Making the most of Penneshaw Kangaroo Island
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Kangaroo Island's wharf can accommodate only smaller vessels. From the ship, Penneshaw village is an easy walk away. Larger ships tender passengers to the same landing pier. A tourist information centre operates from a tent on the dock.
Kingscote, Kangaroo Island's largest town, lies around 70km from Penneshaw, or just under an hour's drive. Its small central shopping strip includes supermarkets, a choice of cafés, a bookshop, a choice of restaurants and pubs, plus a couple of other shops to browse.
Free shuttle buses run from Penneshaw village to a beach area 8 miles away and to Kingscote, the island's largest town. The latter is a 45-minute ride costing $50 AU$ per person, about 50% less than a cruise-organised excursion. You can reserve these buses for set times, and the system is very efficient.
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies 112 kilometres (70 mi) south-west of Adelaide at the entrance to Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. Four significant settlements occupy the island, of which Kingscote is the largest.
Kangaroo Island offers visitors plentiful wildlife, natural landscapes and wild beaches. Its cliffs and bays can be spectacular, and intriguing geological formations line the south, with Admirals Arch and the Remarkable Rocks the most popular to visit. Other leading attractions include the KI Penguin centre and the New Zealand Fur Seals visible beneath Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park.
Penneshaw is a small, pretty country town on Kangaroo Island's north-east Dudley Peninsula coast. Home to about 1500 people, it overlooks Backstairs Passage, with mainland South Australia only sixteen kilometres away.
Getting around
There are no taxi services anywhere on the island.
Nearby places
Kingscote stands beside beautiful Nepean Bay, overlooking a boat-filled harbour, and serves as the Island's commercial and business centre. To its north, steep cliffs fall sharply towards Reeves Point, or old Kingscote, one of South Australia's most important heritage places. The Island's capital is a bright, lively town of around 1,800 residents and its centre for trade and commerce, with banks, wide-ranging shopping and services. The Information centre, shops and accommodation houses provide a detailed guide to attractions, activities and worthwhile walks. The delightful…
Money
The currency is the Australian Dollar.
Staying connected
English is spoken.
Opening Hours and
Shops and services typically open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and until lunchtime on Saturday. In cities and larger towns, many remain open late on Thursday or Friday evening, usually to 9pm, and throughout Saturday. Shopping centres frequently trade on Sundays too.
In remote rural districts, roadhouses supply every essential service for the traveller and are generally open 24 hours a day along major highways. Tourist offices in visitor areas, including those far off the beaten track, often open daily or at least during the week and on weekend mornings; urban information centres are more likely to follow normal shopping hours.
Visitor attractions such as museums, galleries and staffed historic monuments often open every day, although those in rural communities may keep irregular hours.