Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail Re-Opens

Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail is located in the south-west of South Australia’s Kangaroo Island. The trail and associated infrastructure were severely damaged by the 2019-20 bushfires. Since then, the trail has been largely closed as recovery work has been undertaken.

The trail re-opened on 16 December 2023. After more than three years, it’s now possible to walk the full 66 km route that passes through Flinders Chase National Park, Kelly Hill Conservation Park and the Cape Bouguer Wilderness Protection Area. It’s a region renowned for its rugged, remote coastline, botanical variety and abundant wildlife and the trail is purpose-built to display these features.

The walk can be undertaken in a variety of ways. Four campsites along the trail have reopened, each with tent platforms and a communal cooking area, including slow-combustion fire, some protection from the elements and solar lighting. The campsites are located to facilitate a five day journey.

Alternatively, a number of tour operators offer trips that allow you to walk all or part of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail while staying in comfortable off-trail accommodation. These trips encompass both guided and self-guided trips.

It’s wonderful to see the recovery of Kangaroo Island after the devastating bushfires. Another recent landmark in the recovery was the opening of the re-built, luxury Southern Ocean Lodge on 6 December 2023. The Kangaroo Island Walking Trail skirts around Southern Ocean Lodge on Day 4, so it’s deeply embedded in the same wilderness region that the Trail passes through.

For more information on undertaking the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, click the button below.