Car Rental Penneshaw Wharf

An abundance of wild nature, breathtaking coastal scenery and impressive geological beauty awaits you at Kangaroo Island – just a two-hour drive plus 50-minute ferry ride from Adelaide. When you dock at Penneshaw Wharf on the Island’s eastern end, pick up your hire car and you’re ready to explore this magnificent destination that’s quintessentially Australian, with all the best bits thrown in. Astonishing rock formations, unique marsupials, stunning beaches, flowering fields, world-class vineyards, a boutique brewery, outstanding culinary experiences, and brilliant skies in the evening all await you here. In a nutshell, Kangaroo Island conveniently captures a Down Under odyssey all in one spellbinding place. 

A self-drive holiday is the perfect way to discover the amazing landscapes, wilderness trails and unparalleled coastal panoramas, plus you get to meet an abundance of native animals at your own pace. Whether you’re hiking remote and rugged tracks, communing with a sea-lion colony, getting up close to koalas, or tobogganing sand dunes – a holiday in Kangaroo Island is a spectacular and unforgettable experience. 

With the lungfuls of fresh air you’ll be breathing and all the outdoor pursuits on your holiday agenda, your appetite will grow for the divine regional produce Kangaroo Island is famous for. You’ll want to match those top boutique wines with delicious seafood – the local specialties being abalone, marron, King George whiting and oysters (head to the farm for these). While you’re at Penneshaw, have some excellent gastro-pub fare at their namesake hotel, affectionately called ‘The Penny’.  

We recommend that you pick up some picnic supplies, and maybe some artisan goods to take home with you. Stock up on local cheese and sourdough bread; figs and sticky fig syrup from the Figgery; and the finest Ligurian honey or honey mead from the Island Beehive. For an afternoon tea treat, tuck into some lavender scones and tea at the Emu Bay Lavender Farm and wander through the aromatic fields. Planning a trip sometime in summer or up to April? Then don’t miss booking The Enchanted Fig Tree for a magical dinner under the twinkling canopy and gnarly embrace of a 120 year-old fig. Or, if you’re here a few months earlier, stop in at Gastronomo, a progressive dining feast, cooked on traditional fire and coals, at a secret venue. 

Hit the road in your hire car and discover the wonders of Island life

For a special introduction to Kangaroo Island, take the signature Island Life Tour for small groups with a local guide. Spend a full day meeting koalas, tammar wallabies, native birds, Australian sea-lions and Kangaroo Island’s own breed of kangaroo. As the sun begins to sink, owls, possums and other nocturnal wildlife appear, with activity increasing as the evening cools. Enjoy an after-dark tour under clear night skies to see what critters pop up.

If you prefer to take it one species at a time, swim with pods of friendly bottle-nosed dolphins in warm, pristine waters. Head to the Seal Bay Conservation Sanctuary on the southern coast and watch from the beach or boardwalk as sea-lions and their pups frolic on the sand or in the waves. Your trip wouldn’t be complete without encountering a cuddly koala: head to Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, home to 150 native species (including orphaned animals).

One of the best places for kangaroo spotting is at Flinders Chase National Park on the far west of the Island. With 74,000-hectares of untouched bushland, it’s one of Australia’s largest and most significant parks. Also found here are the aptly named Remarkable Rocks; these iconic granite stunners are 500-million years-old and counting and come with a dramatic Southern Ocean backdrop. Another impressive physical feature of the park is Admirals Arch, also the starting point for many hikes. This unusual rock bridge opens to the roaring sea, and was once a cave, with stalactites still adorning its frame. A neighbouring lighthouse at Cape du Couedic has been guarding the southwestern shoreline since 1908; while a colony of fur seals sunbathe and play in the rockpools below.

Get familiar with the shimmering beaches on Kangaroo Island with your hire car

Whether you prefer surfing, swimming or just luxuriating on shore, the beaches around Kangaroo Island are utterly beguiling, and you won’t want to leave paradise without visiting these three breathtaking bays. 

Experience a slice of surf and swim heaven at Emu Bay -  lay out your towel on its soft, protected white sands. When you’re done soaking the rays, bring out your inner natural history geek and check out the unique and ancient trilobite fossil beds here (the only one of two in the world).

The hidden jewel of Kangaroo Island is Stokes Bay. Emerge onto its idyllic white shores after winding your way through a small labyrinth of caves. For your efforts, you may even have this secluded little oasis to yourself. 

Voted as Australia’s best beach, Vivonne Bay boasts a six-kilometre stretch of powdery sands and gentle waves with dunes in the distance. Dive from the jetty into the immaculate, vivid blue waters of this U-shaped bay as you slip into holiday bliss.

If epic dunes inspire you, Little Sahara Desert has a towering 70-metre peak that you’ll just have to see for yourself. Just 10-minutes from Vivonne Bay, explore the wind-sculpted forms and undulating networks, or surf down the slopes on a sandboard or toboggan. For fun, indulgences, adventure and relaxation, how could anyone not love Kangaroo Island!