The fourth and final day walking the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, a 66km 4-5 day hike at the western end of Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island, relatively close to Adelaide. At 21km this was the longest day as I combined days 4 and 5 of the hike, as the last day is only 7.5km. I finish this blog with some learnings from my experience which may be helpful to those considering hiking the trail.
It was by far the coldest night of the hike, with the temperatures dropping under a cloudless sky. I woke to sea fog and wrapped up in all my layers, which I only started to shed once on the trail heading along by the coast again.
It soon started to get warm, then hot, and by the time I finished hiking by early afternoon it was a windless 32C, the toughest hiking conditions of the trip. The trail offered more great coastal section.
With interesting plants and mighty cliffs ahead.
The view behind was also great, with quite the variety of plant life in a relatively short distance.
The trail then headed inland, which proved less photogenic but was faster walking.
The landscape changed dramatically.
In the distance is Southern Ocean Lodge, where rooms range in price from $3,400 to over $8,000 for one night!
Crossing the South West River involved pulling a small green punt across by hand, an enjoyable novelty.
The walking from here to the end was mostly a bit dull, and very hot with limited shade.
The Wilderness and Grassdale lagoons are meant to offer water all year round, but for the first time in years they were completely dry in mid-February 2025.
There were a few sections of a bit more interest but I was mainly focused on finishing and escaping the sun properly.
The end of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail is marked with a sister gate to the start, and a log book to let the rangers know that you finished the hike.
The trail ends at Kelly Hill Caves, and a ticket for the regular tours is included in the cost of the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail. This was a highlight of the whole hike, with incredible limestone formations, and an interesting tour run by one of the park rangers.
Close to the green punt was Hanson Bay, which is a detour off the trail which I didn’t have time for as I was aiming to finish to make the last Kelly Hill Caves tour of the day. It was easier after finishing the trail to drive to the car park right by it and enjoy the refreshingly cold water, and white sand beach.
Few learnings from walking the trail in mid-February 2025…
- Gaiters or long pants are recommended for protection against snakes (most common in the summer) and scrubby bush in many sections.
- There were no bugs when I walked it but flies may be an issue earlier in the season judging by information at the campsites.
- The earth campsites are filled with limestone which an almost impossible to put pegs into, and there are few large rocks around to tie down tents. The wooden platforms are better as they have metal pegs and railings to attach tents to.
- There are occasional sections with mobile reception, but in general assume to be off the grid for the duration of the hike.
- The kitchens have metal cupboards below the worktop to store food in.
- There is always water at the campgrounds, either rain water or brought in water if it is particularly dry.
- Walking the trail during the summer months there is the risk of a total fire ban, so bring food that can be eaten without cooking if required.
- The trail surface varies from soil to sand to rock, and the walking can be more tiring than the distances involved or track profile suggest.
- There are no steep ascents or descents but I found hiking poles helpful for breaking spiderwebs across the track.
- The campgrounds can be windy, so tie down your tent well, and it can be surprisingly cool in the shade and overnight at times so bring some warm layers.