian bees.