South Australia

The island sits off the south coast, is large enough to need several days rather than one, and is the best place in the country to see wild animals without going to a park. The reason is isolation: it separated from the mainland long enough ago, and stayed free of certain introduced predators, that species which struggle elsewhere are simply ordinary here. Sea lions haul out on one beach and are visited on guided walks that keep a set distance; fur seals occupy a rocky cape at the western end; koalas, echidnas, goannas and kangaroos are common, and penguins come ashore after dark in places. The landscape does its own work too — a headland of granite boulders weathered into rounded shapes and stained orange with lichen, tall coastal cliffs, and long empty beaches. Much of the western end is national park and was severely burnt in the fires of 2019 and 2020; the regeneration is visible and in places remarkable, and some sites and trails remain in recovery, so check current access before fixing an itinerary. Ferries cross from the mainland and there is an airstrip; the island is big enough that a vehicle is close to essential once you are there. Why so much of that wildlife is only out at dawn and dusk, and how to plan around it, is the subject of Australian wildlife.