Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third largest island, 155 km long and 55 km wide at the widest point and 1 km at the narrowest.
Kangaroo Island is renowned for its pristine stunning scenery and is a class wildlife and nature destination.
Wildlife
Kangaroo Island has active wildlife all year round. We do recommend due care whilst riding during different seasons and at different times. Kangaroos are active all year; however kangaroos tend not to be too active (but can be) during the heat of the day. On wet still days or drizzly days they can be everywhere so take extreme care.
Kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums, goannas and snakes can be seen all year round on Kangaroo Island, some more so in the evening or at night. The locals tend to refrain from riding at night due to the wildlife.
Weather
The weather on Kangaroo Island is changeable and can be perfect one moment and then wet, windy and cold the next. It is an island after all, and you should have your wet weather gear packed even on a hot day to adjust to the conditions as they change. Be mindful that the East end of Kangaroo Island can be much warmer than the Western/ Southern end of the island.
In winter the weather can be quite nice on Kangaroo Island. Generally if the day starts off dull and wet it can be sunny in the afternoon. It is rare on Kangaroo Island to have rain all day, we more so have passing rain. Wind is the main issue at certain times of the year. (The locals refer to November as Blow-vember, but it can be windy all summer) If you want to escape the majority of the wind, the best time is mid March through to end of June.
Roads on Kangaroo Island
Various road types exist on Kangaroo Island from bitumen, limestone to laterite gravel.
All the main arterial roads to the townships are bitumen with several roads to other locations such as Emu Bay, Seal Bay and Stokes Bay also full bitumen.
Various roads on KI are limestone top dressed (white roads). The condition of these roads is generally good as they seem to hold up in the wet weather and with fairly heavy use by traffic. Care still needs to be taken when travelling on the limestone roads as potholes still form and they can still be slippery.
Various other roads particularly on the island are laterite gravel. These can be in good condition if graded recently or they can deteriorate quickly, particularly with heavy traffic use and wet weather. Corrugations and pot holes form on these roads and they can be very slippery in wet or dry conditions. Generally not a good idea to travel on these roads on road motorcycles as they can “rattle” your motorcycle due to the condition of the roads.